The Color Purple hit movie theaters Christmas Day with some familiar sights for Savannahians.
The movie is based on the hit Broadway musical adaptation of the beloved book of the same name by Alice Walker, telling the story of Celie, a Black woman living in Georgia in the early 1900s.
The star-studded cast includes Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo, Halley Bailey, Danielle Brooks (who played Sofia in the musical on Broadway), and Fantasia Barrino in her major motion picture debut. Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg are among the film's producers.
The Savannah Regional Film Commission provided location assistance and worked closely with the locations team for the film to find the appropriate locations for their film needs, said SRFC assistant director Katie Schuck.
"The production’s location department pitched several sites throughout our region and the director and producers ultimately decided to film several scenes in coastal Georgia. The movie filmed all over the state, including Atlanta, Grantville, and Macon to name a few," said Schuck.
What Savannah and coastal Georgia locations were used in The Color Purple filming?
Myrtle Grove
Myrtle Grove in Richmond Hill was one of the locations where The Color Purple was filmed. Built in 1849, the private historic plantation has also been the location for films such as Birth of a Nation (2016), Glory (1989) and the limited series The Underground Railroad (2020).
In The Color Purple, scenes filmed there were focused on the Grandmother Oak, an ancient live oak tree with that familiar moss climbing its limbs. The beginning and the end of the film take place there, when Celie and her sister Nettie play there as kids and then reunite there when they're older.
U.S. Customs House
The director and his team were spotted around the U.S. Customs House at 1-3 East Bay Street in Savannah. It is the oldest federal agency in the nation. It's significant to Savannah's history because the founder of the Colony of Savannah James Oglethorpe had a wood-frame residence on the site. John Wesley also preached his first sermon in America at the Tabernacle, which was located on the rear of the lot, according to the U.S. General Services Administration website.
Wormsloe Historical Site
Wormsloe is the colonial estate of Noble Jones, who was a carpenter that arrived in Georgia in 1733 with James Oglethorpe. Wormsloe’s ruin is the oldest standing structure in Savannah. It is also credited with being a filming location in The Color Purple.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island
Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island was also used in the film to represent Africa and the early years of Celie's childhood. This beach is known for its driftwood and trees lining the waterfront, making it a popular spot for weddings, tourist and filmmakers.
Other Georgia filming locations
In Atlanta, Iman Park, a historic neighborhood with a range of architectural styles was used for filming, and in Macon the Douglass and Capitol Theaters were redressed to fully convert the area to the mid-1900s style.
Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: The Color Purple, now in theaters, filmed in these Savannah, coastal Georgia locations
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