The Best Black Church Movie Ever: The Color Purple

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The best Black church movie ever is The Color Purple with no close second. Before diving in, a couple of points need clarification.

First, for those who prioritize overt religious references, the film does not explicitly mention the name of Jesus. This reflects the choices of the filmmakers because of Jewish religious reasons.

Second, the film was directed by Steven Spielberg, one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of all time who also happens to be Jewish. Some Jewish people, and though Jesus is Jewish as well, do not believe Him to be the Messiah.

Even those unfamiliar with Spielberg's name likely know his work, including iconic films like Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and War of the Worlds (2005), among others.

While Tyler Perry is a talented filmmaker, particularly in Christian-themed storytelling, his work operates within a specific niche. Hollywood often limits the scope of such narratives, focusing instead on broader commercial appeal.

Still, Perry has successfully tapped into the Black Christian audience but and although Spike Lee was the only serious black film-maker in the mid 1980s when the Color Purple was made, I am glad a non-black person directed it.

I no longer watch Tyler Perry, or other black church movies, because they lack a high level of human storytelling like that of The Color Purple.

Nevertheless, some hesitate to classify The Color Purple as a traditional church movie yet the film’s protagonist, Miss Celie, portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg, maintains a deep spiritual connection, frequently speaking to God throughout her journey.

The Black church scenes, combined with the character of Squeak Avery, the preacher’s daughter, subtly convey themes of faith, redemption, and resilience.

In my view, The Color Purple is not only the greatest Black church movie ever made but also one of the most powerful films in general. That broader discussion, however, may be better suited for another platform.

Here are sixteen (16) reasons The Color Purple is the greatest black church movie ever made:

1. Shows why the poor and desperate cling to the Lord: The message of Jesus assures us when the world and those in it throw us away, the Lord Jesus never will! Miss Celie’s closeness with the Lord is born of poverty, struggle, and Jim Crow segregation.

   
   

2. Jesus Christ hears those who are unspoken for: This movie demonstrates that those who love God the most are often the "the least of these." No one, at least in America, is more invisible than little black girls followed closely by black women. Miss Celie was invisible to all except when they required her to suffer and toil on their behalf.

   
   

3. Shows the reality of sexual abuse: The Color Purple doesn’t shy away from depicting the unspoken reality of sexual abuse. In this way, Miss Celie and her sister Netty were no different than my mother, born in 1930s Mississippi.

   
   

4. Accurately reveals struggles of a preacher’s children: Despite the squeaky-clean image of the pastor’s children or believing they are better behaved than others, a preacher’s children can run the furthest away from the Lord. Suge Avery, the wayward daughter of the local pastor was representative of this truth.

   
   

5. Showcases a rich gospel tradition: Although several church songs appeared throughout the movie, none is as powerful as ‘God is Trying to Tell You Something.’ Anyone who grew up in the pre-2000s black church felt the power of that song, its effects on Suge, and how no matter how far we stray away from the black church, it always beckons us back!

   
   

6. Showcasing the truth of “you don’t miss what you have until it is gone”: Once Miss Celie found the courage to leave Mr., and some years later, he stood in front of her store with a hesitant hand wave. This stood in stark contrast to physical and mental abuse while they were married.  

   
   

7. What we mean for evil God means for good: That saying, from the Holy Bible’s book of Romans 8:28, perfectly encapsulates Suge Avery’s repentance and healing. A church mother started murmuring for the choir to sing a song to drown out Suge’s blues singing from down the road. The choir sand and the music hit Suge’s ear and the Holy Spirit slapped her upside the head! Thus, she came back to the Lord through the self-righteous act of a church mother.

   
   

8. Traditional church attire accuracy: Whether the pastor’s black preaching robe, the choir’s unified robe design, black women wearing ornate church hats, or men wearing nice suits, The Color Purple captured the black church’s worship attire perfectly, some of which lasts until this day.

9. Accurate portrayal of the simple country preacher: Those of us who grew up in the pre-2000s can attest to the accuracy of the portrayal of the old country preacher in The Color Purple. He was a hard, stern man who could move the congregation with the singing of the sermon, and was always serious but like everyone else, flawed.

10. Pastural southern scenery: Being just one generation off of a sharecropper plantation, my foster mother told me stories of the old south and her life as a farmer’s daughter (cotton). The Color Purple portrays the life of a farmer (Mr.), business owner (Harpo), as well as wind blowing throw open fields. The country church is perfectly depicted making for a realism unmatched by any other movie of the genre.

    
    

11. Emotional authenticity: Although largely black characters, the spiritual and emotional struggles they endured cut across race and gender. Whether showing the plight of an abusive marriage (Mr. and Celie), domineering father (Mr. and his father), marital infidelity (Mr. with Suge), or the forceful parting of siblings (Celie and Netty), The Color Purple drips with readily identifiable human themes which touch the heart.

    
    

12. Traditional church attire accuracy: Whether the pastor’s black preaching robe, the choir’s unified robe design, black women wearing ornate church hats, or men wearing nice suits, The Color Purple captured the black church’s more traditional worship attire perfectly, some of which lasts until this day.

    
    

13. Accurate portrayal of the simple country preacher: Those of us who grew up in the pre-2000s can attest to the accuracy of the portrayal of the country preacher and pastor in The Color Purple. He was a hard, stern man, who could move the congregation with the virtual singing of the sermon, and was always serious but like everyone else, flawed.

    
    

14. Pastural southern scenery: Being just one generation off of a sharecropper plantation, my foster mother told me stories of the old south and her life as a farmer’s daughter (cotton). The Color Purple portrays the life of a farmer (Mr.), business owner (Harpo), as well as wind blowing throw open fields. The country church is perfectly depicted making for a realism unmatched by any other movie of it genre.

    
    

15. Emotional authenticity: Although largely black characters, the spiritual and emotional struggles of these people cut across race and gender. Whether showing the plight of an abusive marriage (Mr. and Celie), domineering father (Mr. and his father), marital infidelity (Mr. with Suge), or the forceful parting of siblings (Celie and Netty), The Color Purple drips with readily identifiable human themes which touch the heart.

    
    

16. White folk always win in the end: A poignant scene witnessed Miss Sophia refuse a white woman’s offer to become her maid. The woman’s husband slapped Miss Sophia and Sophia knocked that bigot on his butt! However, she went to prison, where she was mentally, physically and spiritually broken. In the end, she was forced into servitude anyhow.

In my view, The Color Purple is the greatest Black church movie ever, with no close second.

While some may question its classification as a church film, its spiritual core is undeniable—Celie’s intimate conversations with God, authentic Black church scenes, and the powerful gospel song “God Is Trying to Tell You Something” create an unmatched emotional experience.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film avoids explicit Christian language, reflecting Hollywood’s dynamics, yet it captures the raw, personal faith of Black Southern life more authentically than any other.

Unlike films like Friday (1995) or Big Momma’s House, which often mock Black church culture, The Color Purple portrays serious faith struggles that resonate universally.

Beyond its spiritual depth, the film excels in cultural accuracy—traditional church attire, Southern preaching, and the pain of familial separation. It contrasts Celie’s devotion with the hypocrisy of those who act pious on Sunday.

The movie’s raw portrayal of abuse, sibling trauma, lesbianism, and Black women’s resilience tackles human themes modern films often miss.