The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

9 May 1985 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

She's finally met the man of her dreams. He's not real but you can't have everything. [Video]

Plot:

In 1930s New Jersey, a movie character walks off the screen and into the real world.

Plot Keywords:

New Jersey | Waitress | Hollywood | 1930s | Roller Coaster

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 14 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Mia Farrow	...	Cecilia
Jeff Daniels	...	Tom Baxter / Gil Shepherd
Danny Aiello	...	Monk
Irving Metzman	...	Theater Manager
Stephanie Farrow	...	Cecilia's Sister
David Kieserman	...	Diner Boss
Elaine Grollman	...	Diner Patron
Victoria Zussin	...	Diner Patron
Mark Hammond	...	Diner Patron
Wade Barnes	...	Diner Patron
Joseph G. Graham	...	Diner Patron
Don Quigley	...	Diner Patron
Maurice Brenner	...	Diner Patron
Paul Herman	...	Penny Pitcher
Rick Petrucelli	...	Penny Pitcher

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Brazil:12 | Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Israel:PG | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #27334) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Bertrand Island Amusement Park, Mount Arlington, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Jeff Daniels opened a playhouse in his hometown of Chelsea, Michigan called "The Purple Rose."

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As Cecilia and Gil play and sing in the music store, the camera casts a shadow in the lower left that disappears as it pulls back to a wide angle shot.

Quotes:

Tom Baxter: It's so impulsive, but... I'll come. Why not? What's life without a little risk taking? Who knows?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Brian Does Hollywood (#3.2)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

One Day at a Time

Charming romantic fable mixed with surreal humour

Cecilia is a New Jersey waitress during the great depression. With a boring job and an abusive husband she longs to escape to the world of her favorite film `The Purple Rose of Cairo'. During a repeat viewing the main character of the film notices her and decides to come down off the screen to meet her and start an unlikely love story. However with the characters onscreen left in a void by Tom's disappearance and reports of other Toms breaking free, Tom's real life actor Gil Shepherd is called in to help reclaim his character.

This is a charming little fantasy piece from Woody Allen using his other leading lady Mia Farrow. The story is excellent and a real credit to Allen's writing. The love story between Cecilia and Tom is slight but touching but my favorite pieces are the incident scenes. The surreal chaos that Tom leaves behind him is really funny as all the characters simply lose motivation and carry on on-screen (to a packed out audience, eager to see what they'll do now!).

Farrow is good as the wide eyed dreamer. Daniels is great in two roles, even if his Tom is a little wet and weak. Aiello is really good in his husband role and the rest of the cast are great in support. Allen weaves a great film out of a story that needed to right touch to just keep it the right side of silly. He blends emotions well and creates a genuinely moving story that still manages to have touches of his trademark surreal humour.

Overall this is a good Woody Allen film. It will appeal to fans because it is a great mix of comedy and romance. It will appeal to those that don't usually like Woody because he's not in it - thus removing his ticks etc! The only criticism is that occasionally it feels like it's moving very slow, but this is a minor problem.