The Color Purple Page #3

Season #1

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"Leave me aIone!"

Ain't you gonna get it for me?

-What's the matter with you?

That's my own baby crying. Lord.

Make yourself useful, Harpo.

Hush now, honey.

What am I gonna do about Sofia?

Beat her.

You told Harpo to beat me!

It was that mule, Old Joey.

Old Joey, the mule.

I was plowing the north field

and the mule went crazy.

He started kicking.

Busted my eye and my lip.

All my life I had to fight.

I had to fight my daddy,

I had to fight my uncles.

I had to fight my brothers.

Girl chiId ain't safe in a family of mens.

But l never thought I had to fight

in my own house!

I loves Harpo.

God knows I do.

But l'll kilI him dead

before I let him beat me!

-That's a hoof print.

-No, that look like a fist print.

No, sir. Ain't no fist touched my face.

No, sir.

You want a dead son-in-law, Miss Celie?

You keep on advising him

like you doing.

This life be over soon.

Heaven lasts always.

You shouId bash Mister's head open

and think about Heaven later.

Sofia beat on Harpo.

Then Harpo beat on Sofia.

And then Sofia beat on Harpo

some more.

In between the beatings,

the children keep coming.

And then one day,

Sofia can't take it no more.

And good riddance!

Bye, CIarence!

Bye, Emma! Bye, Ruby!

Bye, Sofia! Bye!

Nettie.

Morning, Mr. HuntIey!

-Whoa.

Morning, Mr. Johnson.

I brung you some fresh-baked cookies

made in my stove!

-Thank you. They look good.

-Bring the plate back tomorrow.

Now giddyup! Giddyup!

Have a fine day, Mr. Huntley!

And keep the plate!

Anything come for me?

Dear God, today was a peculiar day.

I was sitting on the porch

reading to the kids...

...when all of a sudden,

something struck me.

I got up and looked at the sky.

It was dark

and there wasn't nothing moving.

I got down off the porch to see what

was coming. It felt like twister weather.

I didn't see nothing.

But I know something's there.

Yes, indeed, Lord.

I know something's coming.

Pa! Who that, Pa? Who this?

Pa, who this?

The woman that shouId have been

your mammy.

Shug Avery?

Give me a hand and get her in the house.

Celie! Help me get her in the house.

Celie! Damn it! Get here!

Celie!

Hey, Celie! Get here!

Celie, this Shug Avery, a friend

of the family. Fix up the spare room.

I can't move.

I can't move. l need to see her eyes.

I feel that once l see her eyes,

my feet can let go...

...of where they're stuck.

You sure is ugly!

Come on, now.

Turn loose my goddamn hand!

What's the matter with you? You crazy?

I don't need no weak Iittle boy...

...can't say no to his daddy,

hanging on me!

I need me a man! You hear?

A man!

And I don't want to smeIl

no goddamn stinking pipe, Albert!

Get that thing to make me

something to eat.

No, no. I'll make it myself.

Albert?

Ahh! Sh*t!

Eggs. SkiIlet.

Why you put the pots up here?

Nobody can get to them.

Butter, butter, butter.

It's in the cooler, on the shelf.

-Butter? Butter!

-Huh?

In the cooler, on the shelf.

Albert.

Ain't warm enough.

How do you work this stove?

Ain't hot enough.

Can't even keep a stove

burning good all day.

Can't even keep a oven hot!

You're useless sometimes!

Wood. Wood. Wood. Wood.

Ah.

Did you ever cook here?

It stiIl ain't hot enough!

I'll get it hot.

I'll show you how to make it hot.

Yeah.

Mm-mm!

Baby, look what l brought you.

Mm!

Baby, have I got a surprise for you.

This'll make you all well.

This got burnt, but the eggs

are just the way you like them.

Are you trying to kill me?

No. Now, baby, don't be that way!

I toId you, I don't want nothing!

I just stand back and wait to see

what the wall gonna look like.

See what kind of colors

Shug's gonna put on there now.

What you staring at?

Never seen a naked woman before?

You got any children?

Yes, ma'am.

"Yes, ma'am"? l ain't that old.

Two.

Where they at?

I don't know.

Who are you?

Celie, ma'am.

You ain't well.

Mind your own goddamn business.

I feel just fine. Just had to eat.

Now, put some more bubbling oil

in this tub.

You got kids?

Yeah.

They with my ma and pa.

Never knowed a child to come out right

unless there's a man around.

Children...

...got to have a pa.

Your pa love you?

My pa loved me.

My pa still loves me...

...except he don't know it.

He don't know it.

Hey, boy! Here, boy!

Nobody here to greet your pa?

Sure ain't nobody in the fields,

that's for sure.

Just couldn't rest till you got her

in your house, couId you?

Cool drink?

Take your hat?

What is it with this Shug Avery?

She black as tar...

...nappy-headed....

She got Iegs like baseball bats.

Her own daddy won't have

nothing to do with her.

Old Mister talking trash about Shug.

Folks don't like nobody

being too proud or too free.

She's no more than a jook-joint Jezebel.

She ain't even clean.

I hear she's got that

nasty women's disease.

You ain't got it in you to understand.

I love Shug Avery.

Always have, always will.

Should've married her when

I had a chance.

Yeah.

And throwed your life away. And a right

smart amount of money with it.

Plus, I hear all her children's

got different daddies.

It's all too trifling and confused.

All Shug's children got the same daddy.

I can vouch--

You can vouch for nothing!

Shug Avery done set the population

of Hartwell County a new high.

You just one of the roosters, boy.

Celie.

You has my sympathy.

Ain't many women's allow their

husband's whore to lay up in their house.

Celie.

Hand Pa his hat.

Next time, l'll put

a little Shug Avery pee in his glass...

...and see how he like that.

I ain't heard so much racket

since before Sofia left.

Every evening after he leave the field...

...he knocking down

and piling things up.

Sometime his friend Swain

come by to help.

Hey, Harpo!

Swain! Ahh!

Two ofthem worked

long way past supper.

Mister have to call and tell them

to shut up the racket.

What you doing?

BuiIding a jook joint.

Way back here?

-Yeah!

Jook joint's supposed to be

way back in the woods.

You never seen this before.

-Now you close your eyes.

-Keep your eyes cIosed.

I know what a cow looks like.

You ain't never seen

a cow like this.

Yeah. Come on now! Come on.

Ready. One, two, three!

Ha, ha!

Look at that! Look at that!

Hey, welcome to Harpo's! I'm Harpo.

Yonder go yourpapa

Running down a field

Slipping and a sliding

Like an automobile

I hollered at Papa

And told him to wait

Slipped away from me

Like a Cadillac snake

'Cause he's the rottenest cheater

Girl, I'd drink your bath water!

Oh, sugar dumpling,

let me taste some! Aw, baby!

You can catch a fish

without a hook, girl.

I like your uncle,

Like your brother too

I did like your pappy

But your pappy wouldn't do

I met your daddy

On the corner the other day

You know about that

That he was funny that way

Now he's a funny mistreater,

A robber and a cheater

Slip you in the dozens

Your pappy's, your cousin

And your mama do the Lordy, Lord

Now God made him an elephant

Made him stout

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