Smith 1
Kimberly Smith
Dr. Baker Alkarimeh
MDIA 2023-10A
October 3, 2022
The Sound of The Color Purple
​
This is the first line in the essay about the use of sound in the movie, The Color Purple. This film was released in 1985. It was written by Menno Meyjes and Alice Walker, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, by Alice Walker. It was directed by Quincy Jones, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Steven Spielberg. The starring cast for this movie includes Danny Glover, Margret Avery, Adolph Caesar, Whoopie Goldberg & Oprah Winfrey.
This drama takes place in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. It details the life of Celie Harris and her sister Nettie Harris played by child actresses Desreta Jackson and Akosua Busia, respectively, with Whoopi Goldberg assuming the role of Celie Harris as an adult.
Celie is sexually abused by her father because her mother is sick and refuses intimacy. After her mother dies, Celie's father continues to sexually abuse her, getting her pregnant twice, each time taking the babies from her. He then offers her hand in marriage to Albert, known as Mister, played by Glover. Albert does not want Celie but is interested in her sister Nettie. Celie is married off, separating her from her sister, and thus begins a life steeped in many years of sexual and verbal abuse. With the help of her husband's lover, Shug Avery, played by Avery,
Smith 2
Celie eventually finds her sister and her children. However, most importantly, she finds herself and realizes she is more than nothing. She gains confidence as Celie, the sister, and Celie, the mother, and accepts herself as a good enough person who deserves to be loved.
The plethora of sounds accompaniment to an amazing backdrop and wardrobe selection in this film makes it hard to pick a specific scene to evaluate. This movie is filled with a lot of symbolism and proclamations and uses numerous instruments of sound that tie the film together to make a little bow called success. Every expression, from the crying and singing to bells ringing and crickets chirping, seems purposeful and speaks volumes. The intrinsic details of the sound designers in this film undoubtedly play a significant factor in the success of this film. It is one of my top five films and should have won an Oscar…but I digress.
In this scene, Celie is summoned to shave Mister. He is happy on this day because Shug Avery is coming to town, and he wants to be ready for her. He sits back in the rocking chair and waits for Celie to commence shaving him. Because her sister was thrown out by Mister, Celie is in a state of depression. As she uses her hand to tilt Mister's head back, he catches her hand and says, "you cut me, I will kill you!" This statement makes Celie shake, as this may very well be her intention. This scene takes place on a summer day. The kids are playing outside, and the chickens are clucking as they scatter about in the yard. As Albert leans back in his chair, counting down the days and proclaiming his love for this woman who is arriving soon, the noise of the children and all activity fades into the background. When he grabs her hand and says he will kill her, there is absolute silence, bringing magnitude and truth to his statement. Immediately after this statement, the activity in the background resumes. As Celie begins to shave Mister, the
Smith 3
children fade into the background again as you hear the blade move across Mister's skin. I feel the director wants us to feel what Celie is feeling as she is shaving Mister. You hear the mosquito hovering above Mister's hand resting on the arm of the rocking chair, and the porch swing squeaks back and forth as Mister's son Harpo silently watches and waits for the bloodletting that’s sure to happen. As she shaves Mister, the background activity moves to the forefront, and you hear the kids playing in the yard. Bells ring on a horse and wagon in the short distance. Celie realizes that it is the mailman. As the realization comes across her face, light, airy background music starts to play. Anxiety leaves her face as she looks up and sees the mailman. She continues to shave Mister as anxiety of a different kind comes to her. She gets distracted by the sound of the mailbox closing and cuts Mister on the neck. He rises to slap her but is distracted by the bells of the mailman leaving. The chiming of the bells on the mailman's wagon is significant and is frequented throughout this movie. It is parallel to the classical conditioning described in reference to Pablo's dog experiment. The sound of the bells is a symbol of hope. Each time Celie hears the bells on the mail wagon ring, it affects her state of being. In this scene, the sound of the bells also encompasses Mister for the same reason. It gives him hope too. Each character is looking for someone externally to bring them happiness and give them a reason to exist. For Celie, it is her sister, Nettie. For Mister, it is Shug Avery, the woman he has always loved and wanted to marry.
This next scene is similar to the first in that the same incident occurs. Celie is once again getting ready to shave her husband, Mister. This Celie is not the same young girl that shaved Mister the first time. This Celie has found the love of a woman in Mister's lover, Shug Avery. She has also discovered that her children, she thought were dead, are alive.
Smith 4 Although her intentions during the first shave may have been to kill Mister, this time, it is blatantly apparent, as minutes before, he physically assaults her. An editing cross-cutting technique is used in this scene, switching between Africa and Celie's home. Because Celie has found the letters that Mister has hidden from her all these years, having her believe her sister is dead, she has rage and resentment. As she tells Mister to lean his head back, the scene cuts to her children in Africa. A ritual is taking place where two children, a boy and girl, maybe hers, are being prepared for branding. Fast-tempo African music is playing with chanting. The scene then cuts to Shug Avery relaxing in a field, watching the kids play. She asks them about Ms. Celie's whereabouts, and they tell her Celie is at home, getting ready to shave Mister. Avery, knowing Celie's resentment for Mister, takes off running toward the house. As the African tempo increases, the continuous sound of Celie sharpening the blade blends in with the African music creating an acoustic rhythm. The faster Shug runs, the faster the tempo increases. When Celie says hold your head back, the scene cuts to Africa, and the children hold their heads back. As blood appears from under the heated instruments cutting into their cheeks, the tempo is at its fastest pace, and Celie has the blade to Mister's neck. Suddenly, the music stops as Shug Avery captures Celie's hand before she guts her husband.
The rituals that take place in Africa in this circumstance involve branding for tribal purposes or are used to represent coming of age or adulthood. I believe this scene signifies an ending and a beginning for Celie. The coming-of-age ritual in Africa ties in to give us insight into the lives of her children. This scene also represents an ending to the misery Celie has suffered for years. A new life is emerging, a life filled with love and expectation without physical or verbal abuse, and more importantly without Mister.