10 Things You Didn't Know About THE COLOR PURPLE 

No matter how many times I have watched this movie I cry when it's time to cry, I laugh with it's time to laugh. Definitely ahead of its time!

the separation scene breaks my heart everytime, as does the scene when Nettie comes back

I saw this movie when I was 13 in the theater. I bought the VHS tape. I've seen it 100s of times. Know every line. Saw the play. Will be in the theater on 12/25.

Sug showed celie love. Nettie loved celie. That's what it came down to. The love she felt for those women. Different love but love

Read the book.. saw the movie… Loved both!!! The recast had me dying!!!! Great Job, Young King… keep doing your thing!!!

Considering this movie was done in the 80’s, when homosexuality was FAR from accepted, I think Spielberg did the right thing. Looking through today’s lense, it may be a faux pas, but taken into it’s historic context of when it was made, it was very forward.

Rod Temperton was a musical genius. I have admired his work since the 70s. I knew he was white and British. Heatwave was one of the most popular bands when I was in college. Rest in Peace, Mr. Temperton, your music will live forever.

I wish they did explore the relationship between Celie and Shug more. It wouldn't have been a distraction at all, it is a big part of Celie's story. She was in love with Shug before she even met her, she even found other women attractive. Romantic love between a man and a woman was something Celie wasn't able to understand due to all the abuse she had been subjected to by her step father. He loving Shug was safe and beautiful for Celie. In the movie they made it seem like a moment which to me reduced to something that seemed cheap and less meaningful. Showing that they were indeed in a relationship was more heart felt and nuanced. In the book even Albert knew they were together and he understood. But I fully understand why Spielberg couldn't put it in the movie. People just wasn't ready, maybe they still aren't.

Thank you for doing your research about why it didn’t win best film. Whoopi definitely should have won best actress and I thought for sure Oprah would be the best supporting actress. They all did an amazing job. The Academy is sickening.

This was so informative and entertaining. Wow!!!! I've watched so many Color Purple interviews over the years but this is the best summary. Had no idea about Rob Temperton. I was young when this movie came out and loved it day one yet had no idea "we" caused the controversy. We are our own worst enemy which is why we (black folks) have a saying "it be your own people". This is a classic, a historical film icon and to think if it was up to some of us it wouldn't have seen the light of day. Shameful. Glad Steven, Quincy. Oprah, Whoopi pressed on. Another good fact you missed was Tata Vega sang the iconic songs Sister and God is trying to tell you something. Forever cemented as sound tracks to our lives. Magnificent job.

This is a trip about Cellie and Shug being Lesbian. When they actually didn't say that in the book or the movie. They both could have been bisexual.. Why because Shug did love men too. The thing is I saw it like this. When Cellie's stepdad sexually attacked her she was only 13 years of age. That's still a little girl! Who that young would know about sex? She was raped and she thought it was by her real dad plus it wasn't out of love. He forced her to have sex with him and she didn't feel loved nor was she experienced to understand what he did to her. Then she got pregnant by him and had a baby at 14... Think about that then after that Albert was also a stranger that married her and took her away from her home when she was 15... So she was still a child and since he wanted her sister and didn't want her, just had sex with her body. Making it feel like he was just going to the toilet on her. So as a child and an adult this woman never felt Loved. Only sexually used. Shug Avery heard her story and nobody paid attention to her punch line. Shug knew what it was like to be loved by a man and he meant to make love to her. But after Cellie's story she says " Well that means you're still a virgin. Then Cellie says yes because nobody ever loved me. So from there Shug being a woman that know what love felt like and no other man would show Cellie by passion.. She showed Cellie Passion .. And the way she showed her in a human way how a person should feel when they really freely give who they are to another person.. That's what another person should make you feel like. If it were between a man and a woman She kissed her like a man should. She told her to look at her own body and get to know it. Nobody else ever made her love herself let alone look in the mirror at the whole thing from top to bottom. Now the movie just showed her look at her face in the .mirror but Shug actually showed her who she was. She told her she was beautiful. Besides her sister thst was the only person that was kind to her like that. And no she hadn't seen a naked women before which made the bath scene weird but she still knew how to comfort a person under the weather. ❤ So yes after Shug was so kind and understood what Cellie went through... And was the only person in her life that did... Plus she didn't know whst it was like to approach a man. Shug was like her first feelings for love. She said Shug was like Honey and I follow her like a Bee... That happens to anybody that feels loved. You don't have to be Lesbian. They wasn't it was just an act of love another woman that was experienced wanted to show another woman who never knew what passion was. Now if Shug was Lesbian she wouldn't have said she enjoyed making Love to Albert. ❤ or those other guys including chosing a husband at the end. Think about it. 😢😢😁

I agree, the lesbian storyline was done very tastefully.

