THE COLOR PURPLE Movie Musical - News & Discussion Thread — Page 23

Spoiler here, but in the movie, I'm Here begins with "I got my sister" and the intro is cut."

Just out of curiosity, what made you decide to share this information?

Taraji P. Henson did the damn thang wit Push Da Button!!! Wow! Wow! Wow!

Updated On: 12/17/23 at 09:50 PM

Poster for the U.K., where it opens on January 26.

TaffyDavenport said: "Poster for the U.K., where it opens on January 26."

That's OK -- I'll fix it for you (we're mostly in the US here).

I actually like the UK poster art more than I do the (US) one.

88% on Rotten Tomatoes so far, and 95% among top critics.

Stumbled on this "behind the scenes" video. Gives some glimpses of stuff not seen in the trailers. I am seeing it on Christmas day.



https://youtu.be/Jz3lfrULt5o?si=utSRxpbubbw1OMew

Saw it this afternoon. I went in after reading reviews and posts here with an open mind.

Yes, music was cut, some shortened and moved around but it didn't matter.

This movie is absolutely wonderful and, in my opinion, can proudly take its place alongside the movie and two stage productions. It is gorgeously shot. (That scene with Shug in the tub was just jaw dropping on a big screen) Every actor is bringing their A game, in my opinion. I just felt it melded the book, movie and stage productions together beautifully. (I cried for like the last half hour of the film!) I also thought it was quite fitting that they saved the title song for the end. I read somewhere that they use it over the end titles. No, they actually sing it at the gathering.

I can't say I am a big Taraji P. Henson fan but, Lord have mercy, she was INcredible. I did not know that she could sing and dance that good. (I did not see her in ANNIE.) As good as Brooks is in the movie, Henson impressed me more. Just my opinion. Hopefully the Oscars will not overlook her performance.

All and all I loved it. I got tickets for a close friend and I to see it. As he was dropping me off he told me there was a gift in the backseat. Opened once inside and it was the book "Purple Rising: 40 Years of The Color Purple. The Official Behind the scenes book. I had no clue it existed. Just glanced through it and it looks wonderful.

jkcohen626 said: "Saw this this morning and LOVED it! I didn't really care which songs were cut or added. I thought the visuals were stunning and the cast was fantastic and that's what mattered to me."



And after seeing the movie, and having seen and loved both stage productions, I feel that is the way people who have an attachment to the movie should go into it. And glad I went into it pretty much that way. It allowed me to really enjoy it.

For a big year end movie, this seems to be dead on arrival. While it doesn’t open in Australia till January 26th ( same as the UK ) the buzz on this is zero. Apart from a couple of trailers it’s like the studio has just given up.

rosscoe(au) said: "For a big year end movie, this seems to be dead on arrival. While it doesn’t open in Australia till January 26th ( same as the UK ) the buzz on this is zero. Apart from a couple of trailers it’s like the studio has just given up."

Buzz is definitely not dead and it's been talked about a lot as a contender for the Oscars. It's already been nominated for several awards and I think the buzz is just going to get stronger as the week goes on.

I saw it earlier today. I’ve never read the original novel, but I do have quite a bit of familiarity with this property. My first big introduction to the story was from having seen Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film adaptation when I was in high school, and absolutely adored it. I was lucky enough to have caught the most recent Broadway revival the Friday night before the 2016 Tony Awards. Cynthia Erivo’s performance as Celie was every bit as incredible as everyone said she was, and probably even more so. When she came to me at the stage door afterwards, I told her how much I loved her work. She not only thanked me, but she also mentioned that she noticed how I was really into the show in the audience (I sat pretty close to the stage). As for my thoughts on this new movie musical...

Under Blitz Bazawule’s direction, everything feels so musically inclined. About 13 songs from the stage version weren’t included here. Yet they never felt missing at all. The songs that were kept, Blitz does some imaginative things with them. They’re not only shot very well (partially thanks to Dan Laustsen’s vibrant cinematography), but also staged very well. Some of them are also brought to exuberant life by Fatima Robinson’s killer choreography. In fact, I think this might just have some of the very best dancing I’ve seen in a movie musical in years.

Although something else Blitz also nails in his direction is all the dramatic scenes. Everything feels so emotionally effective with some nice touches of comic relief. A lot of the performances are incredible. Celie in my opinion has one of the best character arcs ever written for any story. Fantasia Barrino perfectly portrays her as a reserved woman in the beginning to eventually finding her strength in the end. I must say that her rendition of ‘I’m Here’ (recorded live on set) might just be the best staged and performed dramatic number in a movie musical since Anne Hathaway’s rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ in Les Misérables.

Other members of the cast definitely deserve shoutouts here. Taraji P. Henson is perfectly glamorous as jazz singer Shug Avery. She even shares some lively chemistry with Fantasia. Colman Domingo is perfectly abusive as Celie's husband, Mister. Without giving too much away, you end up sympathizing with him later on. Phylicia Pearl Mpasi and Halle Bailey are both so adorable as the younger versions of Celie and her sister, Nettie, respectively. The two of them also share a fun song early on titled ‘Keep It Movin’,’ which is one of the new tunes written just for this film. Although Danielle Brooks hands down steals the show as Sofia, a fiercely independent woman who refuses to submit to anyone who tries to dominate her.

For months, this has been billed as a “bold new take on The Color Purple.” Now that I’ve seen it, the marketing department certainly wasn’t kidding. Blitz’s vision for some of the songs taking place in Celie’s imagination feels reminiscent of Rob Marshall’s approach to the musical numbers in Chicago. Although a couple of them here are cleverly reimagined to be performed in a diegetic way. The original underscore by Kris Bowers fits in nicely. Not to mention that the filmmakers found a smart way of incorporating 'Miss Celie's Blues' from Spielberg's movie into this one. Yet overall, the heart and soul of Alice Walker’s story feels so alive in this iteration.

Click Here for My Full Review