The Color Purple was released on Christmas, with familiar places for the natives of Savannah. The movie is adapted from a beloved book by Alice Walker, which is of the same name. It focuses on a black woman who resided in Georgia, Celine, in the early 1900s.
The cast of the movie is filled with top stars like Taraji P. Henson, Helley Bailey, Coleman Domingo, and Fantasia Barrino in the major motion debut. Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey are a month the film producers.
The Regional Film Commission of Savannah gave the location assistance and worked in tandem with the local officials to explore the deserving locations for the needs of the movie and its scenes.
Katie Shuck interview
Katie Shuck, SRFC assistant director said, the local production department pitched many locations through the region, and the producers and directors finalized to film several shots in coastal Georgia. The movie was shot all over the state including, Macon, Atlanta, and Grantville.
The filming locations of the movie
For most of the filming, coastal Georgia and Savannah. Let’s talk about these locations in detail.
Myrtle Grove
Myrtle Grove is situated in Richmond Hill and is one of the preferred locations where the movie was filmed. It was built in 1849 and has been seen in other movies like Glory, The Underground Railroad (limited series), and Birth of a Nation.
In the movie, some scenes are focused on an ancient oak tree with the moss slowly climbing the limbs, the Grandmother Oak.
The starting and the ending of the movie are where Celine and Nettie, her sister played when they were kids and in the end, they reunite there as per Southern Living.
U.S. Customs House
The filming team and director were seen around the U.S. at 1-3 East Bay Street Custom House in Savannah. It is one of the oldest federal agencies in the nation. It has been important to Savannah’s history because Names Oglethorpe who has been the founder of the Savannah Colony had a wooden frame residence on the site.
Wormsole Historical Site
Wormsole is the estate of Noble Jones. He was a carpenter who arrived in Georgia with James Oglethorpe in 1733. The ruin of Wormsole is the oldest structure in Savannah which is still standing.
Some of the scenes of the film have also been shot there.
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island
Jerky Island’s driftwood was also used to film and show the early life of Celie’s childhood. Driftwood is famous for its trees lining, driftwood, and the waterfront, making it a popular place for tourists, especially for couples who are exploring wedding places and of course filmmakers.
Iman Park in Atlanta has been a neighborhood etched in history because of the range of buildings with different architectural styles used in filming. In Macon and Capitol, theaters were converted to 1900s-style areas as per Southern living.
Officially released on Christmas
The movie was released in theaters just before the end of the year 2023, and it was a hit during the holiday season. It garnered more than $18 million on its first day at the box office.
The cast of the movie
The original 1985 movie had a loaded cast, Whoopi Goldberg played Celie, Rae Dawn Chong as Squeak, Oprah as Sofia, Danny Glover as Mister, and Lawrence Fishburne as Swain.
The 2023 movie is also loaded with a top-notch cast, Oprah said from day one, finding the cast for the musical has been an exciting opportunity.
Behind the scene by Oprah
After the movie premier, MAX, the streaming giant released Oprah and The Color Purple Journey, a documentary.
In this documentary, Oprah takes the viewers on some behind-the-scenes moments when they are filming the movie. It has conversations with Blitz Bazawule and Steven Spielberg.
After enjoying the movie in theaters, this documentary is a perfect watch, both of them work in tandem and make the story and its characters move alive and watchable.