This is an all time favorite movie for the simple fact my grandmother was born in 1910 and my grandfather was born in 1906 awwwwww baby I was amazed at everything my nana told me and taught me I’m so happy I got the chance to meet love and know my grandmother this queen was 70 years old when I was born and my mom was born in 1953 and she was the baby of the family crazy to say but my grandmother and my eldest aunt were both pregnant at the same time with my eldest cousin and my mother are the same age well would be the same age I lost my mom back in 1998 she had just turned 45 3 months before she died

I never once looked at this movie as a negative portrayal of black people. I know that there are bad humans no matter what color they happen to be. This was a story...a story about a woman who overcame a heart breaking life. Just like many human beings. Not just African American but, Caucasian ,Native American, Hispanic... Whatever.... We are all just people, plain and simple. This, to me, was one of the best movies I've ever seen. Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, right now!

I have seen the color purple 1800 times. I know every line for every character, note every nuance. But you have actually told me two facts that I did not know. So thank you, I will add that to my bank of knowledge about the color purple. And yes, I have also read the book. Also own the album which of course is purple.

This was wonderful. From beginning to end. I must admit, I had zero interest in entertaining one brain cell at an all white cast, I almost didn’t watch your suggestion but each casting was good and “when I see’d” 38:11 Kathy Bates, I was SOLD! 😂😂

Stumbled across your channel and I am so happy to fall in your cinematic rabbit holes! ❤️

Even though it appears that Shug showed Celie love, I still saw her as a snake. She only helped Celie some of the time. Then she would ignore her. I dont think she slept with Celie for Celies benefit. The sex probably only confused her. She slept with both Celie and Mister. Then pops up with a husband to stay in their house. Shug always did what she wanted to do.

You earned my subscription with this one brother! This is amazing! You are absolutely correct: this movie was a source of pride for us as kids in the 80s and it's definitely a movie humanity, it just happened to be played by a Black cast.

I believe the book is semi autobiographical in the life of its author Alice Walker and her own struggles with race, class, blackness, feminism and sexuality. I believe she was bisexual. She was also blind in one eye. I wouldn’t mind reading her autobiography before opening the Color Purple and reading it over again. Interestingly enough, she dated one of my black studies UC Berkeley professors Robert Allen.

I bawled all the way out of the movie theater.

Patti LaBelle KINDA played the role of Shug Avery in the movie "A Soldier's Story."

Oh wow! You're right about the sound-alike songs! I was grooving like "remix!" 💃🏾

Dude this is the best Utube exposé that I have ever seen. You appear humbled in doing your research. I especially like each one of the spoken lines given at the beginning of ur presentation. I can't say more than KUDOS for a job well done. Byl Butler

Correction: the woman in the choir was Shug's DAUGHTER. Age difference...😉

1. Celie - Scarlett Johansson 2. Shug Avery - Julianne Moore 3. Mister - Tom Hanks 4. Sofia - Charlize Theron 5. Harpo - Chris Pratt

😂 oh my the color of cream I'm dyin laughin thank u!! The color purple is one of my most fav movies I loved this and dig the facts .. I agree w what you said this is a movie that everyone loves .. well the ones that can appreciate the craft and heart and vision that made the color purple all it is and forever will be! Such a shame but no surprise it didn't win so we all gave it somethin better we gave it apart in all our hearts and lives that's better than any crappy award "the academy" could of gave ❤❤❤

Lmaooo you were dead wrong for that Color of Cream bit 🤣🤣🤣 Great video 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

Thank you SO much! This has been one of my fav movies since I seen it (double digits).

I always thought that Whoopie had the most beautiful skin. Even now. Beauty may be subjective, but I never thought she was unattractive. Particularly when she would wear her natural hair out like in Sister Act or when she was in Coretta Correta. Great smile .

Love this movie ❤ I never watched this movie as a child and seen colour. I just seen people going through something terrible and it broke my heart. Looking forward to the new film and hope it captures the same feel. Now I’m older I plan to finally read the book and fall in love with that too.

Thank you for covering this. While have no desire to see the remake, the original is always dear to me

This is a great video. I appreciate the research you did. This has more than a lot to say. Being older and with your information, I definitely see things differently in this version of the movie. I don't know that I want to see the revamp. I am pretty old-fashioned/ old school, I love my memories as some can't be replaced, but should not be tampered with. Thank you for this look back, it helps me in my forward steps. 😊

*Awesome video and commentary!* 🎬

Thank you for sharing that was interesting to know 🥰

7:12 I don’t think the movie would’ve had a powerful effect right away if he hi-lighted the lesbian scenes. It was the 80’s & the world wasn’t ready. Remember the controversy with Angel Heart? That was heterosexual and it still struggled.

