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From: epic@houem.UUCP (epic)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: REVIEW: The Color Purple - Are you kidding?
Message-ID: <456@houem.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Feb-86 10:52:08 EST
Article-I.D.: houem.456
Posted: Wed Feb 12 10:52:08 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Feb-86 05:06:37 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 61


>Well, two things have happened over the last couple of weeks.  I
>saw _The_Color_Purple_, which broke the long dry spell, and there
>seems to be a flood of good-to-excellent films to fill the void
>(_The_Trip_to_Bountiful_, _Down_&_Out_In_Beverly_Hills_,
>_Hannah_and_Her_Sisters_, and _Murphy's_Romance_).  I'll
>concentrate on the former, and try to avoid the emotional diatribes

>The film, The_Color_Purple,
>reminds me of a cross between _To_Kill_A_Mockingbird_ and
>_Gone_With_the_Wind_ without the Epic Movie touches.  

	How dare you compare The_Color_Purple with such classics!
	The problem with this film was that it had too many epic touches.
	Especially, the up-in-the-air boom shots that you refer to in the 
	next paragraph.

>Spielburg is not afraid to do a up-in-the-air boom shot now and
>then, something we've seen dozens of times in the fabulous space
>operas; here, I was surprised to find that it works well also.  Even
>the interior shots have texture and light (although often smokey),
>and you have the feeling that you're watching an adaptation of an
>old family classics, except old family classics usually don't
>discuss prejudice and lesbianism much.

	This movie didn't discuss lesbianism I'm not sure that it discussed 
	prejudice either.  I hold firmly to my original conviction that 
	this film didn't say anything at all.  

>Very,
>very few people can place physical force in a stare or a hand held
> forward; but Ceilly, towards the end of the film gives the
>impression that Christopher Reeve in his blue-n-red jammies
>couldn't do better.

	Oh was she acting, I couldn't tell?  

>When looking at the script, though, the thing which made this film
>work for me (besides Goldberg) was the way that the conflict and
>drama and pain were balanced with comic character elements in
>each actor.  It gives the film a flavor of Twain or Dickens (the
>latter in particular), in that the modern bleakness is not
>permeating every frame of the movie.  

	Comparing this film's effectiveness with that of Twain or Dickens.
	I think I am going to be sick!!!!

	I hated this film.  I can't believe that it was nominated for an
	Academy Award.

	The one thing that I do agree with you about, is that 
	The_Trip_To_Bountiful and Hannah_and_Her_Sisters are excellent 
	movies.  I did not see the other two films that you refer to.  
	Both The_Trip_to_Bountiful and Hannah_and_Her_Sisters were wonderful 
	movies because they were quietly evocative and provocative.  
	These movies did not beat you over the head with trite imagery 
	and canned emotional response.

					SS

			" AJT, please save a cookie for me."