The Color Purple (PG-13, 1985)

In this inspiring, wrenching drama based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Whoopi Goldberg plays Celie, a Southern woman who has been abused all her life. Her current abuser is her husband, Mister (Danny Glover). Various women in her life slowly help Celie find strength in herself. Eventually, correspondence with her sister in Africa gives Celie the courage to stand up to Mister. THE COLOR PURPLE marks director Steven Spielberg's stab at a serious historical drama after the much lighter fare of the first two Indiana Jones movies.

This movie isn't for the weak of heart. It deals with real, traumatic issues, including child abuse, sexual abuse, racism, and sexism. But for teens who can weather the subject matter, the story of a woman's journey from abuse to independence is inspiring. There's a great deal to admire in this sweeping epic, starting with the simple fact that complex African-American characters like those presented here are rarely seen in American movies. Goldberg, nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, shines as the abused Celie, as does Glover as her brutish husband. Oprah Winfrey made a memorable impression as the strong-willed Sofia even before she was a household name.

The movie brings out radically different responses in viewers. Those who like sentimental material tend to be extremely moved by the story. But other viewers find the movie overly grandiose, with scene after scene designed to be gut wrenching. Part of the problem lies in the transfer from the page to the screen. The filmmakers never quite solve the problem of adapting such dense literary material, moving from high point to high point in an attempt to cover the full sweep of the novel. Internal thoughts are delivered as stilted voice-overs, a poor device filmmakers resort when they see no other way to work a character's personal psychology into a movie.