The Color Purple
It's about life. It's about love. It's about us.
1985 | 154m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Steven Spielberg |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Alice Walker, Menno Meyjes |
| Staring: |
| An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing 'Mister' Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 18, 1985 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Steven Spielberg |
| Writer: | Alice Walker, Menno Meyjes |
| Genres: | Drama, History |
| Keywords | prison, sibling relationship, africa, southern usa, rape, jazz, abusive father, violent husband, empowerment, adoption, jazz singer or musician, letter, cynical, incest, angry, aggressive, desperate, complex, anxious, cautionary, sentimental, antagonistic, authoritarian, callous, celebratory, condescending, defiant, harsh, ominous |
| Production Companies | Amblin Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, The Guber-Peters Company |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $146,300,000
Budget: $15,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Alice Walker | Novel |
| Allen Daviau | Director of Photography |
| Quincy Jones | Original Music Composer, Lyricist, Songs |
| Lionel Richie | Lyricist |
| Bo Welch | Art Direction |
| Steven Spielberg | Director |
| J. Michael Riva | Production Design |
| Tony Brubaker | Stunts |
| Fred Steiner | Orchestrator |
| Menno Meyjes | Screenplay |
| Michael Kahn | Editor |
| Aggie Guerard Rodgers | Costume Design |
| Dana Dru Evenson | Stunt Double |
| Alan L. Nineberg | ADR Editor |
| Robert Samuels | Second Assistant Camera |
| Jorge Calandrelli | Orchestrator |
| Jerry Hey | Orchestrator |
| Rod Temperton | Lyricist, Songs |
| Bill Maxwell | Songs |
| Richard Alonzo | Makeup Artist |
| Randy Kerber | Orchestrator |
| David Del Sesto | Songs |
| Linda DeScenna | Set Decoration |
| Andraé Crouch | Music Arranger, Songs |
| Joel Rosenbaum | Orchestrator |
| Jack Hayes | Orchestrator |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Steven Spielberg | Producer |
| Kathleen Kennedy | Producer |
| Quincy Jones | Producer |
| Jon Peters | Executive Producer |
| Frank Marshall | Producer |
| Peter Guber | Executive Producer |
| Carole Isenberg | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globes | Best Supporting Actress | Whoopi Goldberg | Won |
| Golden Globes | Best Actress | Whoopi Goldberg | Won |
| Golden Globes | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
| Golden Globes | Best Actress | N/A | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | Best Actress | Whoopi Goldberg | Won |
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Whoopi Goldberg | Won |
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Whoopi Goldberg | Won |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 32 | 69 | 21 |
| 2024 | 5 | 36 | 57 | 22 |
| 2024 | 6 | 30 | 47 | 20 |
| 2024 | 7 | 40 | 86 | 21 |
| 2024 | 8 | 30 | 56 | 16 |
| 2024 | 9 | 17 | 27 | 11 |
| 2024 | 10 | 24 | 43 | 13 |
| 2024 | 11 | 24 | 44 | 15 |
| 2024 | 12 | 24 | 34 | 11 |
| 2025 | 1 | 23 | 35 | 16 |
| 2025 | 2 | 16 | 25 | 4 |
| 2025 | 3 | 8 | 23 | 2 |
| 2025 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
| 2025 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 2 |
| 2025 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| 2025 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 615 | 801 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 465 | 718 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 597 | 649 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 595 | 729 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 659 | 784 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 956 | 958 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 891 | 932 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 11 | 734 | 742 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9 | 938 | 951 |
Well, this is one of those movies that hinges on a singular performance. In this case it's Danny Glover who is absolutely amazing in his role, probably the best performance of his career, and one of the best that came out of the 80s. But Goldberg and Oprah really stink. I don't know what was goin ... g on there but they were all over the place. However, despite them, Glover does carry the role, and Spielberg realized that this was a film adapted from a play. He kind of took that and ran with it, so the performances (minus two notable ones) were as earnest as you would get in live theater, the set designs, the camera movements, it all felt less like a movie and a lot more like, well, like you were seeing it live on Broadway. And, honestly, I think that worked. It was a unique approach and it made it wonderful to watch.