The Color Purple Book vs Movie

Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize winning novel was adapted into a movie directed by Stephen Spielberg staring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey, and later turned into a musical! But how does the movie compare to the book?
my video for the 2023 movie!
• The Color Purple 2023 ...
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00:00 book review
03:24 movie review
05:56 Celie, Nettie, and Albert
08:51 Sofia
10:32 Shug Avery
13:19 Sofia and the mayor’s wife
15:17 Nettie’s letters
18:57 Celie going to Memphis
20:21 Shug leaving
22:05 Albert and Celie later in life
24:19 Sofia and the mayor’s daughter
25:34 allowing people to change
26:42 the ending
28:03 faith changing
30:43 Africa
32:45 book vs movie

[@WhytheBookWins]

My video for the 2023 movie is now up. A link to it is in the description!

[@sleepbaby17]

The first 30 minutes was always my favorite part. Especially as a young dark-skinned Black girl with a younger sister. I agree with another person that this movie is masterful for me and I cry every single time. 💜

[@NellaB_]

As a Black woman I feel like we connected the best with the movie. The things you disliked were surprisingly the scenes I resonated with the most.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Thanks for sharing! I agree as much as I love this book I know it means so much more to black women. And I was probably a bit too harsh to this movie overall. As time has passed I like it more. I was just so disappointed at the scenes that were left out of the book boy to be far this would need to be a miniseries in order to include everything.

[@atenmccutchen7378]

Resonated with u it’s a made up story?

[@NellaB_]

@@atenmccutchen7378 is that not what I said??? It doesn’t have to be based on a true story to resonate with ME! 😕

[@JDris08]

She’s uses Hoodoo on Mr. It’s a Black cultural aspect that was beautifully depicted as African American women have traditionally wielded this ancestral power.

[@Biscuitplease]

What a lot of people miss in the book, is Mary Agnes is biracial and related to the a sheriff. She dresses up to look well to do and was given the mission to use her bloodline to convince them to free Sophia. Despite this, Squeak is abused by the police and is sent away raggedy from the assault that happened. This results in Squeak wanting to find her own voice and transitions from a quiet little girl to a brazen woman. It was not utilized in the movie. But she also realized Harpo doesnt love her like he loves Sophia.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Yeah I didn't get into this, but like you said it is a crucial scene for her! And neither movie show this.

[@angelaholmes8888]

I first watched the movie when I was a child it was so heartbreaking at times but still a great film I'm shocked that the color purple didn't win any Oscars the movie totally deserved to win

[@WhytheBookWins]

yeah it's so crazy!

[@jsan3743]

It should have swept the Oscars. I hope the new one is wonderful and gets them all to make up for it

[@detroitcityman6622]

Many Black organizations and figures blasted the movie because they felt it was extremely negative towards Black men. The Nation of Islam and the NAACP encouraged people to boycott the movie, which perhaps caused the Academy Awards to do a complete 180° in terms of the nominations. Had they given that movie ONE award, then it would be interpreted as a co-sign to what the NAACP was complaining about.

[@RandallGriffithLCSW]

That song, Maybe God Is Trying to Tell You Something, written by the late, great Andre Crouch, was sooooo moving when I first saw the movie. I saw it in a theater!

[@WhytheBookWins]

Yeah it was a moving scene, so even though it was not in the book I didn't mind the addition

[@MaryamAhmed-on9hu]

Tribal marks not facial scarring

[@JDris08]

Thank you

[@Donnydon1996]

Watching the original movie with a 2023 eye is hard. But my mom tells me the story of my great grandmother when she first saw the movie she took all her grandchildren to watch it. Because it was so close to her life. The new movie is a modern version with modern movie elements and techniques. But you gotta love the original movie for the great impact it had. Especially for the time it was made

[@WhytheBookWins]

Yeah that's a good point.

[@AlexP-dz7ew]

I have a close family member who worked on the new movie coming in December and have had a few opportunities to see screenings of the musical. There are some plot points in the musical that are missed in the older movie as well as some omissions that were in the Spielberg version. The two films are quite different. Obviously still plenty missing from the book in the musical but it’s definitely a worthwhile watch!

