With much fanfare, a new film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “The Color Purple,” by Eatonton native Alice Walker, premiered Christmas day at Parkside Main 8, near Lake Oconee.
The gala event, organized by Gavin-Christopher Entertainment, was sold out and attracted guests from Walker’s hometown and beyond.
Many who attended the film’s premiere arrived dressed in purple evening gowns and purple blazers. They were greeted by photographers who took guests’ photos in front of custom-made premiere backdrops to rival anything in Hollywood.
It has been nearly four decades since the original “The Color Purple,” directed by Steven Spielberg, officially premiered in 1986 at the historic Pex Theater in downtown Eatonton. Walker was accompanied by her mother, Minnie, when she returned home to attend that premiere.
To put everything in perspective, The New York Times pointed out in 1986 that Walker had three novels and some collections of poetry and short stories published at the time.
Today, she has nearly 50 books published (including poetry collections, short stories, and memoirs). The Times also reported back then, “There is no bookstore in town that sells the novel, and the Putnam County Library has only one copy for lending.”
Fast forward to 2023, and Eatonton now has an independent bookstore at Georgia Writers Museum, which features a section dedicated to books by Alice Walker – many signed by the award-winning author – and the local library system now has more than 40 copies of “The Color Purple” alone, plus Walker’s other books on its shelves.
Signed copies of “The Color Purple” were available for purchase at the Parkside Main 8 premiere and remain available at Georgia Writers Museum (109 S. Jefferson Ave.) in downtown Eatonton. While Walker was not able to attend the most recent premiere, she sent her well wishes and provided signed copies of “The Color Purple.”
Through an exhibit, Georgia Writers Museum chronicles much of Walker’s life story from her childhood in Putnam County to her Pulitzer Prize-inspired, international fame. Proceeds from the sale of Walker’s books, and others, fund and support the mission of Georgia Writers Museum to champion the state’s many distinguished authors, past and present, and to educate the next generation of readers and writers.
The collaboration of local organizations and the support of Walker’s family, friends, and admirers in Eatonton added to the magic of Christmas Day. In Walker’s sentiment about Eatonton in the 21st century, it is beautiful to see all members of the community – both Black and white – come together under one roof in rural Middle Georgia, something she thought she’d never see in her lifetime.
With this latest premiere and celebration of “The Color Purple,” not only did the community come together, but it did so to uplift and promote one of its own. Hopefully, this sentiment will continue to ring through the new year, as one of peace and camaraderie.