A great book about women , feminism love redemption by the mind and soul of a great American writer : Alice Walker . The letters between the sisters , the American history background the description of Africa , two sides of the same story , the African American endeavour. Spielberg was not prepared for the complexity of the book, Goldberg was ready for the role and also the cast and crew . One of the first books about feminism . Masterpiece .

Who all knew today that Big Red was in this movie? ❤ I DIDN'T KNOW😮😮😮😮😮

I need that train track beat!

Good Afternoon. I was ten years old when "The Color Purple" was released, and me, my cousin, my aunt, my aunt's friends and aunt's friends mother went to see it, and I had never seen a movie so deep. And I did not think that the images depicted were reflective of black families, and black people in general. The reason why there was such an uproar over this movie is because the characters were portrayed by black men. White men can do the same things as black men. A lot of people didn't know about Alice Walker's book based on the movie. Should the book have been made into a movie? I don't know.

@ Miles: I love entertainment history. I really appreciate the effort you made here. A sincere thanks. Mad Mad MAD about it and you

To this day, this remains one of my all time favorite movies, even 40 years later. Every time this movie airs, i cut the rest of the day short just so i can watch it. I won't lie, im not sure how i feel about them redoing the movie. I feel like it was perfect the first time around. Sometimes its best to leave well enough alone, know what I mean?!!

We Always Thought The Girl Singing Is Her Daughter,And The Other Is On The Piano N I'm Still Gonna Think That!1❤

Love this you did a good job

I like how you put Will smackdown Chris and Oscar history in background. Classic 😅

You skipped over one of the most serious differences between the book and film: the scarification scene. In the film, Celie's children go through a ritual in Africa that scars their cheeks. That is not what is in the book. In the book, it's not scarring, it's FGM, and it ruins Olivia's functioning as a whole woman. The issue led to Alice Walker dealing with the ramifications of the mutilation on Olivia's life and psyche in the sequel, "Possessing the Secret of Joy". You know, it's funny how nobody ever seems to want to mention this important difference between book and film.

I think this film is the best of all time!

Should’ve won an Oscar

Insightful vid! Keep going!

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH.🎉❤

Thank you for "The Color Purple" inside information!!! "The Color of Cream."🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Pure Talent Sir.

Actually Chaka Khan Steven Spielberg First Choice to play Shug Avery! After she turned it down. Everyone else got a chance to Audition! He said it himself.

I'm 13 minutes into this video and man you are on fire🔥🔥🔥 I am enjoying this video so much💜💜💜

Just wanted to say that No, it wasn't "Black Feminists" or "Black filmmakers" that were the loudest haters of the film. It was Black men. Black men in the NAACP. Black male speakers, Black male leaders. And they didn't feel it made "Black families" look bad, they were mad that there were no Black male heroes in the film and therefore decided that it made Black men in particular look bad. They were the reason, IMO, that the film won no Academy Awards.

I would go see the "The Color of Cream." 😂😂 Excellent video...thank you!

Great video Miles 💪💪👍👍👍❤️💯😎 I'm subscribing.😎💯

NOT THE COLOR OF CREME lmaooooo! 😂😂. While that would be... an interesting adaptation.. Ummm.. unseasoned folks didnt have the absolute struggles just to LIVE as our seasoned people.There is just somethings that cant be replicated.. Billy bob thorton though.. I hollerd when i saw that cuz.. yeah.. yeah you right on that one😂😂😂. TCP Will forever be THAT movie. Irreplaceable and timeless! Im KINDA looking forward to the new one. Yall know how it is though messing with greatness,but Oprah is behind this film so I have more hope for its own greatness❤

I do like who you picked for the color of cream. That is perfect. Now I really want to read the book.

Rod! You the man!

Bravo.🌷 Oh, does any fan know or have a guess, who the non introduced man is, in the final scene? He's with Nettie, the childen, Adams wife, and him???? Who is he?🤔 Do you think he's, the step dad?

