The 1985 film adaptation of the seminal novel of the same name, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Willard Pugh, and Adolph Caesar.
It is the turn of the 20th century in rural Georgia. Celie, a teenage black girl who has borne two children by her abusive father, is forced into marriage to "Mister" Johnson. Mister had wanted to marry Celie's sister, Nettie, who eventually seeks shelter with Celie. Though the two sisters are separated, they promise to reunite. In the following years, Celie befriends two strong-willed women, Shug Avery and Sofia, who help her come into her own.
The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, and marked a turning point in his career for being his first pure drama film, a departure from the Summer Blockbusters he had grown synonymous with. Quincy Jones did the soundtrack, rather than Spielberg's usual collaborator John Williams. Both Goldberg and Winfrey made their film debuts here.
A second film adaptation was released in 2023, this time an adaptation of the musical.
Tropes:
- Adapted Out: The mayor's daughter Eleanor Jane is not in the film She is the sole white character who gets an inkling of the injustices Sofia and other blacks have suffered. She attempts to atone for her part in the unjust treatment of Sofia by caring for Sofia's daughter Henrietta, and is the one who reunites Sofia with her family, eventually leading to the She's Back moment described below.
- And Introducing: This marks the first film for Whoopi Goldberg.
- Bait-and-Switch Lesbians: Despite an explicit queer romance in the book, in the film Shug and Celie only kiss once but nothing more comes from it and they're still left paired with male lovers (Celie with her abusive spouse, Shug returning with a new male spouse).
- Bar Brawl: Sophia starts one in the juke joint after she pushes Harpo's new girlfriend through a trapdoor in the floor into the pond below. One by one the rest of the patrons join in resulting in lots of violence and smashed glasses.
- Book Ends: The film begins with Celie and Nettie among violets, playing a clapping game. It ends with the two sisters playing the same clapping game when they reunite decades later.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Albert has his own "Eureka!" Moment when Old Mr. insists what he really needs is a new woman. Albert just shoves him out the door.
- Color Motif: Per the title, purple, which reoccurs throughout the film to symbolize transformation. This even extends to the film's soundtrack album, the double-LP release of which featured purple disc labels and was pressed on purple vinyl in the US.
- Foreshadowing: As Shug paints her red nails, she is told by one of the children that Celie is shaving Mister. She continues on at first as the camera zooms on her abruptly stopping, hiding her facial expression of seeing the bigger picture.
- Gory Discretion Shot:
- Early in the film when Mister Johnson tries to chase Nettie into the trees to have his way with her, we can only hear her punch him where it counts and him scream before Nettie runs back into frame.
- A car drives in front of the camera before the audience can see Sofia punch Millie's husband.
- Henpecked Husband: Harpo seems to be one, as Sophia seems to bully him around. Mr. telling him to hit her causes their separation, but it's repaired by the end of the film, when Mr. toasts, "It sure is nice... to see... you two together again."
- Hide Your Lesbians: The lesbian themes of the book gets scrapped in the movie, aside from Celie still finding Shug pretty and one kissing scene.
- Lady in Red: Shug is often wearing red throughout the film, most notably she wears a sparkly red dress for her performance at Harpo's juke joint which she later lets Celie try on.
- Pop-Star Composer: The film's soundtrack was handled by jazz/R&B musician and producer Quincy Jones.
- Single-Issue Psychology: Sofia is a Broken Bird after her stint in prison. Her psyche seems repaired when Celie finally stands up to Mister. The film goes on to subvert this trope shortly afterward, when Celie tells Mister straight out that she's prepared to kill him if he tries to stop her from leaving. Sofia visibly shrinks, showing the audience that her old self is still in there, but truly overcoming her time in prison won't be that easy.
- Tamer and Chaster: The book has quite a bit of sexuality in it, especially concerning Celie's sexual exploration, which the film removed.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Grady, Shug's husband, just up and disappears before the end of the film. The book says he and Shug eventually break up, and he starts a marijuana plantation in Central America.
