
Did the Color Purple get snubbed at the Oscars?
The L.A. Times is dead wrong. The 1985 stigma of The Color Purple, up for 11 Academy Awards, which received zero still lingers. The most blatant snub was in the Supporting Actress category, where the majority of nominees were from the movie, including Oprah Winfrey, who gave the towering performance of her brief acting career.
How many Academy Awards did the Color Purple win?
They are, among white actresses, the kind of films and roles that normally garner big wins for the actors and actresses making the portrayal. The L.A. Times is dead wrong. The 1985 stigma of The Color Purple, up for 11 Academy Awards, which received zero still lingers.
Who are the actors in the Color Purple?
Main articles: The Color Purple (film) and The Color Purple (musical) The novel was adapted into a film of the same name in 1985. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, Danny Glover as Albert, and Oprah Winfrey as Sofia. Though nominated for eleven Academy Awards, it won none.
When was the Color Purple made into a movie?
On November 5, 2019, the BBC News listed The Color Purple on its list of the 100 most influential novels. The novel was adapted into a film of the same name in 1985. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, Danny Glover as Albert, and Oprah Winfrey as Sofia.
See more

Who won an Oscar in the Colour purple?
The Color Purple was nominated for 11 Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Actress for Goldberg and Best Supporting Actress for both Avery and Winfrey). It failed to win any of them, tying the record set by 1977's The Turning Point for the most Oscar nominations without a single win.
Who did Whoopi Goldberg lose the Oscar to for color purple?
Geraldine PageNo. While she was nominated for Best Actress for her work in The Color Purple at the 1985 Academy Awards, she lost to Geraldine Page for her role in The Trip to Bountiful.
What year was The Color Purple nominated for an Academy Award?
Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple - Whoopi Goldberg won the Best Supporting Actress for 1990's Ghost, but most filmgoers believe Oscar voters missed the mark by "only nominating" her for her stunning film debut in 1985's The Color Purple.
How many Academy Awards did The Color Purple win?
Blue Ribbon Award for Best Forei...Actress in a Drama Motion Pict...Actress in a Motion PictureDirecting Feature FilmMotion PictureAll‑Time Motion PictureThe Color Purple/Awards
Who didn't win an Oscar in 1986?
Winners and nominees The Color Purple and Out of Africa led all nominees with eleven each. Winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 24, 1986. With its 11 nominations and zero wins, The Color Purple joined 1977's The Turning Point as the most nominated films in Oscar history without a single win.
What part did Oprah play in The Color Purple?
CelieWhoopi Goldberg, Desreta JacksonShug AveryMargaret Avery, Táta VegaHarpo JohnsonWillard E. PughNettie HarrisAkosua BusiaAlbertDanny GloverMiss MillieDana IveyThe Color Purple/Characters
What's the famous line from The Color Purple?
"I'm Poor, Black, I May Even Be Ugly, But Dear God, I'm Here! I'm Here!"
Did Oprah get an Oscar for color purple?
Golden Globe Award for...NAACP Image Award for...Directors Guild of America A...NAACP Image Award for...Blue Ribbon Award for Best Forei...The Color Purple/Awards
Who will be in The Color Purple 2022?
In March 2022, Louis Gossett Jr., David Alan Grier, Tamela J. Mann, Phylicia Mpasi, Deon Cole, Stephen Hill, and Ciara joined the cast. In April 2022, Aunjanue Ellis, Elizabeth Marvel and Jon Batiste joined the cast.
How old was Celie in The Color Purple?
14-year-oldCelie is a young poor, uneducated 14-year-old African-American teenager girl living in the Southern United States in the early 1900s. She writes letters to God because her father, Alphonso, beats and rapes her.
WHO WAS first Color Purple movie?
director Steven SpielbergThe Color Purple, then and now Based on Alice Walker's novel, the original film premiered in 1985 and was an Oscar-nominated hit for director Steven Spielberg. It was adapted into a Broadway musical in 2005, and it's that version, replete with songs, that is being turned into a new film.
Is The Color Purple Based on a true story?
