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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

La rosa púrpura del 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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though classified as a comedy-fantasy-romance by the IMDb, the picture is also part of a group of films known as "Depression Era Dramas".

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Goofs

When Cecelia is playing the ukulele in the music store she is strumming along to the song and the song stops. She continues to strum along after the song is over, but there is no sound. The ukulele playing was obviously dubbed in.

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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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Crazy Credits

Alexander Cohen's name is listed as "Alexander H. Cohen" in the opening credits, although the middle initial is dropped in the end credits.

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Connections

Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Best Romance Movies of the 1980s (2017)

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Soundtracks

Alabamy Bound
(1925)
Music by Ray Henderson
Lyrics by Buddy G. DeSylva (as B.G. De Sylva) and Bud Green
Played by Cynthia Sayer (uncredited) and
Sung by Jeff Daniels (uncredited)

User Reviews

Another Overlooked Gem from Woody Allen

THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO is a lovely, funny, and heartbreaking entry from Woody Allen that still remains one of my favorites. This romantic fantasy tickles your funny bone and tugs at your heartstrings at the same time and I go through a myriad of emotions whenever I watch it. Mia Farrow stars as Celia, a depression era housewife, trapped in a dead end marriage to a pig (Danny Aiello) whose only escape comes from going to the movies. She goes to see the movie of the title several times and then at one show, the main character in the movie (played by Jeff Daniels)speaks to Celia directly from the screen saying, "You must really love this movie, don't you?" The character then walks off the screen and into Celia's life, claiming that he loves her and wants to be with her forever. Meanwhile, the actors in the movie on the screen are stuck and don't know what to do because they can't finish the movie without Daniels' character and they are seen conversing with each other about what to do and to the audience in the theater, who for some reason, sit and watch the actors on the screen trying to figure out what to do. Further complications arrive when the character starts walking off the screen in other theaters around the country and the actor who played the character (also Daniels) arrives in town to try to convince his character to go back in the movie. Woody doesn't delve into the territory of fantasy too much, but this one totally works with one of his most intelligent screenplays and winning performances from Farrow and Daniels and the ending is a heartbreaker. A must-see.