United States / Dec 16, 1985 / New York City, New York
Overall average
5.0/10
Trailer
Videos
Plot
An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing 'Mister' Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa.
Main cast
Full cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Adolph Caesar | Old Mr. |
| Rae Dawn Chong | Squeak |
| Dana Ivey | Miss Millie |
| Leonard Jackson | Pa |
| Bennet Guillory | Grady |
| John Patton Jr. | Preacher |
| Carl Anderson | Reverend Samuel |
| Susan Beaubian | Corrine |
| James Tillis | Buster |
| Phillip Strong | Mayor |
| Laurence Fishburne | Swain |
| Peto Kinsaka | Adam |
| Lelo Masamba | Olivia |
| Margaret Freeman | Odessa |
| Howard Starr | Young Harpo |
| Daphaine Oliver | Young Olivia |
| Jadili Johnson | Young Adam |
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| Lillian Njoki Distefano | Young Tashi |
| Donna Buie | Daisy |
| Leon Rippy | Store Clerk |
| John R. Hart | Mailman |
| David Thomas | Road Gang Leader |
| Carrie Murphy | Loretta |
| Juliet Poe | Church Sister |
| Katie Simon | Church Sister |
| Ethel Taylor | Church Sister |
| Marcus Covington | Boy |
| Marcus Liles | Boo |
| April Myers | Emma |
| Maurice Moore | Child #1 |
| Lechanda Latharp | Child #2 |
| Drew Bundini Brown | Jook Joint Patron |
| Arnold F. Turner | Jook Joint Patron |
| Jeris Poindexter | Jook Joint Patron |
| Hawthorne James | Jook Joint Patron |
| Sonny Terry | Jook Joint Musician |
| Greg Phillinganes | Jook Joint Musician |
| Roy Gaines | Jook Joint Musician |
| Paulinho da Costa | African Musician |
| Nana Yaw Asiedu | African Musician |
| Clarence Avant | African Musician |
| Bayo Martin | African Musician |
| Ndugu Chandler | African Musician |
| Jeffrey Kwashi | African Musician |
| Pete Munzhi | African Musician |
| Aniijia Rae Schockley | African Musician |
| Maria Howell | Church Choir Soloist (uncredited) |
| Gayle King | Church-goer (uncredited) |
Genres
DramaHistory
Technical details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Color Purple |
| Original language | English (EN) |
| Spoken languages | English, Português, Español |
| Production countries | United States of America |
| Status | Released |
| Production companies | Amblin Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, The Guber-Peters Company |
| Release date | 18 dicembre 1985 |
| Executive producer | Jon Peters, Peter Guber |
| Production | Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Quincy Jones, Carole Isenberg, Frank Marshall |
| Writer | Alice Walker, Menno Meyjes, Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, Lionel Richie |
| Editing | Michael Kahn |
| Cinematography | Allen Daviau, Robert Samuels |
| Assistant directors | Steven Spielberg |
| Camera operators | Allen Daviau, Robert Samuels |
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| Additional photography | Allen Daviau, Robert Samuels |
| Production design | J. Michael Riva, Bo Welch, Linda DeScenna |
| Art direction | Bo Welch, Linda DeScenna, J. Michael Riva |
| Set decoration | Linda DeScenna, Bo Welch, J. Michael Riva |
| Stunts | Dana Dru Evenson, Tony Brubaker |
| Music | Quincy Jones, Joel Rosenbaum, Randy Kerber, Andraé Crouch, Jorge Calandrelli, Jerry Hey, Jack Hayes, Fred Steiner, Bill Maxwell, David Del Sesto, Rod Temperton, Alan L. Nineberg |
| Sound | Quincy Jones, Joel Rosenbaum, Randy Kerber, Andraé Crouch, Jorge Calandrelli, Jerry Hey, Jack Hayes, Fred Steiner, Bill Maxwell, David Del Sesto, Rod Temperton, Alan L. Nineberg |
| Costume design | Aggie Guerard Rodgers, Richard Alonzo |
| Makeup | Richard Alonzo, Aggie Guerard Rodgers |
| Hairstyling | Aggie Guerard Rodgers, Richard Alonzo |
| Budget | 15.000.000 € |
| Revenue | 146.300.000 € |
Release dates
Premiere
France / May 01, 1986 / Cannes Film Festival
Italy / Jul 31, 1986 / Rome
Israel / Sep 01, 1986 / Jerusalem Film Festival
Limited release
United States / Dec 18, 1985 / PG-13
Theatrical release
United States / Feb 07, 1986 / PG-13
Brazil / Mar 28, 1986 / 14
Australia / Jun 26, 1986 / PG
Argentina / Jul 03, 1986
Show more (23)Show less
Ireland / Jul 11, 1986 / 15
United Kingdom / Jul 11, 1986 / 15
Hong Kong / Jul 26, 1986
Uruguay / Aug 07, 1986
Taiwan / Aug 16, 1986
France / Aug 20, 1986 / U
Germany / Aug 20, 1986 / 12 / West Germany
Colombia / Aug 21, 1986
Portugal / Sep 04, 1986 / M/14
Denmark / Sep 05, 1986 / 11
Netherlands / Sep 11, 1986 / 12
Greece / Sep 12, 1986
Sweden / Sep 12, 1986 / 11
Japan / Sep 13, 1986
Spain / Sep 15, 1986 / 12
Finland / Sep 19, 1986 / K-16
Italy / Oct 03, 1986 / T
New Zealand / Oct 07, 1986 / G
Mexico / Oct 09, 1986 / B-15
South Korea / Oct 18, 1986 / 15
India / Dec 14, 1986 / U
Hungary / Feb 03, 1988 / 16
Poland / Nov 28, 2014 / 16 / Re-release
Digital
Philippines / May 01, 2021
Physical media
Mexico / Mar 26, 1997 / B-15 / DVD
Netherlands / Sep 25, 1998 / 12 / DVD
Singapore / Jan 17, 2012 / Blu-ray
TV
Netherlands / Jun 22, 2002 / 12 / RTL 5
France / Dec 26, 2025 / Paris Première
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