The 1982 novel “The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker, was inspired, in part, by a story that Walker's sister told her, about a love triangle involving their grandfather. (Walker, who grew up in rural Georgia in the forties and fifties, was the eighth child of a sharecropper and a domestic.)
Did Whoopi Goldberg win any awards for The Color Purple?
Golden Globe Award for...NAACP Image Award for...Directors Guild of America A...NAACP Image Award for...Blue Ribbon Award for Best Forei...The Color Purple/Awards
What movie beat The Color Purple for Best Picture?
Despite the DGA's push, The Color Purple went on to tie with Herbert Ross' The Turning Point (1977) as the biggest loser in Oscar history: 11 nominations; 0 wins.
Why wasn't Will Smith ejected from the Oscars?
The producer of the Oscars has said he prevented Will Smith from being "physically removed" from the ceremony because "Chris Rock did not want that". Will Packer said he had been told the bosses of the organising academy had planned to have the actor ejected after he slapped the comedian on stage.
What movie did Whoopi Goldberg win an Oscar for?
Grammy Award for Best Come...Tony Award for Best MusicalAcademy Award for Best Actre...Golden Globe Award for...Mark Twain Prize for American...Golden Globe Award for...Whoopi Goldberg/Awards
What is Miss Celie's sister's music?
The score combines elements of classical and period jazz, blues, and gospel, and features several popular songs of the era. The track Miss Celie's Blues (Sister), performed in the film by the character Shug (Averg; dubbed by Táta Vega ), later gained popularity as a concert piece.
How much did the movie The Turning Point make?
The film was a box office success, grossing $142 million against a budget of $15 million. The film received acclaim from critics, with particular praise going to its acting (especially Goldberg's performance), direction, screenplay, musical score, and production values; however, it was also criticized by some critics for being "over-sentimental" and "stereotypical". The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Goldberg, Best Supporting Actress for both Avery and Winfrey, and Best Adapted Screenplay, but did not achieve a single win, though Spielberg did not receive Best Director, holding the record for the film being the most nominations without nominated for his direction and without a win at the Academy Awards since The Turning Point (1977) at this point. It also received four Golden Globe Award nominations, with Whoopi Goldberg winning Best Actress in a Drama. Steven Spielberg received a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, and a Golden Globe nomination. The film was later included in Roger Ebert 's book series The Great Movies .
Why was Sofia imprisoned?
Meanwhile, Sofia has been imprisoned for striking the town's mayor after he slaps her. Years pass, and she, now a shell of her former self, is released from prison – only to be immediately ordered by the judge to become a maid to the mayor's wife, Ms. Millie. Having not seen her children in eight years, Sofia is allotted Christmas to be with her family by Ms. Millie after encountering Celie in town, but Ms. Millie recants her offer after panicking while trying to leave the yard and not being able to get the car in gear.
How many Academy Awards did the color purple win?
The Color Purple was nominated for 11 Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Actress for Goldberg and Best Supporting Actress for both Avery and Winfrey). It failed to win any of them, tying the record set by 1977's The Turning Point for the most Oscar nominations without a single win.
What year did Ebert include the color purple?
In 2004, Ebert included The Color Purple in his list of "Great Movies". He stated that "I can see its flaws more easily than when I named it the best film of 1985, but I can also understand why it moved me so deeply, and why the greatness of some films depends not on their perfection or logic, but on their heart.".
How much did the movie The Color Purple cost?
English. Budget. $15 million. Box office. $142 million. The Color Purple is a 1985 American coming-of-age period drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the Pulitzer Prize -winning 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. It was Spielberg's eighth film as a director, and marked a turning point in his career as it was a departure ...
What is the color purple?
The Color Purple. (film) The Color Purple is a 1985 American coming-of-age period drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the Pulitzer Prize -winning 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. It was Spielberg's eighth film as a director, and marked a turning point in his career as it was a departure from the summer blockbusters ...
How many nominations did the movie Color Purple have?
In a statement, The Color Purple distributor Warner Bros. expressed its “sincere appreciation” for their film’s 11 nominations, adding that “the company is shocked and dismayed that the movie’s primary creative force – Steven Spielberg – was not recognized.”.