[@WhytheBookWins]

That's so cool! I can't wait to see it 😁

[@KazeShikamaru]

I love the first 30 minutes as that is critical to their characters. Book fans need to understand not everything can fit within 3 hours and you gotta cut some things. The director knew at the end of the day this was Cellie's story so you are going to get that. She is the mian character after all. I do want to read this book though as I do think the middle and ending of it are really strong but don't like how Shurg kind of ditches Cellie to pretend to be young again it kind of hurts the relationship. I hope you do a video on the remake that is coming out tomorrow.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Yup! Later this week that video will be up. And yeah, they are two different mediums so that makes sense. Maybe as a mini series they could have delved more into Nettie and her life in Africa. And even though Shug can be so selfish, and it was messed up that she left Celie, Shug doing what she wants is also why Celie loves her. Like it's just her personality to go after what she wants. And in a way, that desire came from not knowing her own children but her experience with the young guy led her back to her son which helped her feel more whole and able to return to Celie. That was my way of seeing it at least. (I think I can be too empathetic and not want to do something that could hurt others, and so when I see a character who just does what they want I admire that because I can sometimes be a bit of a people pleaser. So that's also my personal reason for still liking Shug despite it all)

[@KazeShikamaru]

@@WhytheBookWins I just feel also it isn't a good look LGBTQ community that you can just move round like this. Movie Cellie is gay they don't hide it but do feel if they do right in the remake they can make it more obvious and maybe make Shurg a committed partner. I can't wait to see it tomorrow afternoon.

[@WhytheBookWins]

I meant to read and talk about the last paragraph of the book which is absolutely beautiful, but I forgot! I will have to share that when I talk about the new movie in December.

[@marcelinegarcia4330]

My best friend works at a movie theater and he gets the movie posters for free so he gave me a movie poster for the color purple musical. if he didn’t give me that poster, I probably wouldn’t have watched the movie. I watched the first movie earlier in the day for Christmas then went to go watch the musical. I googled that it was a book so I know that it is a book now watching your video. I really want to buy a copy of the book, read it, then rewatch both movies, and talk about it with my friends.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Oh cool! That sounds like a great idea 😊

[@atenmccutchen7378]

How can u be so motivated over a Truma piece it’s basically truma porn,😂😂😂

[@derekchatman2595]

Great analysis. I saw the movie first, many many years ago and then read the book recently. Did you watch the movie for the first time recently or did you see it when it first came to theaters?

[@WhytheBookWins]

This was my first time watching it!

[@kerreberry8886]

I loved this movie as well as the book. Glad you reviewed it.

[@stumpy5866]

Cramming for an english exam thanks dude!!!! Great video too actually worth watching not just for school.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Thanks! Glad it helped 🙂

[@huntercoleman460]

Fun fact: The Color Purple was the first Steven Spielberg movie not to have the score done by John Williams.

[@WhytheBookWins]

interesting!

[@ninamatthews8747]

The movie is a classic. It’s impossible to watch a movie after reading the book. You’ll ALWAYS prefer the book.

[@WhytheBookWins]

That's true a lot of the time, but i do have episodes where I actually prefer the movie

[@kimberlyowens5496]

I saw the original not planning on seeing the remake. Don't understand why Quincy pushed for Spielberg, there were black directors that could have given it a better nuance.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Yeah I agree, Spielberg was kind of an odd choice.

[@ChainsawManDude97]

I just want to let you know that Spielberg did a great job that it doesn’t even matter whether he is white.

[@kimberlyowens5496]

@danierugyaraga35 yes, he did do a good job. But let John Singleton direct Schindlers list and see the backlash.

