Words Hannah Taylor

A story that spans over forty years, from childhood to modern woman, The Color Purple chronicles African-American woman Celie’s lifelong fight for freedom against the backdrop of social oppression.

After years of suffering, Celie tries to overcome the mental and physical abuse brought on by her father and the husband she’s forced to marry. Her coming-of-age story is narrated through honest letters she writes to her sister Nettie, who she’s torn away from, and is one that tackles timeless and universal themes of femininity, racial differences, and gender inequality as Celie fights to find her identity and independence.

Serving as an adaptation of both Alice Walker’s original 1982 novel and the Tony Award-winning stage musical, the second screen adaptation comes almost forty years after Steven Spielberg’s and brings the beloved classic up to date in a modern take for a new generation. Key to that is its cast of contemporary stars, including The Little Mermaid’s Halle Bailey, Empire’s Taraji P. Henson, Academy Award and Grammy Award-winning superstar H.E.R., and Fantasia Barrino, who reprises her lead role from the original Broadway production.

Revitalised by tear-inducing musical numbers, this timeless portrait of friendship, sisterhood, love, loss, courage, and more remains as spectacular, devastating, and relevant today.

Cultural Cornerstone

Alice Walker

In 1983, Alice Walker became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for her epic novel, The Color Purple. Although a fictional story, readers across the generations relate to Celie's struggles as an African-American woman living in Georgia in the early 1900s.

Oprah Winfrey

The legendary talk show host stars as Sofia in Steven Spielberg's original 1985 adaptation. Reuniting almost forty years later, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg join Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones as producers on this modern musical revival.

Halle Bailey

The rising star follows her breakthrough appearances as Ariel in Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid to play the key role of Nettie in this musical adaptation that introduces the beloved classic to a new generation.