Movie Review

The Color Purple proves ageless in big-screen musical extravaganza

Of all the celebrated properties out there, The Color Purple might go down in history as the one with the most accolades. Alice Walker’s 1982 novel received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and three years later, it was adapted into a Steven Spielberg film, which garnered 11 Oscar nominations (but no wins).

Twenty years later, it was made into a Broadway musical, which got 11 Tony nominations, with one win for Best Actress for LaChanze. A 2015 revival won Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress for Cynthia Erivo, which is saying something in the year where Hamilton won almost everything else.

Now, that musical has been turned into a big screen extravaganza that, if there is any justice, will also get many award nominations and wins. (Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey — who starred in the 1985 film — serve as two of the producers for this film.)

A story spanning more than four decades in the early-to-mid 1900s, it mainly follows Celie, who as a young teenager (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi) is abused by her father, Alfonso (Deon Cole), and Mister (Colman Domingo), a man she is forced to marry. She is separated from her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey) soon thereafter, not knowing if she is alive or dead.

As the years pass, the adult Celie (Fantasia Barrino) becomes meek under the thumb of Mister, only to have her senses awakened by two brash women: Sofia (Danielle Brooks), who takes no guff from anyone, including her husband, Harpo (Corey Hawkins); and Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson), a singer with whom Mister has had an on-and-off affair for years. Inspired by their boldness, Celie slowly emerges out of her shell, hoping to make a life of her own someday.

Directed by Blitz Bazawule and written by Marcus Gardley, the film is a spectacular feast for the senses from minute one. Instead of being shot on a soundstage, much of the movie was filmed outside in Georgia, which gives the story an authentic feel. This is especially noticeable during the many musical numbers, which use the natural elements in fantastic ways and enhance the feel of the story, which takes place mostly in rural locations.

The songs themselves - by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray - range from barnburners, epitomized by the soul-stirring “Hell No!,” to tearjerkers like the title song, and everything in between. Although it’s not a sung-through musical (meaning one without any dialogue outside of songs), Bazawule and his team pace the film in such a way that the songs and non-music scenes flow together extremely well.

The story remains as resonant today as it was 40 years ago, as every injustice the women of the film endure at the hands of overbearing men hits home hard. But instead of a depressing slog through a life without much hope, the bonds that the women share shine a light through the darkness. And the songs allow them to express themselves in a way that their current reality may not, lending the music even more significance.

Barrino is mostly known for her music career, although she is reprising the role she played in two different productions of the musical. She puts in a mind-blowing performance, playing Celie’s range of ages with ease, imbuing the part with great emotion, and, of course, giving a master class in singing. Everyone else in the film is up to her level, with Brooks and Henson especially deserving of awards attention as well.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Fantasia Barrino in The Color Purple.

This year is not hurting for Oscar-quality films to fill up the ballot, but The Color Purple immediately shoots to near the top of those in consideration. The fact that another iteration of a well-known story can deliver the goods just as much as the original book demonstrates the power of Walker’s story, and of everyone involved in the film.

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The Color Purple opens in theaters on Christmas Day.

Movie Review

Highly anticipated Wicked movie adaptation deserves to be popular

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera in Wicked.

The musical Wicked is indisputably the biggest Broadway smash of the 21st century, having grossed more $1.6 billion in New York alone and achieving the rare feat of running for over 20 years. All of which is to say that the long-awaited movie adaptation of The Wizard of Oz prequel will most likely be a massive success whether it lives up to what longtime fans envisioned or not.

Part one — yes, this 2 hour and 40 minute film is merely the first act of the musical; part two arrives a year from now — introduces Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the green-skinned witch who goes on to become Dorothy’s nemesis, and G(a)linda (Ariana Grande-Butera), the pink-garbed “good” witch, as they meet at Shiz University in Oz. Glinda is the ultra-popular one with sycophantic hangers-on, while Elphaba is shunned by almost everyone, sometimes including her disabled sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who’s desperate to make her own space away from Elphaba.

Her mistreatment by others leads Elphaba to get angry, which manifests itself in uncontrollable magic. Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) notices this and takes a personal interest in her, giving her one-on-one instruction in hopes of harnessing her power. In the meantime, Elphaba and Glinda attempt to go from forced roommates to actual friends, although Glinda’s entitled personality is more of an obstacle than anything else they encounter.

Directed by Jon M. Chu and written by original book writer Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, the film does a great job of distinguishing itself from the stage version while still remaining true to what made it so beloved. As Chu showed in his last film, In the Heights, he has an innate feel for how to tap into the essence of the source material while expanding it into something befitting the scope of a blockbuster movie.

In this case, he finds a way to give even greater emphasis to the bigotry that Elphaba faces simply because of her green skin; the fact that she is being played by a Black woman drives home the point even more. The story remains light and fluffy for the most part, but the ostracization/otherness that Elphaba feels is delivered in a powerful way, as is her empathy for talking animals like Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), who are facing their own persecution.

Of course, the highlight of the film is Stephen Schwartz’s music, and while not all of the songs are equal in impact, they still make for a cohesive whole. The number of songs and order they appear in the first act is identical to the stage musical, with the standouts remaining “The Wizard and I,” “Popular,” and “Defying Gravity.” While there is some superfluous action and cutaways added to certain numbers, it’s not enough to distract from what makes the songs effective.

Oddly, the progression of the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda works better on stage when the timeline is accelerated, but Erivo and Grande-Butera make up for this slight lack with their fantastic performances. The emotion each brings to their characters fits them almost perfectly, and there’s simply no denying the strength of each of their voices. Bode, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, and more make for a solid supporting cast.

The well-known ending of the first act of Wicked is a huge high point that is so good that it almost makes up for the fact that audiences won’t see the second film for a long time. But if part one is any indication, part two should turn out to be another great musical theater adaptation in a decade that has already seen its fair share.

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Wicked opens in theaters on November 22.

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