A few words about...™ - The Color Purple -- in 4k UHD (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Steven Spielberg's take on Alice Walker's 1982 Pulitzer Prize winning novel was an absolutely breathtaking experience when it arrived in theaters.

Almost forty years later, it arrives on 4k as part of WB's 100th, and it looks better than it did in theaters.

Allen Daviau's meticulous cinematography jumps off the screen, brilliantly and sensitively shot. The opening sequence in a field of purple flowers sets the tone.

I'm not certain if grain has been affected here, but if it has it's been handled delicately, leaving no negative attributes.

Color is perfect, as are densities. Shadows and black levels are perfectly rendered. I noted, for the first time, the blue drop shadows behind the purple main titles.

I spent quite a bit of time examining the facial highlights in the film, which are extraordinary. I learned back when doing some experiments with the faded OCN on Porgy & Bess, that black skin coloring, for whatever reason, does not react extremely negatively to 5248 fade, and holds true even with a partially collapsed Y layer. This cannot be said of caucasian coloring, which answers back as decidedly lobsterish.

Bottom line, an absolutely gorgeous 4k UHD release from 4k, that accurately replicates a premier print.

Audio, likewise, replicated the original experience in DTS-HD MA 5.1.

Like the image and audio, the slipcover is gorgeous. A dark image, printed atop a slightly reflective background. Typography is obviously - purple. Above the imagery is found the WB 100 logo along with the normal 4k Ultra HD legend.

An unboxing will follow shortly.


Image – 10 (HDR10)

Audio – 10 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)

Pass / Fail – Pass

Plays nicely with projectors - Yes

Makes use of and works well in 4k - 10

Worth your attention - 10

Slipcover rating - 6

Very Highly Recommended

RAH


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[PMF]

This work by DP Allen Daviau has been very, very easy for me to imagine as a 4K/UHD disc. Chances are, based upon this review, all of my high expectations have now been exceeded.

 

[DarkVader]

Great news! One of my favorite films of all time. I'm looking forward to seeing it in 4K with fresh eyes. I may weep.

 

[cineMANIAC]

I've never seen much chatter on this film on message boards over the years, which is the main reason it's kept me from seeking it out (I've never seen it). I also wasn't aware the film had won Academy awards. Even successful Directors turn out films that the public don't seem to gravitate towards so I'm glad that's not the case here and the perceived unpopularity was just something I surmised incorrectly. Ordered a copy.

Is this Warner's final 100th Anniversary 4K for 2023? That promotion felt less like a celebration and more like a "let's get this over with" on the part of the studio. I've heard rumblings of the studio ramping up their 4K output next year. I hope there's some truth to that.

 

[Mark-P]

I also wasn't aware the film had won Academy awards.

That’s because it didn’t. Not a single one.

 

[Robert Harris]

That’s because it didn’t. Not a single one.

The Color Purple was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, include of Best Picture, multiple Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography and more.

That is just as important as winning, which is - at least in part - both a party-line situation, as well as a popularity contest.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Considering the film that won that year, the Academy will always wear the "We gave The Color Purple 11 Nominations and then voted for Out Of Africa!" badge of shame for a very very long time.

Even worse if the obviously inferior musical version wins BP.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Considering the film that won that year, the Academy will always wear the "We gave The Color Purple 11 Nominations and then voted for Out Of Africa!" badge of shame for a very very long time.

Even worse if the obviously inferior musical version wins BP.

How do you know the new one is "obviously inferior" - unless you've already seen it?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I've never seen much chatter on this film on message boards over the years, which is the main reason it's kept me from seeking it out (I've never seen it). I also wasn't aware the film had won Academy awards. Even successful Directors turn out films that the public don't seem to gravitate towards so I'm glad that's not the case here and the perceived unpopularity was just something I surmised incorrectly. Ordered a copy.

"Purple" was actually a big hit: 4th in the US 1985 box office.

And it remains beloved by many, especially in the Black community.

 

[Robert Harris]

"Purple" was actually a big hit: 4th in the US 1985 box office.

And it remains beloved by many, especially in the Black community.

Possibly, but it remains beloved by many, many people. The story happens to be about a black family in 1909 and thereafter, but I find it far more universal than that.

 

[Jason Goodmanson]

I'm embarrassed to say that I've never seen this and I LOVE Spielberg. I owned (still own?) the original DVD edition (probably still sealed) and yet never watched it.

However, I did order the 4k and it arrived on Thursday (kind of liking Gruv's early shipping) and hopefully I can give this a spin very soon.

 

[B-ROLL]

The Color Purple was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, include of Best Picture, multiple Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography and more.

That is just as important as winning, which is - at least in part - both a party-line situation, as well as a popularity contest.

This film's shut out at the ceremony was a major reason I stopped watching the telecast for many years., Both Oprah and Whoopi deserved to win in their categories (Danny Gover "not even nominated") as well as other nominees for this film.