Roseann Barr as Sophia

Amazing video I just subscribed to your channel sir🥰

The color purple is one of my favorite films excellent acting excellent story and score I love that movie idc I don't like Oprah but her acting was good

Whoopi probably got a lot of parts in Hollywood because of that last name. Shalom

White cast: HARPO: Tom Holland MS. SOPHIA: Jessica Chastain MISTER'S DAD: Robert Downey Jr. MISTER: Tom Hardy SHUG AVERY: Melissa McCarthy CELIE: Jennifer Lawrence NETTIE: Brie Larson CELIE and NETTIE'S STEPDAD: John Goodman

Divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood already did it. Lol

When they called Oprah while she was at "fat camp" and told her she got the part, she immediately left the health spa and hit a Dairy Queen to put on whatever weight she may have already lost 🙂

In the book Harpo was Shugs son

What version of the book are you reading? The first line!amm is: "Dear God: I am fourteen years old. I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what's happening to me..."

Great Video ❤

Yes

First vid seen on your channel. 👍

Yes there's another thing. About the color purple people don't know it was originally called. Wait for me in the Sunset because in the movie when Nettie is narrating she says the line And Wait for me in the Sunset there's a lot things that people don't know about the color purple. Lionel Richie and Quincy jones wrote Ms celie's blues together and Tyler perry. Got some of the. Cast from the movie and he put them in the move. Daddys little Girl and i heard that Gail king. Was in the movie in the wedding scene i don't know if that is true

This was very good

the color of cream lmao thats funny

This is an excellent review! I also did one too.

Jack Nicholson as Mister.

I never noticed the purple flowers on the ground when the girls were being separated…

I always thought the girl in the choir was Shugs daughter.

Hey but we know any different movie done it could be about humanity but people just look at the color cast and assume you have to be a certain color to play that part. Or if it had a cast of black people or white people it's a black or white movie. That's with Santa Jesus or Super heroes. People see it like that Like they have a movie network and it's called a certain thing and because they show mainly Black people in the movie they say it's a black movie. Even if it's just based on one black person in the whole movie and they were the main character it's considered a black movie. The movie Black Panther they had a white guy save the earth at the end and he was a part of the movie during its filming. That could have been just a humanity film but people assumed because most of the cast were Black and the main character was a black Super hero . it was made for black people. They could have switched it and put a white guy behind that mask somehow. Same with Shazam Meteor man and Spawn. When they made the Honeymooners remake it was probably a flop because everybody knew the Honeymooners were based on white people at first. So it was awkward and movies like Heaven Can Wait. When they re did it with Chris Rock. ❤ It's just mind over matter. Not a color scene. Yeah and on that note Like he said when he was a kid he thought Cellie snatched Mr.'s toe off . 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 my kids thought the same. 2023

The color of cream😂

When i was a kid i thought his toe fell off too took me YEARS to figure it out😆😆😆

If u have never read the book... PLEASE do.

Sissy Spaceks Sally Fields Meryl Streep

The white version had the perfect cast 😂😂😂 i could see it

Ok so I am mixed not sure if that matters but I use to watch this as a child. Now I can’t even turn it on. The movie makes my tummy hurt. Please don’t come at me. I just can’t bring myself to watch it

Music so distracting

There is already a white remake of The Color Purple. It’s called Poor Things and is told from a white woman’s point of view!

This movie could never be remade. Period.

OMG I am literally crying! Not Ellen Degeneres as Celie!! There will NEVER be a The Color Purple with an all white cast. I know you trolling. The whole premise of “The Color Purple” is a bunch of generational curses that were passed down from slavery, even though they were freed black people in the 1900s. They were free but being oppressed by their own. That’s a generational curse they had to break. How could a white cast even try to duplicate that message? It’s not possible. Want to remake a black classic film with an all white cast for giggles? Coming to America but they’re from Switzerland.

Melissa McCarthy should be Sophia

amazing you mention Oparah and this bullshit pops up

❤❤😂😢💜⭐️🌟✨

Learn to properly pronounce names before making videos. Akosua Busia is pronounced " A-qo-su-ha" like A in apple. Busia is pronounced " Boo-SEE-Ha. "!!!! No Aya nowhere in the prononciation. Great video nevertheless. Noooo all white cast because the book was about blacks!!!!

Why would you remake it with a white cast? NO!!! Why would you do this?

The industry dogged this movie!, the reason I'm not interested in the new one.

Unnnn

Hh

White Cast For The Color Purple: Celie: Chloe Cherry/Taylor Swift Mister: Chris Heimsworth Shug: Miley Cyrus Nettie: Sydney Sweeney/Anne Hathaway Mister’s Dad: Mel Gibson/Billy Bob Thorthon Sofia: Chrissy Metz Harpo: Nolan Bateman/Pete Davison Celie’s Stepfather: Tom Cruise/Leonardo DiCaprio Shug’s Father: Tom Hanks/Billy Ray Cyrus Director: Ava DuVernay Musical Director: Jack White/Stuart Matthewman Title For The Color Purple Reboot: Letters To GOD Location: West Virginia