The Color Purple (1985 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Color Purple
Theatrical release poster by John Alvin
Directed by	Steven Spielberg
Produced by	Kathleen Kennedy Frank Marshall Steven Spielberg Quincy Jones
Screenplay by	Menno Meyjes
Starring	Danny Glover Adolph Caesar Margaret Avery Rae Dawn Chong Whoopi Goldberg Oprah Winfrey
Music by	Quincy Jones
Cinematography	Allen Daviau
Editing by	Michael Kahn
Studio	Amblin Entertainment The Guber-Peters Company
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	December 18, 1985 (1985-12-18) (Limited) February 7, 1986 (1986-02-07)
Running time	155 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$15 million
Money made	$98.4 million

The Color Purple is a 1985 American epic coming-of-age period drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Menno Meyjes, based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. It was Spielberg's eighth film as a director, and marked a turning point in his career, as it was a departure from the summer blockbusters for which he had become known. It was also the first feature film directed by Spielberg for which John Williams did not compose the music, instead featuring a score by Quincy Jones, who also produced. The cast stars Whoopi Goldberg in her breakthrough role, with Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey in her film debut, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Willard Pugh, and Adolph Caesar.

Filmed in Anson and Union counties in North Carolina, the film tells the story of a young African-American girl named Celie Harris and shows the problems African-American women experienced during the early 20th century, including domestic violence, poverty, racism, and sexism.

The film was a box office success, grossing $98.4 million against a budget of $15 million. The film received acclaim from critics, with particular praise going to its acting (especially Goldberg's performance), direction, screenplay, musical score, and production values. However, it was also criticized by some for being "over-sentimental" and "stereotypical", and was boycotted by some chapters of the NAACP. Nonetheless, the film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Goldberg, Best Supporting Actress for both Avery and Winfrey, and Best Adapted Screenplay, but did not achieve a single win, and Spielberg did not receive a nomination for Best Director; it holds the record for the film receiving the most nominations without a win at the Academy Awards with the film The Turning Point (1977). It also received four Golden Globe Award nominations, with Goldberg winning Best Actress in a Drama. Spielberg received a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, and a Golden Globe nomination. The film was later included in Roger Ebert's book series The Great Movies.

Cast

Release

The Color Purple premiered on December 18, 1985, in Los Angeles. The film went into general release in the United States on February 7, 1986. It was also shown at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival as a non-competing title.

Accolades

The Color Purple was nominated for 11 Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Actress for Goldberg and Best Supporting Actress for both Avery and Winfrey). It failed to win any of them, tying the record set by 1977's The Turning Point for the most Oscar nominations without a single win. Some organizations such as the NAACP protested the decision of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to not award the film any categories.

Steven Spielberg received his first Directors Guild of America Award at the 38th awards ceremony for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures. He became the first director to win the award without even being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director.

See also

In Spanish: El color púrpura para niños

• List of American films of 1985
• The Color Purple (musical), the musical theatre version of the novel.