[@atenmccutchen7378]

@@ChainsawManDude97😂😂😂 I disagree the original was a shyt movie

[@dinara_safina]

Thanks for reviewing this! I've only ever seen the movie, but I need to read the book. Does the book go into more details about Celie and Nettie's mom? I remember in the movie, the pedo father says that Celie better not tell her mother who her children's father is, but then it immediately skips to the mother dying and the narrator says she died of a broken heart. I wondered if the book mentions that or goes deeper into their childhoods? (Thanks for clearing up the stuff the movie pretty much ignored about their father not being their biological father!) Though I did enjoy the movie and recommended it, it always bothered me how Celie seemed so about Olivia, but seemed pretty meh about Adam. I hope the book did better with that! One last thought, I've always felt that Danny Glover was robbed of an Oscar nomination for this movie. Everyone involved did a fabulous job.

[@WhytheBookWins]

you're welcome! And yes! The book does go into the story of their parents and we hear so much more about the mother. I highly recommend the book!

[@chariot5920]

You might like the new version more!

[@WhytheBookWins]

I'm seeing it tomorrow and I'm so excited!! I'll have a video for it out later this week 😁

[@Boobalopbop]

Wow, I didn’t know Quincy Jones worked to make the movie happen. I’ve always loved the movie, but I’m watching reviews now of what black men think of this movie and wow. Clearly, no man in this movie comes off well, but I really don’t understand why black men would see this movie as anti-black men. Well the white people are pretty awful in this movie but I wouldn’t say it’s “anti white”. It’s just that the black male characters and the white characters in this movie are awful. Doesn’t mean all are, by any stretch. Why can’t we just tell stories anymore without having to check to see that every race, sex and sexual orientation depicted is presented in the most positive possible light? Ridiculous.

[@WhytheBookWins]

One reason I love the book is because "mister" has such a great arc! He starts horrible, but as decades pass he and Celie have such a sweet friendship. So yeah, I wouldn't say it is anti black men or anti white. I will be reading this for the third time this year before I go see the new movie! I am so excited for it!

[@dazanii]

Ugh I came across this take and I hated it. Obviously I’m not black and yet my family connected to this movie. My grandma was married at 14 in the Deep South and it took her 30 years to leave her Mister. My mom and myself took more after Sofia, we were headstrong and fighters because we had to to survive, sometimes it getting us into trouble. My grandad and my father were white men and yet also expected us women to mind and used violence if we gave them lip. The movie and book is a feminist story, a black feminist story. Also if you’re actually paying attention to the men in the movie, you can see their struggle with generational trauma and abuse, and their struggle with masculinity and what it is to be a man. Mister’s Pa was just as sexist and more to the point where he is always brow beating Mister for not being enough of a man for all sorts of reasons. Using his warped and, frankly common at the time in the south, views of masculinity as a weapon against his son. And Mister was too afraid of his Pa to stand up to him, he didn’t marry Shug because his Pa forbid it. Years of this growing up with abuse and even into his adulthood, Mister doesn’t feel like a man unless he beats his wife into submission, as his daddy did. Then Harpo come with Sofia, who is headstrong and stands up for herself. Reminder his mama was beat to death by her affair partner and she died in his arms, so I think he was drawn to Sofia because she was headstrong. Mister said no, you ain’t marrying Sofia, and yet Harpo did the thing Mister was always too afraid to do, he ignored his daddy and married her anyway. Other people, Mister included, see their marriage where Sofia ‘runs the house’ and ‘talks back’ for example, telling him to get his own water while she was busy hoeing. Harpo, feeling more pressure and feedback from other people about his manliness because he can’t ‘get his wife to mind’. He goes to Mister for advice first, he tells him to beat Sofia, but doesn’t do it until Celie also told him to do it. I don’t think Harpo trusts Mister’s opinions or views of what it is to be a man, since he has seen Mister being put down by his own Pa and being too scared to stand up for all his life. So he went to Celie too. After Sofia leaves, Harpo then again defies his father by goin through with building the juke joint. Around here is where Harpo just stops looking to Mister on how to be a man. He begins to mend the relationship with Sofia, being kind, she is the mother of his children after all. And there’s still love there too. When Sofia goes to jail, he steps up and takes care of the children, including the one fathered by another man. Even working together with him to raise the kids without Sofia. Toxic men today still have issues with that, won’t even cooperate with their children’s mother, much less another man and his child. Harpo stepped up. Harpo did right by Sofia, made up for his earlier transgressions and grew up as an adult and a man. His business flourishes, he ends with a supportive and loving relationship with Sofia and loves the other women in his life too. Mister, seeing his own son standing up to him, growing successful, and maintaining loving relationships in his life, grows to respect Harpo for it. He begins to reject his Pa’s advice, and looking to Harpo, he does right by Celie. The message is, do right by the women in your life. Harpo is the man they should be looking to. Mister carried on the cycle of abuse, Harpo broke it. He became a Man. That’s my analysis of that. I know there’s layers I’m missing bc I’m not black, but the older and more aware I get I find something to appreciate about the movie and book that might’ve flew over my head before. Alice Walker’s storytelling is incredible.

