Tonight we will watch the film adaptation of Alice Walker's novel, The Color Purple. I often anguish over whether or not to use this film, not because it is not a great film or because it does not fit our themes so well, but that so many other people use it. As a consequence, you may find an enormous amount of information on the web that will help you analyze its content. For instance, this site even supplies plot summaries and thematic interpretations.
I encourage you, however, to actually watch the film instead of relying on internet summaries and the scholarship of others because it you will have to relate the content of the movie to our other readings for this course. Plus, because most of the internet summaries refer to the novel and not the film, there are some significant discrepancies - as there are with any film adaptation. I have received essays any number of times in the past that refer to sections of The Color Purple that are only in the book and not the film. Needless to say, the grades on such essays suffered.
Please post your discussion questions for the film at the foot of this post. Once again, I am open to you thinking about music and posting a link to something you would like to share with the class and talk about.
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The film "The Color Purple" places an emphasis on the role of women in early 20th century African American society. What do Celia, Shug, and Sophia each contribute to the characterization of African American women in the 20th century South? And how does this film act as a commentary on proper ways for African American women to act during this time period?
ReplyDeleteSophia tells Celie to "bash in his head and think about heaven later." To extend our discussion from Tuesday, with reference to the lifeviews of Celie, Sophia, and Shug, how did religion play into the social structure of African Americans and how did it affect Celie specifically? What changes did the Blues bring to the traditional roles of men and women in the society? Were the two irreconciliable?
ReplyDeleteIn the film "The Color Purple", the African American male dominates the African American female and contributes to shaping, manipulating, and breaking down the female. Does the type of treatment the women receive influence them in any way? Do they have positive or negative contributions?
ReplyDeleteRelating the film to Tuesday’s discussion, the movie helped portray the assumed roles of women in regards to the blues and in society but in what ways did it show the consequences of women stepping out of those roles, such as Sophia’s situation? In what ways does it depict the ways of the Old South? Also, explain the relationship between Harpo’s juke joint and the church as it relates to our previous discussions.
ReplyDeleteHow does the film, “The Color Purple,” depict the lives of women and the roles they play in society? How are the relationships among the female characters significant (such as the relationships between Celie and Nettie and Celie and Shug)? Is it possible that these relationships provide the same sense of refuge for women as the church and blues music provide for men? What are the similarities/differences?
ReplyDeleteIn the film, The Color Purple, Shug is portrayed as the famous female Blues artist; however, she is portrayed in the form of two extremes. First, she is seen as overly sexual, or a sex objects. When she is not portrayed as such, her gender role as a female is challenged by the way the film depicts her friendship/relationship with Celie. Do you think this is an accurate depiction of female Blues artists? And if so, would it be fair to say that in order for a female Blues artist to “make it” or become famous she had to identify with more of a masculine role, or appear excessively sexual?
ReplyDeleteIn the film, "The Color Purple, there were three women who stood out, Celie, Shug Avery and Sofia. Celie grew up being told she was inferior, ugly, and so on.. Shug Avery was always told she was evil because of her poor relationship she shared with family and God,
ReplyDeleteSofia on the other hand was just "Sofia". Throughout the movie, after Celie and Albert have united their devotion to Shug, what does Shug teach Celie about being loved, and about finding one’s true self? What price does Sofia pay for being her true self?
In class we discussed the current popular perception of the blues as a predominantly male industry. However, in "The Color Purple", set in the early 20th century, the focus of the blues scenes are Shug Avery, a popular female blues singer. Has there been a shift in the gender dynamics of the blues culture or just our perception of it? What were the advantages & disadvantages of being a female artist in the blues culture of the early 20th century? How were these portrayed through Shug Avery?
ReplyDelete"The Color Purple," to me was something that activley produced what it means to be blue. All of the characters experienced the blues in one way or another, even Mr. Does the title itself repreresent advancement from the blues? How is the actual color purple used throughout the movie to represent moments of great extacy?
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