There are a few novels that have wholeheartedly earned the title of being a contender for the greatest work of American fiction, and one of the leading candidates is Alice Walker’s astonishing The Color Purple, a sprawling epic set in the first half of the 20th century, which follows the life of a young woman named Celie Harris as she navigates various challenges that come with being a black woman in a country where both of these descriptors were an immediate disadvantage based on the country’s history with both race and gender. A beautiful and poetic story that transcends place and time, it continues to touch viewers from every generation, proving to be quite a timeless work. In an effort to bring this narrative to a wider audience, various artists have elected to adapt it in various formats – Steven Spielberg helmed a well-received film adaptation, and a couple of decades later, a stage musical by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray premiered, which breathed new life into this iconic work. Two decades later, we have an adaptation of this musical, brought to the screen by a team of producers that include some of the most notable names in American culture, and helmed by Blitz Bazawule, a rambunctious and incredibly talented director in what is going to be immediately seen as his breakthrough, having been handpicked by the producers after witnessing his impressive work in the past, which includes an experimental musical conceived by none other than Beyonce, who found a kindred artistic spirit in the director. A beautiful and incredibly nuanced work that is both an exploration of the past and a celebration of the people within it, The Color Purple is an incredible piece of filmmaking and one of the most evocative films of the year. There are a few minor elements that could have been reconfigured (mainly having to do with the film’s slight erasure of some of the narrative details contained in Walker’s writing), but it is still an astounding work that not only establishes Bazawule as one of the most exciting young filmmakers working today, but allows this incredible story to be told with innovative and exciting details that make it such an enthralling experience.

One of the key qualities of a good stage-to-screen adaptation is the ability to retain the elements that made the original production so incredible, accompanied by new aspects that could only be done on film. Merely transposing the entire production to a bigger set is not sufficient, and this is something that Bazawule was aware of when crafting this film, which he knew would come pre-packaged with the perception of it being the third major adaptation of a beloved novel. Very few works warrant three separate adaptations, so it was imperative that whatever was done with this version would not only be unique enough to prevent too much credence being given to the eventual comparisons but also allow it to stand on its own. This adaptation of The Color Purple refuses to stand in the shadow of the other adaptations, and one of its most interesting details is how it is primarily constructed as an adaptation of the novel (with the dialogue being reworked by screenwriter Marcus Gardley, rather than just being a direct adaptation of the book of the musical), featuring the majority of the songs from the musical, as well as some new material written by musicians hired to enrich an already incredible work. There are even a few elements brought over from the initial film adaptation (including a very surprising appearance from a notable actor in a small but substantial role) – and as we have seen before, when dealing with material that has been reworked and adapted on multiple occasions, it does pay to be more original, which sometimes does include extracting the best elements of the existing works, and reconfiguring them to have new significance, which allows all the works to exist in dialogue rather than aiming to be the definitive text on a particular subject. The reverence Bazawule has for this story is clear in absolutely every frame, and rather than just being a director-for-hire commissioned to helm an enormous production, he adds his unique perspective that makes this adaptation of The Color Purple such an invigorating, complex film that pays tribute to one of the greatest works of literature ever written in ways that are both astonishing and thoroughly unpredictable.

One of the more relevant questions we tend to ask on occasion is whether or not there is still a place for musicals in the contemporary cinematic landscape – like any genre, there has been an ebb and flow in the level of popularity, and we are currently in quite an ambigious space when it comes to determining whether these films are still commercially feasible, or if they are remnants of the past. With the exception of a few animated films, original musicals are quite rare to find on screen, and thus we have to look to what is being produced on stage for inspiration. The Color Purple is not a show that immediately required an adaptation – the story has been told on screen before. However, the importance of the narrative coupled with the fact that it is a genuinely well-written musical that is driven by a sense of extraordinary humanity makes it seem like an appropriate candidate for another cinematic revival – and through managing to avoid nearly every pratfall that is usually inherited by directors who are given the thankless task of bringing these stories to the screen, Bazawule proves his exceptional skillfulness that immediately positions him as a major voice in contemporary American cinema. The fluidity with which he directs this film is beyond impressive, and we find that it is filled to the brim with unforgettable imagery, with the director carefully selecting the right moments and matching them with a visual style that matches them perfectly and boosts the underlying message. In an era where audiences have grown incredulous about the idea of musicals as a feasible form of storytelling, it takes a lot of work to convince them to give a film like this a chance, but from its first scene, The Color Purple proves to be an essential work, a bold and ambitious revival of a decades-old tradition, elevating a beautiful story into a true spectacle, breathing new life into a text that has never felt outdated, but yet still benefits from a fresh perspective, something that Bazawule ensures he follows as perhaps the single most important element of this film, which is more than just an extravagant musical, but a tribute to the generations of women that were the victims of psychological and physical abuse, kept imprisoned by a system that saw them as inferior, showcasing their resilience and tenacity that has inspired generations of people to fight for their right to exist. It’s a simple concept, but one that is immensely important, and remains extraordinarily relevant to the present day.

