This year’s Christmas, we would get to witness the musical adaptation of the film that won 11 Oscar nods as far back as 1985. Steven Spielberg, while serving as the producer this time around, helmed the original project 38 years ago.
Spielberg had his opinions about the film that depicted the life of a poverty-stricken African American girl as it had certain scenes that he felt were too extreme for him to handle.
It may sound a bit far-fetched, but that’s what Spielberg said to a couple of media outlets back in the day. Despite his soft take on Alice Walker’s novel of the same name, critics had positive things to say about the film.
The audience, however, called out Spielberg for not exploring the deep and meaningful relationship between the characters that made the novel ever so touching.
Steven Spielberg Acknowledged The Criticism He Received
Helming a film that tells the story of a woman of color who was repeatedly abused and r*ped was a big challenge in the early ‘80s. Steven Spielberg, later on, felt that a woman should have spearheaded the project instead of him.
The Color Purple (1985) had Whoopi Goldberg as the lead character Celie, who is abused and r*ped in her own home. She is joined by Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Laurence Fishburne, and Margaret Avery playing Sofia, Albert, Swain, and Shug Avery respectively.
“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 very intentional, and I reduced it to a simple kiss,” Spielberg once said to EW.
In an interview with Black Film, Alice Walker said that her own screenplay would have been very different and vibrant than Spielberg’s, but she had no complaints about his toned approach.
Steven Spielberg Didn’t Think He Did A Good Job
Showcasing the erotic chemistry between two women in a country that had been conservative about people of color, Spielberg confessed his fears to proceed with the scenes.
Even though Alice Walker appreciated his version, Spielberg opened up to Los Angeles Times and explained why he thought he wasn’t the perfect choice for a film like that.
“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.”
Criticisms didn’t hold Steven Spielberg back at all as The Color Purple, on a meager budget of $15 million, accumulated a whopping $98 million.
The Color Purple is available on Amazon Prime Video for streaming.
Source: Los Angeles Times