What movie did Steven Spielberg make the best direction?
Steven Spielberg’s Best Direction Oscar nomination for his 1985 film version of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple was a given.
Who is the black woman in The Color Purple?
Upon receiving a Grammy for Comedy Album, Whoopi Goldberg, who plays a poor black woman awakened to her inner strength in The Color Purple, told the media that the Academy’s Directors Branch was “a small bunch of people with small minds who chose to ignore the obvious.”.
Was Spielberg on the Best Direction ballot?
Much like Nolan’s for The Dark Knight and Inception, Spielberg’s name was surely found on lots of Best Direction ballots – perhaps even on every single ballot. But if he was mostly listed near the bottom, then someone like Akira Kurosawa, perhaps with fewer mentions but with higher priority, ended up taking his spot.
What does Celie say to Sofia?
She also begins to consider Sofia's advice about defending herself against further abuse from Mister. Shug Avery, a jazz and blues singer and Mister's long-time mistress falls ill, and Mister takes her into his house.
How old is Celie's sister?
Celie and her younger sister, 12-year-old Nettie, learn a man identified only as Mister wants to marry Nettie. Alphonso refuses to let Nettie marry, instead arranging for Mister to marry Celie. Mister, a widower, needing someone to care for his children and keep his house, eventually accepts the offer.
What is Celie surprised by?
Celie is amazed by Sofia's defiant refusal to submit to Harpo's attempts to control her. As Harpo is kinder and gentler than his father, Celie advises him not to dominate Sofia. Harpo temporarily follows Celie's advice but falls back under Mister's sway.
Why does Celie write letters to God?
She writes letters to God because her father, Alphonso, beats and rapes her. Alphonso has already impregnated Celie once, which resulted in the birth of a boy named Adam, whom Alphonso abducted. Celie thinks Alphonso killed Adam. Celie then has a second child, and Celie's ailing mother dies after cursing Celie on her deathbed. The second child is a girl named Olivia, but Alphonso takes the baby away shortly after birth.
What did Nettie learn about Alphonso?
Realizing Adam and Olivia are Celie's children, Nettie then learned Alphonso is actually her and Celie's stepfather. Their actual father was a store owner that white men lynched because they resented his success. She also learned their mother suffered a mental collapse after her husband's death and that Alphonso exploited the situation to control their mother's considerable wealth.
Where does Nettie take refuge?
Shortly thereafter, Nettie runs away from Alphonso and takes refuge at Celie's house, where Mister makes sexual advances toward her. Celie then advises Nettie to seek assistance from a well-dressed black woman whom she saw in the general store a while back; unbeknownst to Celie, the woman adopted Olivia, and she is the only black woman Celie has ever seen with money of her own. Nettie is forced to leave after promising to write. Celie, however, never receives any letters and concludes that her sister is dead.
Who is Shug married to?
Despite being newly married to a man called Grady, Shug instigates a sexual relationship with Celie on her next visit. One night Shug asks Celie about her sister, and Shug helps Celie recover letters from Nettie that Mister has been hiding from her for decades. The letters indicate that Nettie befriended a missionary couple, Samuel and Corrine, the well-dressed woman Celie saw in the store. Nettie eventually accompanied them to Africa to do missionary work, Samuel and Corrine having unwittingly adopted both Adam and Olivia. Corrine, noticing her adopted children resemble Nettie, wonders if Samuel fathered the children with Nettie. Increasingly suspicious, Corrine tries to limit Nettie's role in her family.
What category of Oscars do black actors take home?
Supporting has been a category that has seen several black actors and actresses take home Oscars, but the Best Actor category still remains the domain of the white and powerful.
Why do black people fight tooth and nail?
Blacks have had to fight tooth-and-nail to get any recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scienes (AMPAS). Many are placed into the Supporting category to have a hope of winning something.
Is Meryl Streep a good actress?
It’s not that Meryl Streep is not a great actress, or deserving of awards. She is. We also know that the Academy often misses seminal achievements in all actor and actresses careers. The term “they’re due” often is tagged to a good, not great role or a lesser motion picture that pulls the big awards out of their AMPAS.
