aox wrote: ↑Thu May 20, 2021 4:55 pm
Because I saw it was available on Hulu, I finally sat down to watch
The Color Purple; one of the last films in Spielberg's oeuvre I had yet to see. It's not a bad film but it just seemed incredibly dull. Especially after finally seeing
The Help this year which deals with similar themes, albeit in a different time period. The acting, photography, sets, etc... are all competent. I can see why in 1985 this would get numerous Oscar nominations but not win anything. Somewhere in this thread, it was mentioned that Spielberg is a master of pacing, and I think this is a good example of Spielberg not showing off this talent. Individual scenes work really well, so I don't know what I would cut or re-edit, but this movie plods.
While I would like to stay away from the modern criticisms of the film: 1. it completely waters down the lesbian subplot in the book (didn't this also happen to
Fried Green Tomatoes too?) 2. it was directed by a white man, but I feel I have to address the latter. Without having any connection to the experiences the characters in this film endure, I don't fully understand why this was made and what Spielberg is trying to say. I'm desperately trying to put myself in 1985 and view the film through the lens of contemporary events and progressive attitudes/politics of the time, and I am still confounded. How big of a deal was this in 1985, and can someone compare it with a modern equivalent in terms of impact?
The Sugarland Express,
The BFG,
The Adventures of Tintin are the only Spielberg films I haven't seen. I really only have a passing (read: completist) interest in Sugarland Express and have seen no compelling arguments for the latter two.
Spielberg was taken to task quite a bit by some critics at the time. He's also acknowledged that he didn't feel comfortable enough with Celie and Shug's sexuality to explore it enough on screen, and it damaged the film significantly. Come to think of it, I don't think he's ever really even tried to explore any LGBTQ characters on screen beyond this film. I've always wanted to read Menno Meyjes' original screenplay of it. I have a suspicion that the film adaptation of the
Color Purple Broadway musical (which Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey are producing, and which is essentially the first remake of a film directed by him) will similarly obscure much of what makes the novel so powerful.
I concur with the others on
Sugarland. One of the most iconic final shots in 1970's American cinema, courtesy of Vilmos Zsigmond. Goldie Hawn's performance is so rich and complex; it's the same traits that make her so endearing in Richard Brooks'
$ as well. I love Michael Sacks' performance in it and
Slaughterhouse-Five, and it's a shame that he departed from the business decades ago to pursue a career in finance.