In The Color Purple, a woman faces many challenges and hardships in her life, but finds strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. Director Blitz Bazawule’s new take on the classic film is a feminist work about an abused and uneducated African American woman’s struggle for strength and empowerment. The Color Purple stands out for the depth of its female characters, whose stories explore racism, sexism, and identity in American history and culture.
As a casual viewer, I found it interesting that at the start of the story, many women in the movie do not stand up for themselves enough, while the men they stayed with didn’t have any type of sympathy or remorse. The women are used and abused and put to work every second of the day. Meanwhile, the men held them down from having freedom and wanting to explore the city, from becoming something more.
For me, another focal point of the film is its depiction of racism in America in the early 19th century. At the time, people couldn’t even go get ice cream for their kids without being attacked by someone of the opposite race. African American women mostly serve as maids in white households. If they didn’t agree to it, they are jailed and beaten. We learn about this in our history classes, but it is quite different to see it on screen.
The movie comes full circle, and the ending is amazing and beautiful. All of the leads come together, reunited again with the people they got taken from. The Black African American women stand up for themselves and do not take anything less from the men and racist people they initially stayed with. By showing this journey, the film models perseverance and triumpth.
Finally, I really enjoyed the music in the film; they had songs playing at every part that needed to be. For those who do not love musicals, there is not too much singing at all. The music, dancing, and acting all work well together, and each song feels perfect for the scenes. I didn’t have any problems with the movie. It played out so well and at every moment of the movie it was interesting with no lack of entertainment.
All in all, The Color Purple is lively and fun. I was impressed by the film and would recommend it to anyone. It keeps you entertained and wondering what would happen next.