An incredibly well-done and moving film

I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.--Alice Walker, The Color Purple (also in the film)

So I watched The Color Purple with my friends today, a 30-year-old movie that I have never seen, with Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, and a fine overall cast. It had an excellent story (based on the book of the same name by Alice Walker), had beautiful cinematography, music, and acting (especially considering it was Whoopi Goldberg's first film role)--it really should have won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and in fact it was nominated for eleven awards that year, winning none. In fact, A hasn't deigned to watch the Oscars ever since it lost out to Out of Africa, believing it to have been snubbed, even though it was both a critical and commercial success. I have not read the book (although I have a paperback of it somewhere around here), but I gather it is even more unforgiving in its portrait of sexism and racism. Some critics say the film is too sentimental by comparison. The same was said of The Help, although I thought it did a pretty decent job, deviating in small ways. And as difficult as 12 Years a Slave was to watch at times, of course it does not do pure justice to the utter horror of slavery.

Each of these films deals with the black experience in the South, and each deals with racism in their own ways. One thing I appreciated from The Color Purple was that it was a woman's story of surviving yet finding her voice in the wake of abuse. The women in the film are its backbone. Yes, there is the sense that, according to the film, all men are utter pigs, and that's perhaps too much of a generalisation. But it is a story that is believable, and it is a story that inspires emotion and thought. And that, along with its execution, makes for a very good film.

I had a very nice Fourth of July

I:
• Slept in.
• Visited with three friends.
• Watched 12 Years a Slave with one of them, which was a very good movie, although somewhat difficult to watch, but underscored the fragility of freedom for the day.
• Did a small grocery run.
• Listened to music.
• Had a brief nap.
• Watched the fireworks at Idle Hour, which were awesome, especially with the running commentary by my co-worker's grandchildren. At one point someone briefly lost a child in the crowd and the police and firefighters came, and her grandson was sure we'd all be arrested.

What I didn't do was go to the parade/downtown festival, which is a shame, but with my knee the way it is, it makes no sense to walk on it all over creation. Let's face it, pain isn't fun. I was really looking forward to it, too, and the weather was lovely today--cooler without a hint of rain.

I checked in on TvTag (formerly GetGlue) after the movie and someone said 'it was very true to the novel'. It wasn't based on a work of fiction, but rather on a 19th-century memoir/slave narrative of a free man who went through the harrowing experience of being kidnapped and sold into slavery. My friend didn't know it was a true story either, and I think my telling him made it somewhat harder for him to watch. I must say the acting was very good. I particularly think Chiwetel Ejiofor did an excellent job as Solomon Northrup. Personally, I am surprised he did not win the Oscar for his performance, but then I haven't seen Dallas Buyers Club, so I haven't seen Matthew McConaughey's performance. Michael Fassbender was very good as Epps, and Lupita Nyong'o was very good as Patsey. But I thought Ejiofor really was the best. I am glad the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, at least. I would like to read the book, Twelve Years a Slave, which I have on my Kindle but haven't gotten to yet.

Well, the fireworks are still going off outside in my neighbourhood. There's a dog upstairs that has quieted down. I hope my friends' dogs are doing okay. Two don't really mind the sounds, but one just gets terrified and will stay under one's desk at his feet. But they used to have neighbours who set them off next door and they moved some time ago, so maybe it won't be so bad.

By the way, remember the show 'Vicious' I was writing about? I did get to see the first episode (that's all that's aired on PBS as of yet). It is very funny. It comes on the same time as 'Salem', which has two more episodes, but fortunately you can watch on the PBS website as well.

Okay, I think I'm going to start winding down for the night. It's almost midnight. I might play a little on the Atari before bed. :)