Color Purple

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Recommended: Themes Of Love

Isadora James once said “A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.” In The Color Purple relationships among women are used to represent a symbol of love in a world filled of male violence. This quote is a great description of Celie’s relationships in the book because her female relationships are so much more than just friends to her. Both Alice Walker, the author of the 1982 book, and Spielberg, the director of the 1985 film, portray the theme of sisterhood. Female bonds take many different forms such as sisters, sexual partners, and friends. Throughout the movie “The Color Purple” director, Steven Spielberg portrays strong female friendships through the use of photography, movement, and mise en scene.
In the scene titled Miss Celies Blues, Shug Avery lovingly serenades Celie. Through the use of mise en scene and photography Spielberg builds a theme of sisterhood. For example, Shug Averys’ red-colored dress is brilliant and shimmery. The viewers’ eyes are automatically drawn to her. Through the use of color dominance and her position in the middle of the crowded room, Shugs character depicts popularity and power. In contrast, Celies character isn’t dominant in the scene because she wears dark clothing and is sits in the shadows until Shug approaches her. When Shug sings to Celie, the lighting is very prominent, giving her a glow that shows her importance. This lighting establishes that Shug is popular and important, while Celie is forgotten and neglected. Through movement was also able to show the characters importance. When Shug begins her song, she walks toward Celie and also toward the camera. Her deliberate slow walk towards Celie shows her intent to give her love and atte...

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Works Cited
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Orlando: Harcourt, 1982. Print.
The Color Purple. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover.
Warner Bros., 1985. Film.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Color Purple.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC.
2003. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Color Purple Theme of Love." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University,
Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
The Color Purple Miss Celie's Blues. YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
.
"So Why did Steven Spielberg Softened the Lesbian Scenes in The Color Purple?"
Maybe it's just me. Blogspot, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

so-why-did-steven-spielberg-softened.html>.
Good Reads. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
tag/sisterhood>.

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