[@atenmccutchen7378]

The movie does absolutely nothing’but divide bm and bw, u white love when that shyt happens

[@jsan3743]

Totally disagree and, respectfully, I cannot wrap my head around your opinion. It’s not just my all time fav movie, it’s my mother’s and my son’s. It’s a beautiful masterpiece.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Have you read the book? If I saw the movie before reading the book I may have felt differently. But the book was just so amazing and the movie didn't quite measure up imo. The performances were fantastic though, there were just some changes they made I didn't like. I have high hopes for the new movie!

[@jsan3743]

@@ftdcp4459 yes? What’s funny? That men could be sensitive?

[@jsan3743]

@@WhytheBookWins I read it in High School years after watching the movie, but that was many years ago. By the way you described it, it almost sounds like it would require a mini series to adequately capture all the details of the story and complexity of the characters.

[@SS-uz5hc]

I’m reading the book and Mr. let’s Nettie leave freely, no dramatic separation, Nettie is happy to go, also no mention of the father pressing himself on Nettie, she just shows up one day, it’s nothing like in the movie, am I reading the right book? Did they change things in the newest print of the book

[@SS-uz5hc]

Pg. 16-18 for reference

[@SS-uz5hc]

I am disappointed in the book so early for missing this big plot line, but I will keep reading

[@WhytheBookWins]

Nettie decides to leave and while she is on her way, that is when Mister tries to force himself on her and tells her Celie will never hear from her. But yeah, the movie makes their separation very dramatic

[@derekchatman2595]

Yes, it should have 100% beat out, Out of Africa for Best Picture. The year is 1985, as African Americans, we are super excited to see ourselves and our experiences shared on the Big Screen for one of the first times in movie history. We get an awesome movie like the Color Purple that beautifully captures our culture and is tastefully done. Then it looses to a movie about a love affair between a plantation owner and a hunter in Africa. This was not the Africa we wanted to experience. LOL. Big let down. LOL

[@WhytheBookWins]

Wow, such a good point! I'm excited for the new adaptation and I'm hoping it will win some awards this time!

[@Bluebox87]

I've only seen this movie once a few years ago and I did not care for it at all. Most of it was unintentionally funny when it was supposed to be so moving and dramatic. The film has this cheesy telenovela style that really doesn't work. It takes away from the seriousness and raw aspect of the story. Margaret Avery is absolutely incredible as Shug, though. She really deserved to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress that year. Yes, she was better than Oprah, who was NOT good. Sorry. I know Americans love her, but she is not a good actress. Heard they are remaking it based on the musical, which I fear will have the same problem, but at least the director and writers are black this time. This story definitely needs to be told by black people, so I'm glad that's happening at least.

[@WhytheBookWins]

Yeah I have high hopes for the new movie! I agree I was let down by the 80's movie, partly because I just loved the book so much and the movie just didn't capture it like I wanted

[@JDris08]

The thing about Blackness is amongst all out trauma there still is joy, we are not broken by it. There isn’t anything that is made funny that isn’t a genuine depiction of that. Alice Walker consulted and approved of it so it almost doesn’t matter if we like it or not, the writer does so that’s that on that