My Rating 6.5/10
I'm a as huge fan of Broadway musicals only a few transfer successfully when they are adapted to the cinema screen .
I didn't get to see the stage version of this musical so I can't comment except to say in my opinion this adaptation although brimming with a very talented cast didn't really work for me .
I read that 13 songs were cut from the original Broadway stage version so it can hardly be considered an authentic version of the Broadway musical .
The composer of the additional music for this movie Kris Bowers has added a few pleasant but forgettable songs .
I felt this version of the original story by Marsha Norman was disjointed missing the
emotional aspect of the 1985 movie and that the songs in the movie interrupted the flow of the story.
It's the same story of a black Southern woman Celie struggling to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father and abusive husband over four decades .
Celie with the help of her sisters and an unexpected inheritance escape her abusive husband and is reunited with her stolen children.
I felt the emotional impact was trivialised or diminished a little by adding music and songs to the mix.
The ensemble cast is impressive headed by Fantasia Barrino as Celie the role that Whoopi Goldberg who has a cameo in this version received a Best Actress Oscar nomination in 1986. The role of Sophia played excellently in this version by Danielle Brooks also earned Oprah Winfrey an Oscar nomination in 1986 for her portrayal of Sophia.
Other impressive performances from Taraji P. Henson as the flamboyant Shug Avery and Colman Domingo as the menacing Mister helped make The Colour Purple entertaining for me .
Oprah Winfrey is co producer with Steven Spielberg who directed the 1986 version.
This version directed by Blitz Bazawule
cost an estimated $USD 100,000,000 to bring to the screen .
The original 1986 version cost an estimated $15,000,000 and was a huge success grossing $ 98,500,000 it will be interesting to see how the musical film version performs at the box office.
The Colour Purple musical version for me was like attending an Evangelical Baptist revival meeting where sinners repent and are miraculously transformed ,it's a little too preachy for me.
