The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

In New Jersey in 1935, a movie character walks off the screen and into the real world.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 15 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey during the Depression and is searching for an escape from her dreary life. Tom Baxter is a dashing young archaeologist in the film "The Purple Rose of Cairo." After losing her job Cecilia goes to see the film in hopes of raising her spirits. Much to her surprise Tom Baxter walks off the screen and into her life. There's only one problem..Tom isn't real. Meanwhile Hollywood is up in arms when they dicover that other Tom Baxters are trying to leave the screen in other theatres. Will Tom ever return and finish the film or will he decide to stay in the real world?

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Plot Keywords:

film within a film | 1930s | movie theater | film industry | entering movie via screen | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The production shoot for this film began in November 1983 whilst the picture did not debut until March 1985, sixteen months later.

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Goofs

Although the film is set in 1935, the "inner" film has no specific date so the reference to the Copacobana Club, which opened in 1940, could simply be forward thinking by the director of the inner film. Also Tom remarks in New York that 24 hours previously he was in Egypt. It would be many years after 1935 that he could have done that journey so quickly by air.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Theater Manager: Oh Cecilia, be careful! You all right?
Cecilia: Yeah.
Theater Manager: You're gonna like this one, it's better than last week's, more romantic.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Oprah Winfrey/Joe Jackson (1986)

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Soundtracks

One Day at a Time
(uncredited)
Written by Dick Hyman
Sung by Karen Akers twice

User Reviews

A Classic Woody picture, one of my favorites of his

Woody Allen's Purple Rose of Cairo is a brilliant piece of film-making. He combines drama, comedy and even a little bit fiction (people jumping out of movie screens into the real world). Its a great story involving a woman with marital problems played superbly by Mia Farrow. Here Farrow gives one of her best performances, much better than she was in a film i recently viewed called Shadows and Fog. Jeff Daniels is also good in his role as the movie character who comes into the real world, as well as the actor who plays that role. This is by far one of the most complex yet well written Woody Allen flicks. All the performances are good as well as the direction and writing, almost everything is perfect. A must-see for any Woody fan.10/10 #60 on my list of all-time favorite films

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Purple Rose of Cairo

Filming Locations:

Kent Theater, 1170 Coney Island Avenue, Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$114,095, 3 March 1985

Gross USA:

$10,631,333

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,631,333

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions, Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1