As a novel, The Color Purple is not only memorable for Walker’s incredible writing but also for the fascinating characters she creates. It is a vibrant text filled with colourful, compelling individuals who are beautifully developed and profoundly interesting. Many actors have made quite an impression playing these roles on stage or screen, and quite a bit of attention was placed on finding the right actors to play the roles. As mentioned previously, a lot of the production of this film came from selecting elements from previous adaptations, which extended to the casting – performers from both previous Broadway adaptations were cast in central roles, with Fantasia Barrino (in her film debut) reprising the lead role of Celie after her well-received run over 15 years ago, while Danielle Brooks was brought on from the recent revival, which is particularly notable considering how she is often considered the definitive Sofia, one of the best roles in the entire story. Barrino is an absolute powerhouse – for someone who has not acted professionally on film before, she seems incredibly at ease on screen, and she has a sincere affection for this character. There is an authenticity to what she is doing here that only elevates the film – every emotion is genuine, and the pain and despair contained within this woman comes through vividly through her mighty performance, as does the final cathartic moments when Celie finally reaches a place of inner peace. Brooks is also incredible, bringing so much heart and humour to a film that only benefits from her sheer magnetism and ability to create such a complex and engaging portrayal of one of the many incredible women who were silenced by the status quo. Screen veterans Colman Domingo and Taraji P. Henson turn in unsurprisingly excellent performances, taking on the substantial roles of “Mister”, the man who uses abuse to coerce this young woman to be his submissive bride, and Shug Avery, the glamorous, larger-than-life personality that unlocks Celie’s confidence and helps her overcome her suffering. The film is littered with extraordinary performances, and the entire ensemble works together in perfect synchronicity – but they all exist to highlight the extraordinary work by Barrino, who turns in one of the most complex, beautiful performances of the year, and one that will hopefully prove that she has the potential to be one of our most dynamic, original screen presences since this is the very definition of a star-making performance. 

We have moved past the era where artists needed to have one particular avenue of expression, which is something that makes films like The Color Purple so incredibly engaging since this is a film directed by someone who started his career as a musician and written by a poet – neither Bazawule nor Gardley were obvious choices to bring this film to life, but yet their experience in other areas of the creative world served to give the film fresh, unique insights since it was being conceived by two artists who came to this film with many different ideas. This is a film directed by someone used to working with music since the story moves along with an entrancing rhythm that can only come with having dedicated a considerable amount of time to the art of performance. The result is a spectacle the likes of which we haven’t seen in quite some time – The Color Purple is a bold, extravagant musical odyssey that feels like a return to the heyday of the American screen musical, something that has not existed at such an impressive, breathtaking scope for decades. Maximalism in cinema can be very tricky to pull off successfully, and we usually find that the best examples of this in practice come in films that are distinctly not aiming to be over-the-top, but have a genuine desire to explore the story as extensively as possible. Every detail of The Color Purple is extraordinary – the cinematography by Dan Laustsen is incredible, and he had the unenviable task of working with the director to capture the sprawling landscapes in which the film took place, with the framing of everything, from the most breathtaking musical number to the moments of quiet intimacy between characters, being beautifully rendered. The costumes are impeccable, the production design perfectly replicates this small community, and we have to credit Bazawule for knowing that a film like this can only succeed with precise attention to detail since a spectacle without depth is not worth our time. The music itself is incredible (including new contributions by composer Kris Bowers), so the fact that the surrounding film is just as spellbinding is one of the many reasons why it feels like a genuinely major achievement in both narrative and visual filmmaking, which is an entirely appropriate tribute for a novel of such historical importance.

The Color Purple is not only one of the year’s best films but an electrifying work of impeccable creativity and even more artistic integrity, which allows it to be far more nuanced than we may have expected. This has been a good year for major American productions, films that are epic in scope, but feel deeply human, relying on genuine elements to evoke the feeling of being a spectacle, and The Color Purple is one of the very best in this regard. Perhaps revisiting a story that is perfect as it is in its original form may seem unnecessary, but considering the industry’s belief in existing properties as being the most financially feasible, we can excuse the tendency towards reviving older material if the results are as engaging and compelling as they are with this film. It’s a bold and audacious film that navigates its emotions with such precision, drawing out the most genuine reactions and never settling for middle-of-the-road melodrama, instead allowing this stunning story and the music that was written to accompany the narrative, to speak for itself. The performances are striking, beautiful and complex, the direction sharp and captivating, and the technical and creative details some of the very best of the year. There is very little room to find fault in this film, outside of the aforementioned elements that seemed to overlook some of the smaller narrative details contained in the source text (such as portraying the relationship between Celie and Shug as almost entirely platonic, when the novel makes it quite clear that this is a queer story), it is a nearly perfect film, the rare kind of extravagant musical that justifies its excess through making sure it is used sparingly and only when it is necessary, as well as not neglecting the human side of the story. For many viewers, this is going to be their entry point into the astonishing story that Walker created when she first conceived of The Color Purple over forty years ago – and while the original material will always be the superior version, this rich and evocative adaptation carries the legacy on beautifully and proves to be an extraordinary adaptation that makes it clear that not only is there still a space for the big-budget screen musical, we may be standing at the threshold of a new renaissance for the genre – and only time will tell if this is the start of a new era.