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:

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was selected to screen out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1985 and was awarded the International Film Critics Prize by FIPRESCI.

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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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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Jeff Daniels/Color Me Badd (1991)

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Soundtracks

I Love My Baby, My Baby Loves Me
(1925)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Bud Green
Sung by Jeff Daniels (uncredited) with Loretta Tupper (uncredited) on piano

User Reviews

Our Daily Escape

The only Woody Allen that I hadn't seen. I was waiting for the opportunity to see it on a proper screen in a proper movie theater, with other people you know, like in the previous century. At the end I was convinced to see it in a friend's living room but in one of those super duper mega wide TV screens. What a delight! A movie about the love of something not quite real but that it becomes the more real thing in our lives. The transportation that Mia Farrow goes through while sitting in the movie theater brought tears to my eyes - my friend turned to me in disbelief "Are you weeping? He asked. Well yes, I was. I can't explain it. Have you seen the movie? Sometimes I felt I wanted to sit next to Mia Farrow in see the movie she's watching all the way through. Why not, Jeff Daniels, Mia Farrow, John Wood, Zoe Caldwell, Van Johnson, please! It's so much better in here than out here. You can bet I will see this again. Top notch.