Who was the only black actor to win Best Actor?
Sidney Poitier for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner in 1967, Denzell Washington for Training Day in 2002, Jamie Foxx for Ray in 2004 and Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland in 2006. The only Best Actress award handed out to a black woman was to Halle Berry ...
Was the color purple snub in 1985?
The 1985 stigma of The Color Purple, up for 11 Academy Awards, which received zero still lingers. The most blatant snub was in the Supporting Actress category, where the majority of nominees were from the movie, including Oprah Winfrey, who gave the towering performance of her brief acting career. She was bypassed for Prizzi’s Honor actress Angelica Huston, daughter of director John Huston. White and inside, that was a slider that the Black actresses did not have.
Do Oscar winners make fewer movies per year?
Oscar winners and nominees of color make fewer movies per year after their nominations than their white peers do.
Why is the TIFF People's Choice Award chosen?
It’s chosen by film fans because although it’s a major hassle lining up for films in Toronto, most the audience is made up of film buffs.
How many Oscars has Jack Nicholson won?
A man with a similar name, Jack Nicholson has won 3 Oscars with 12 total nominations (8 for best actor, 4 for best supporting actor)
What was the first color movie to win a Best Picture nomination?
In 1938, A Star Is Born became the first all-color movie to receive a Best Picture nomination. Two years later, Gone with the Wind became the first color movie to win the award. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/75458/15-academy-award-firsts
Who won the Oscars for Trip to Bountiful?
Whoopi’s only real competition came in the form of actress Geraldine Page who won the award for a Trip to Bountiful after having previously being nominated a number of times before and coming away empty handed. It’s still hard to believe that Whoopi came away with nothing after such a deeply moving portrayal of Celie
Is Cannes a good predictor of an Oscar?
If you want to look at a good early predictor of an Oscar winner, you don’t turn to Cannes. The tastes of the audiences, who are mostly film industry personnel, tend not to match that of the Academy Award voters.
Is the color purple a movie?
As a novel and film, The Color Purple captured a series of awards. Color Purple book awards. The Color Purple - IMDb and many others.
7 The Elephant Man (1980)
Say what you will about David Lynch, but this movie might be one of the best examples of practical effects, book and theater adaptation, and cinematography on film, and it boasts eight Oscar nominations to back that up. The list includes Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor, just to name a few.
6 Gangs Of New York (2002)
It's unclear as to why Gangs Of New York didn't win a single golden statue. Perhaps the early odds were more about the escapist or fantasy genre, and Martin Scorcese isn't exactly known for fluff, but there was some stiff competition that year.
5 American Hustle (2013)
A compelling story, American Hustle was based on an actual FBI operation, in which two con artists are recruited by law enforcement to help them catch some corrupt politicians. A total of ten nominations, a star-studded cast, and a brilliant screenplay wasn't enough to lift American Hustle above the sea of qualified nominees that year.
4 The Turning Point (1977)
Move over, Black Swan. The Turning Point was showing audience the sharp edge on the fuzzy side of ballet before it was cool. If there was an Oscar for Best Sex Symbol, this movie would have one in at least one category, and the winner would be Mikhail Baryshnikov.
3 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption is one of those rare movies that is as beloved by critics as it is by fans. The uplifting story of Andy Dufresne's escape from Shawshank Prison was nominated for a total of seven awards, still the most of any Stephen King adaptation. Yet, it didn't win a single one.
2 The Color Purple (1985)
With some serious critical acclaim along with the support of the biggest names in Hollywood, The Color Purple could be the biggest collective Oscar snub of all time. It was nominated for a total of 11 awards, but didn't win a single one.
1 True Grit (2010)
A remake of a 1969 movie that did win John Wayne an Oscar for Best Actor, True Grit is a Coen Brothers adaptation that follows the same general storyline, but focuses more on the main character of Mattie. Played by Hailee Steinfeld and nominated for Best Supporting Actress, this is one of ten Oscars that True Grit was nominated for but didn't win.

