Film Review: The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

Woody Allen’s films are an acquired taste and, as such, unlikely to attract large audience. Even some of those who admire Allen’s work often get frustrated by his tendency to bring some brilliant original ideas in his films only to squander them with poor or uninspired execution. Luckily, this isn’t always the case and Allen at times did deliver very good films. One of them is his 1985 period fantasy romantic drama The Purple Rose of Cairo.

This film was the second in Allen’s directorial filmography not to feature him as a star. Main role was given to Allen’s then-girlfriend Mia Farrow who plays Cecilia, woman who lives in 1930s New Jersey. She makes a living as waitress and barely makes ends meet, constantly under threat of being fired and joining the millions of people left jobless by Great Depression. Her domestic life isn’t any better, since her husband Monk (played by Danny Aiello) is unemployed alcoholic, compulsive gambler and womaniser. Cecilia tries to find escape from her sad reality by regularly visiting local cinema where she spends hours looking at fantasy and glamour on the screen. She is especially fond of The Purple Rose of Cairo, comedy depicting life of rich Manhattan elite. When she watches that film for the fifth time, something extraordinary happens - Tom Baxter (played by Jeff Daniels), charming adventurer and one of the characters in the film, breaks the fourth wall and not only notices Cecilia watching him, but he is actually so smitten with her that he crosses over into the real world. Cecilia is at first surprised to see her dreams become true, but soon starts whirlwind romance with an apparently ideal man. In the meantime, other characters remain stuck in the film, while its producer sends actor Gil Shepherd (also played by Daniels) to New Jersey to deal with potentially scandalous situation. He meets Cecilia and soon she gets to choose between ideal but unreal Tom and less perfect but real Gil.

Allen’s script for this film looks, at first glance, like a "high concept" romantic comedy with minor fantasy twist and some period nostalgia. But if we are to scratch under surface, The Purple Rose of Cairo is actually quite serious and in many ways rather dark drama that explores some deep issues like the relationship between fantasy and reality. Allen, by creating sharp contrast between depressive world of Depression-era working class America and world of rich and beautiful people on the screens of Classic Hollywood, is showing how fantasy and reality can collide and it is usually the real world that fares badly in such collisions. Allen’s willingness not only to admit but to actually show the falsity of Hollywood results in one of the most devastating, but in the same effective endings in history of 1980s American cinema.

Allen was also fortunate to have some great talents at his disposal. Gordon Willis, famous cinematographer and Allen’s collaborator, did great work by showing the despair in Cecilia’s world and his achievement is even greater due to use of mainly warm colours. Willis was even more impressive by using black-and-white photography for the film within a film and Tom’s world looks glamorous and seductive despite being monochromatic. The cast is also great. Mia Farrow is very good in the role of abused housewife who indulges in fantasy too much for own her good, but the
more impressive is Jeff Daniels in difficult double role of one-dimensional fictional creation and vain actor who created it. Allen as director, like with of his films, paid great attention to pacing and The Purple Rose of Cairo is very short, although there are some scenes that might have been trimmed (like Tom’s visit to brothel). It is nevertheless one of the Allen’s best films and it could be enjoyed even by the audience that don’t like the rest of his filmography.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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