The Color Purple (movie) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Color Purple |
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|---|---|
| Directed by | Steven Spielberg |
| Produced by | Steven Spielberg Kathleen Kennedy Quincy Jones Frank Marshall |
| Written by | Alice Walker (novel) |
| Starring | Whoopi Goldberg Oprah Winfrey Danny Glover Margaret Avery Akosua Busia |
| Music by | Quincy Jones |
| Cinematography | Allen Daviau |
| Editing by | Michael Kahn |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | December 18, 1985 |
| Running time | 154 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Money made | $142,000,000 |
The Color Purple is an American drama movie from 1985. It was made by Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Quincy Jones, and Frank Marshall. Spielberg also directed the movie.
The story of The Color Purple comes from a famous book by Alice Walker. This book won a special award called the Pulitzer Prize. The movie tells the story of a young African American girl named Celie. Her life is shown from 1909 to 1937 in Georgia.
The movie explores the challenges that African American women faced in the early 1900s. These included unfair treatment and difficult living conditions. Celie learns to find her own self-worth with help from two strong female friends.
Interestingly, this is one of only two movies by Steven Spielberg where John Williams did not compose the music.
Meet the Characters
This section introduces the main actors and the characters they play in the movie.
- Whoopi Goldberg as Celie Harris Johnson
- Danny Glover as Mr. Albert Johnson
- Oprah Winfrey as Sofia
- Margaret Avery as Shug Avery
- Akosua Busia as Nettie Harris
- Adolph Caesar as Old Mister
- Willard Pugh as Harpo Johnson
- Rae Dawn Chong as Squeak
- Larry Fishburne as Swain
- Dana Ivey as Miss Millie
- Leon Rippy as Store Clerk
- Bennet Guillory as Grady
- James Tillis as Henry "Buster" Broadnax
- Desreta Jackson as Young Celie Harris
- Leonard Jackson as Alphonso "Pa" Harris
- Howard Starr as Young Harpo Johnson
- Lelo Masamba as Olivia Johnson
Awards and Nominations
The Color Purple was nominated for many important awards. It received 11 nominations for the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars. However, it did not win any of them. This tied a record for the most Oscar nominations without a win.
Some of its Oscar nominations included:
- Best Picture (for the movie itself)
- Best Writing (for the movie's script)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role for Whoopi Goldberg
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Margaret Avery
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Oprah Winfrey
- Best Art Direction (for the movie's sets)
- Best Cinematography (for the camera work)
- Best Costume Design (for the outfits)
- Best Makeup
- Best Music, Original Score (for the music)
- Best Original Song ("Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)")
The movie was also nominated for five Golden Globes. These included nominations for Best Picture (Drama) and Best Director for Steven Spielberg. Oprah Winfrey was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The only Golden Globe win went to Whoopi Goldberg for Best Actress (Drama).
Menno Meyjes was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Steven Spielberg won the Directors Guild of America Award for Best Motion Picture Director for this movie. It was his first time winning this award.
The Color Purple was also shown at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival.
See also
In Spanish: El color púrpura para niños