Overview
Accolades
The Color Purple was nominated for 11 Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Actress for Goldberg and Best Supporting Actress for both Avery and Winfrey). It failed to win any of them, tying the record set by 1977's The Turning Point for the most Oscar nominations without a single win. Some organizations such as the NAACP protested the decision of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to not award the film any categories.
Plot
In early 20th-century rural Hartwell, Georgia, Celie Harris is a teenage African-American girl who has had two children, removed by her sexually abusive father. He gives her away as a wife to Albert "Mister" Johnson, a widower, who initially wanted to marry her prettier, younger sister. He also abuses her, and his children mistreat her. Celie's loving younger sister, Nettie, runs away from the abusive f…
Cast
• Whoopi Goldberg as Celie Harris Johnson
• Danny Glover as "Mister" Albert Johnson
• Oprah Winfrey as Sofia
• Margaret Avery as Shug Avery (singing voice by Táta Vega)
Production
Alice Walker was initially reluctant to sell the film rights to her novel, due to Hollywood's portrayal of female and African-American characters. She only agreed to executive producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber's offer after consulting with friends, who agreed the only way to improve representation of minorities was to work within the system. Walker's contract stipulated that she would ser…
Music
The Color Purple's film score was written by Quincy Jones, the first feature film directed by Spielberg for which John Williams did not compose the music. The score combines elements of classical and period jazz, blues, and gospel, and features several popular songs of the era. The track Miss Celie's Blues (Sister), performed in the film by the character Shug (Avery; dubbed by Táta Vega), later gained popularity as a concert piece.
Release
The Color Purple premiered on December 18, 1985 in Los Angeles. However, the premiere was picketed by members of the NAACP for its depiction of rape. The film went into general release in the United States on February 7, 1986. It was also shown at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival as a non-competing title.
Reception
The Color Purple was a success at the box office, staying in U.S. theaters for 21 weeks, and grossing over $142 million worldwide. In terms of box office income, it ranked as the number one rated PG-13 film released in 1985, and number four overall.
The Color Purple received positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 33 reviews, with an average score of 6.9/10. The …
Overview
- Best Actress — Whoopi Goldberg
Best Adapted Screenplay — Meeno Meyjes - Best Art Direction — J. Michael Riva, Robert W. Welch, Linda DeScenna
Best Cinematography — Allen Daviau
Adaptations
Plot
The Color Purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. It was later adapted into a film and musical of the same name.
The novel has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2000–…
Critical reception
The novel was adapted into a film of the same name in 1985. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, Danny Glover as Albert, and Oprah Winfrey as Sofia. Though nominated for eleven Academy Awards, it won none. This perceived snubbing ignited controversy because many critics considered it the best picture that year, including Roger Ebert.
On December 1, 2005, a musical adaptation of the novel and film with lyrics and music by Stephe…
Boycotting Israel
Celie is a young poor, uneducated 14-year-old African-American teenager girl living in the Southern United States in the early 1900s. She writes letters to God because her father, Alphonso, beats and rapes her. Alphonso has already impregnated Celie once, which resulted in the birth of a girl, Olivia, whom Alphonso abducted. Celie believes that Alphonso killed Olivia. Celie then has a second child, and Celie's ailing mother dies after cursing Celie on her deathbed. The second chil…
Editions
The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983, making Walker the first black woman to win the prize. Walker also won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1983. Mel Watkins of the New York Times Book Review wrote that it is a "striking and consummately well-written novel", praising its powerful emotional impact and epistolary structure. It was also named a PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick.
See also
As part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), the author declined publication of the book in Israel in 2012. This decision was criticized by Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, who argued that Walker "resorted to bigotry and censorship against Hebrew-speaking readers of her writings". Walker, an ardent pro-Palestinian activist, said in a letter to Yediot Books that Israel practices apartheid and must change its policies before her works can be published th…
Further reading
• ISBN 0-15-119153-0 (First Edition, 1982)
• ISBN 0-606-00587-0 (prebound, 1985)
• ISBN 0-671-45853-1 (paperback, June,1983)
• ISBN 0-671-61702-8 (mass market paperback, 1985)