The Color Purple is hands down director Steven Spielberg's single most underrated film of all time. It is a harrowing account of four black women in the early 1900's that suffer rape, incest, racism, separation, and domestic abuse all while enduring poverty.
Spielberg does not get enough credit for tackling these intensely disturbing topics. He handles them well by directing sincere moments with close ups, intimate moments with silhouettes, long panning shots for establishing his setting, parallel edits to show juxtaposition, and deep still shots of intense emotion that linger in your heart. The Color Purple is filmed immaculately and with a tender care to be respectful to his subject matter. Spielberg uses tasteful metaphors and pans away from the most disturbing scenes, but you always know what is happening. It's very clever and always classy. I am still emotional from having just watched this brilliant movie again after having first seen it over a decade ago. The Color Purple leaves such a strong impression.
A quick mention to Quincy Jones' excellent score for The Color Purple. He creates a variety of gospel, soul, blues, and more for each scene. His compositions flavor each moment with deep emotion that perfectly adds to the tone. Jones layers the atmosphere and time period with delicate and gripping music in the air.
The main highlight I think that most audiences will note is the remarkable performances by the cast of The Color Purple. Whoopi Goldberg lays down her greatest performance as an actress ever. She's quiet and subtle, but ever so expressive. She captures the fear and loss that Celie experiences with such grace and sorrow. You can see her suffering and anguish with every shot of her sad eyes. I am still moved by her emotional acting.
The supporting cast is just as exhilarating and devastating. Oprah is incredible as the boisterous and independent Sofia who endures a truly harrowing separation. Her range as an actress really shines here. Oprah eats up the scenery in perhaps her most memorable performance. Margaret Avery is also very engaging as Shug Avery the singer. She starts out so shallow and Avery plays her exponentially sympathetic over the course of The Color Purple. You are rooting for her by the end. She displays such warmth and kindness as Avery.
Finally, Danny Glover plays the meanest, cruelest, sickest, craziest, and most unsympathetic monster of a husband with such wicked confidence. Glover's acting is truly inspired as he is never one note as the evil Albert Johnson. A lesser actor would have played Johnson as only awful all the time, whereas Glover builds up why and how Johnson's character is so heinous. He even gets a saving grace at the end that Glover plays with a quiet empathy. It's the performance of a lifetime that gets overlooked as the leading ladies of The Color Purple are all magnificent. You have to see Glover in The Color Purple as he really makes you hate his despicable Johnson character. Glover embodies his role with a vicious glee and complex feeling. He really stands out and makes you uneasy with each appearance in his scenes.
In short, The Color Purple is breathtaking. Easily one of Spielberg's absolute best films. It's an underappreciated classic that I highly suggest you revisit or experience for the first time.