The 58th Academy Awards | 1986

Original Score winner for Out of Africa, with presenters Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds

www.oscars.org

70mm print I saw on initial release seemed fairly grainy in daylight sequences - I suspected they may have been trying to "homage" the look of Martin Ritt's Sounder ... (et al)

 

[Robert Harris]

This film's shut out at the ceremony was a major reason I stopped watching the telecast for many years., Both Oprah and Whoopi deserved to win in their categories (Danny Gover "not even nominated") as well as other nominees for this film.

The 58th Academy Awards | 1986

Original Score winner for Out of Africa, with presenters Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds

www.oscars.org

70mm print I saw on initial release seemed fairly grainy in daylight sequences - I suspected they may have been trying to "homage" the look of Martin Ritt's Sounder ... (et al)

Blow-ups were grainy(er), as they were opticals.

 

[Kyle_D]

It's beloved by many, but it has always had a vocal contingent of detractors with various reasons and agendas. Spielberg himself always questioned whether he was the right person to direct the material, and he later admitted that he wasn't fully mature or comfortable with it at the time, which led him to infantilize some of the characters and shy away from certain aspects of the storyline. He took the criticisms to heart and applied a lot of the lessons learned on this film when he made Schindler's List.

I've always found it a gorgeous, if flawed, film with several iconic performances. For my money, Allen Daviau is still the best DP Spielberg ever worked with, and it's wonderful to hear that this disc showcases his work.

 

[DarkVader]

Considering the film that won that year, the Academy will always wear the "We gave The Color Purple 11 Nominations and then voted for Out Of Africa!" badge of shame for a very very long time.

Even worse if the obviously inferior musical version wins BP.

I saw the original Broadway production and the revival of the musical version of THE COLOR PURPLE and I am here to tell you that it is most definitely not inferior in any way, shape, or form. It remains one of the most gratifying theater-going experiences of my life and I for one cannot wait for the release of the film adaptation.

 

[compson]

It's beloved by many, but it has always had a vocal contingent of detractors with various reasons and agendas. Spielberg himself always questioned whether he was the right person to direct the material, and he later admitted that he wasn't fully mature or comfortable with it at the time, which led him to infantilize some of the characters and shy away from certain aspects of the storyline. He took the criticisms to heart and applied a lot of the lessons learned on this film when he made Schindler's List.

I've always found it a gorgeous, if flawed, film with several iconic performances. For my money, Allen Daviau is still the best DP Spielberg ever worked with, and it's wonderful to hear that this disc showcases his work.

Thanks for posting this. Watching the movie when it came out, I thought it was a too slick, Disney-like take on the Black experience, like the cemetary scene that opens Saving Private Ryan vs. the Normandy landing. Others, obviously, responded differently. I’ll watch the UHD, and maybe with age and what little wisdom I’ve acquired along the way, I’ll respond differently now, too.

 

[Kyle_D]

I’ll watch the UHD, and maybe with age and what little wisdom I’ve acquired along the way, I’ll respond differently now, too.

The film will always be a very Norman Rockwell-esque depiction of southern black poverty and an awkwardly asexual telling of a queer woman's story, but if you can get past those limitations of perspective and accept the film for what it is, you may find that there's a lot to be appreciated here.

 

[Robert Harris]

It's beloved by many, but it has always had a vocal contingent of detractors with various reasons and agendas. Spielberg himself always questioned whether he was the right person to direct the material, and he later admitted that he wasn't fully mature or comfortable with it at the time, which led him to infantilize some of the characters and shy away from certain aspects of the storyline. He took the criticisms to heart and applied a lot of the lessons learned on this film when he made Schindler's List.

I've always found it a gorgeous, if flawed, film with several iconic performances. For my money, Allen Daviau is still the best DP Spielberg ever worked with, and it's wonderful to hear that this disc showcases his work.

Allen was an extraordinary man, and a dear friend. He was kind enough to come in almost daily four five months as we worked on color for the Godfather(s) as Gordon Willis was unable to travel. They screened the films together on the cape, then communicated constantly as the color and densities were honed in.

Gordon was able to join us at the Burns in Pleasantville, NY for two special screenings of the recorded film version of the restoration.

One of my favorite of his works is Van Helsing, his final feature, for the way he handled the b/w prologue.

 

[Robert Harris]

The film will always be a very Norman Rockwell-esque depiction of southern black poverty and an awkwardly asexual telling of a queer woman's story, but if you can get past those limitations of perspective and accept the film for what it is, you may find that there's a lot to be appreciated here.

How many films were openly made about lesbian couples in 1985? How obvious was it in These Three?

 

[compson]

How many films were openly made about lesbian couples in 1985? How obvious was it in These Three?

Personal Best in 1982, and John Sayles’s Lianna in 1983, are both good movies. Personal Best is estimated to have had a slightly larger budget than The Color Purple but bombed at the box office. Maybe there was a lesson in that.