Director Woody Allen is famous for his philosophical pursuits. In his 1984 film he tackles the theme of free will. One of his secondary celluloid characters ponders on being fictional or real: ''choice is the most human tribute''. Allen's protagonist Cecilia, a working-class woman during the interwar period and the great depression in America, is faced with a real-life choice and a pseudo-choice. Her first dilemma concerns her future partner. She has to choose between the virtual Tom Baxter who escapes from the silver screen for her sake, and his real-life "twin", actor Gill Shepherd. The former truly loves her, while the latter is in love with the reflection in the eyes of his ecstatic admirer, Cecilia. Her pseudo-dilemma is about leaving her home or going back to her drunk and abusive husband. Basically, she is trapped (not only objectively but also trapped in her fears as well). If Cecilia chose Tom, she would choose the blatant lie of the Hollywood dream industry, with fake money and fake champagne. She would be trapped again, this time, in a permanent script and a stage without an exit. Again, even this seemed better than going back to her husband. In the end, she chooses Gill Shepherd the real man who pretends to be something he is not: in love with her ( in order to save his career, something that she doesn't see until the end.) Between the virtual and the real world the two loved ones jump into each other's worlds only to demystify both. Reality, however, with all its bitter-sweet elements is what they would prefer. Not its idealized on-screen presentation. This, after all, is the ironic conclusion of the director who obviously has read about Plato's cave!
Review of The Purple Rose of Cairo
