Nearly 40 years after making her acting debut in "The Color Purple", Oprah Winfrey is bringing the story back to the screen and this time, it’s bigger, bolder, and ready for a new generation.
The reimagined adaptation, now a lavish musical film streaming on Showmax, revisits Alice Walker’s iconic tale of survival, sisterhood, and resilience, with Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, and the late Quincy Jones returning as producers.
Directed by Ghanaian filmmaker Blitz Bazawule, the star-studded cast includes "American Idol' winner Fantasia Barrino as Celie, Halle Bailey as Nettie, Danielle Brooks as Sofia, and Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery.
“For every woman and man who has suffered, who has been invisible, who has felt unseen and unvalued, this is their story,” Winfrey said.
“It’s a story of coming into yourself, coming into your own, having that glorious self-discovery reflected to you through the image of someone else."
Winfrey, who played Sofia in the 1985 adaptation directed by Spielberg, admitted she was initially hesitant to revisit the story.
"I felt the 1985 film was so significant, certainly so significant in my life, that it withstands the test of time," Winfrey shared. "If you look at it now, it still holds up as a film. So, it was decided that I would go to Steven Spielberg and ask for permission to do this on film again.”
Spielberg, who directed the original movie, enthusiastically supported the idea.
“He realised that at this time in our culture, with the MeToo movement representing a pinnacle moment for women speaking up and speaking out, it was time,” Winfrey explained.
The late Quincy Jones, a key figure in both the original film and its Broadway adaptation, once described Walker’s novel as “brilliant and real.”
Reflecting on its enduring impact, Jones said, “It is an American story about the African American experience of the time. It’s heavy, but it matters because it forces you to face it head-on. It is our truth, and that truth needs to be passed down.”
For Winfrey, "The Color Purple" is more than a story, it’s a testament to resilience and the power of human connection.
“As we release it into the world again, it will continue to endure, because generations old and new will come see and feel the same thing,” she said.
IOL