THE COLOR PURPLE (1985, Blu-ray released January 25, 2011 – MSRP $34.99)
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I’m far from being a Spielberg fanboy but there’s just something about the man’s work from back in the day that jumps up and grabs me. As much as I’ve gone out of my way to avoid it due to preconceptions of over-sentimentality, his adaptation of The Color Purple hits all the right notes and proves to be a classic in every sense of the word.
- “Based on Alice Walker‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Color Purple is a richly-textured, powerful film set in America’s rural south. Whoopi Goldberg, winner of the Best Actress Golden Globe Award and an Oscar nomination, makes a triumphant screen debut as the radiant, indomitable Celie, the story’s central character. Her impressive portrayal is complimented by a distinguished cast that includes Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Adolph Caesar, Rae Dawn Chong and Akosua Busia. The Color Purple marks a new, more mature color in Spielberg’s artistic palette. It is an exquisitely crafted, landmark film that will be treasured and talked about for years to come.“
I wasn’t expecting to love The Color Purple as much as I did. In so many ways, it’s a completely vintage Spielberg flik, with stylistic and storytelling flourishes that mark it as such. The way that the camera moves, the choice of shots, the playfulness of the characters all scream Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – an admittedly strange comparison to make, given the disparate subject matter of the two films. The Color Purple is the first step into a bigger, more adult world for Spielberg. It’s the first real evidence of him growing up. And watching this film for the first time really made me miss the filmmaker he used to be.
Warner has knocked the Blu-ray out of the park. It looks and sounds magnificent. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that this is the nicest looking catalogue release I’ve seen from the studio! It’s that good. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is just as solid as the image, breathing dynamic life into Quincy Jones‘ tunes while providing satisfying and enveloping atmospheric sound throughout.
The disc is packaged in a nice hardcover digibook and carries over the exceptional Laurent Bouzereau written/produced/directed featurettes (sadly, still in standard def) from the previously available DVD edition of the film, along with its additional features.
- Conversations with Ancestors: The Color Purple From Book to Screen (27 mins.)
- A Collaboration of Spirits: Casting and Acting The Color Purple (29 mins.)
- The Color Purple: The Musical (8 mins.)
- Galleries (13 mins.)
- Trailers (4 mins.)
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