Movie of the Week: ‘The Color Purple’

“The Color Purple” (1985) – Whoopi Goldberg is unforgettable as Celie, a poor and humble Georgian who suffers under unthinkable abuse from her father and husband (Danny Glover) for years and years.  Celie swallows the constant mistreatment, but we hope that she’ll transform these harmful encounters into some morsels of strength to move on.  The problem is she has nowhere to go.  Steven Spielberg adapts Alice Walker’s novel – set at the turn of the 20th century – and he offers a 154-minute runtime to let the story breathe on-screen. …