Based on a Book

Steven Spielberg, proving he's one of the few modern filmmakers who has the visual fluency to be capable of making a great silent film, took a melodramatic, D.W. Griffith-inspired approach to filming Alice Walker's novel. His tactics made the film controv... Read More

Steven Spielberg, proving he's one of the few modern filmmakers who has the visual fluency to be capable of making a great silent film, took a melodramatic, D.W. Griffith-inspired approach to filming Alice Walker's novel. His tactics made the film controversial, but also a popular hit. You can argue with the appropriateness of Spielberg's decision, but his astonishing facility with images is undeniable--from the exhilarating and eye-popping opening shots of children playing in paradisiacal purple fields to the way he conveys the brutality of a rape by showing hanging leather belts banging against the head of the shaking bed. In a way it's a shame that Whoopi Goldberg, a stage monologist who made her screen debut in this movie, went on to become so famous, because it was, in part, her unfamiliarity that made her understated performance as Celie so effective. (This may be the first and last time that the adjective understated can be applied to Goldberg.) Nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including best picture and actress (supporting players Oprah Winfrey and Margaret Avery were also nominated), it was quite a scandal--and a crushing blow to Spielberg--when it won none. The digital video disc requires flipping to play the whole movie. --Jim Emerson

This critically acclaimed modern American novel is analyzed and summarized, and Alice Walker's distinct writing style is discussed. Titles in this growing series for middle school and high school students analyze novels and plays that are included in mos... Read More

This critically acclaimed modern American novel is analyzed and summarized, and Alice Walker's distinct writing style is discussed. Titles in this growing series for middle school and high school students analyze novels and plays that are included in most schools' English Lit. curricula. Literature Made Easy books are more than plot summaries. They analyze characters, explain themes, and point out details that make each author's writing style unique. Each book also features "Mind Maps"—diagrams that summarize the work's most important details and serve as stimuli to help students focus their ideas for exams and term papers.