Steven Spielberg is fearless when it comes to creating art for the film industry. Well, almost fearless. The renowned filmmaker came out with The Color Purple in 1985, a film based on the namesake, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker. While the film was met with mostly positive reviews, some believed that the film should’ve been directed by a Black filmmaker instead of Steven Spielberg.
On the other hand, the majority agrees that Steven Spielberg brought the gripping and eye-opening story to life with perfection. However, there was one complaint viewers had about the adaptation – the relationship between Celie and Shug. Steven Spielberg’s depiction of the relationship was quite different than what readers saw in Alice Walker’s novel. This was because the filmmaker was a little afraid to film their deep, s*xual relationship.
Steven Spielberg Felt He Was Not the Right Director for This Storyline
Alice Walker’s novel revolves around Celie who leads a very troubling life. The only silver lining for her is her friend, Shug, who helps her find her identity as a Black woman. In the novel, the relationship between the two women is deep, romantic, and s*xual. However, Steven Spielberg simply did not know how to bring this aspect of their relationship to the screen and thus toned it down to a mere platonic relationship. The erotic scenes from the film were reduced to a kiss, something which angered the fans as they believed it was a vital part to Celie’s story.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Spielberg stated,
“Perhaps I was the wrong director to acquit some of the more s*xually honest encounters between Shug and Celie, because I did soften those. I basically took something that was extremely erotic and very intentional, and I reduced it to a simple kiss. I got a lot of criticism for that.”
In an interview with Los Angeles Times, the filmmaker stated that perhaps a female director would’ve been better at bringing those raw scenes to life and added that he was a bit afraid.
“There were certain scenes I couldn’t bring myself to shoot. Some of the grittier ones because I didn’t grow up that way. Or, if I had been a woman, maybe I could have. But being a man, I didn’t know how. Any woman director would have done that brilliantly. And I was afraid of it. I didn’t know how to direct actors to do that.”
Despite the little backlash, The Color Purple got nominated for 11 Oscars, although it didn’t bring any home. Spielberg ended up winning his first Directors Guild of America Award and Whoopi Goldberg, who played Celie, won a Golden Globe for her performance.
The Author’s Thoughts on Steven Spielberg’s Film
While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, it is only fair we listen to what Walker had to say about the film since she’s the one who made it all possible in the first place. When asked by Black Film if she was satisfied with Spielberg’s film, Walker stated,
“Yes, but I had a hard time the very first time I saw the film because I saw it in an empty theatre. It grew on me, and by the time it opened in New York City, I loved it, as did all of my family, some of whom came to the opening.”
And although Walker believes her “screenplay was much s*xier,” she has no complaints about Spielberg toning down Celie and Shug’s relationship. But that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t have done things differently.
“His angle was very different. And I’m really at peace with that. It’s just that if I had directed it, of course their love life would have been much more vibrant. But, 15 years later or however many years it’s been now, when I look at it, I think he did a beautiful, very sensitive job of depicting the depths of their relationship. Because what he manages to do is, he brings in the sweetness. And that is so fine.”
With a 73% Rotten Tomatoes score, the film went on to make $98 million at the box office with a budget of just $15 million. Needless to say, Spielberg’s film did pretty well for itself, despite whatever little backlash it received.
You can rent/buy The Color Purple on Prime Video.
Source: Los Angeles Times
