The Purple Rose Of Cairo (DVD)

...Danish (Isn't it odd that the hard of hearing / deaf in Holland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark have an advantage over those who are not?)
* Region 2 encoding (Europe, Japan, South Africa and the Middle East including Egypt).
* PAL
* Catalogue Number: 19883DVD
* Film released in 1985

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Cast
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Mia Farrow ~ Cecilia
Jeff Daniels ~ Tom Baxter and Gil Shepherd
Danny ...
.../> I would agree with the overview on the reverse of the DVD, which states that the film is one of the best movies about the movies ever made. It continues, "…Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo slips through the looking glass of comic fable about life, love, illusion and hope."

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The film & Comment
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The film, is quite simply a masterpiece, and a typical example ... more

"Purple Rose of Cairo" - DVD Review £15.99

Currently available on Amazon for £6.97~~~~~~~~~~
Vital Statistics
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• Certificate ~ PG
• Running Time ~ Approx. 78 mins
• Colour / Black & White
• Widescreen
• Language ~ English, German, French, Italian, Spanish (All Mono)
• Subtitles ~ French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish (Isn't it odd that the hard of hearing / deaf in Holland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark have an advantage over those who are not?)
• Region 2 encoding (Europe, Japan, South Africa and the Middle East including Egypt).
• PAL
• Catalogue Number: 19883DVD
• Film released in 1985

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Cast
~~~~Mia Farrow ~ Cecilia
Jeff Daniels ~ Tom Baxter and Gil Shepherd
Danny Aiello ~ Monk
Irving Metzman ~ Theatre Manager
Stephanie Farrow ~ Cecilia's Sister

Written & Directed by ~ Woody Allen

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Overview
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I would agree with the overview on the reverse of the DVD, which states that the film is one of the best movies about the movies ever made. It continues, "…Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo slips through the looking glass of comic fable about life, love, illusion and hope."

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The film & Comment
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The film, is quite simply a masterpiece, and a typical example of the escapism and fantasy many of us long for and look for outside and beyond the somewhat and often typical mundane ness of our every day lives, whether it be looking after the kids, working in an office, or even playing Premiership football!! Books and films in particular, are two areas that allow us to escape into another world and concentrate on something else entirely for either a few hours or many hours at a time. They provide something, other than just entertainment, and that something may be different for each person, but contentment is one of the key factors.

Cecelia, played by Mia Farrow, is a bored waitress, who is bullied by her husband Monk (Danny Aiello), and finds escapism in watching romantic movies. The film is set in the era of the great depression, just to provide extra dreariness to the plot, with money tight and times hard.

The Purple Rose of Cairo is a charming fantasy, which focuses on some interesting elements of movie making and has plenty of moments of humour. The tale is fabulous and typical of the sort of alternative life a sweet, bored and bullied housewife might typically dream of, but never be within touching distance. The story focuses upon what happens when such dreams and fantasies become a reality, and the stark contrast between the two.

I have not seen a great amount of Woody Allen films, so cannot actually comment on whether this is typical of his work, but I am aware that - prior to his acting, writing and directing - he is a former comedian, and is very analytical of topics that interest him, delving deeper below the surface of such topics. The Purple Rose of Cairo blends Allen's brand of comedy with this fascination in exploring the depths of a topic, which has helped to produce a truly memorable film.

Cecelia's love for the movies sees her fall in love with both the movie "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and the main character "Tom Baxter" who is played by actor "Gil Shepherd" (Jeff Daniels). This love of the movies and this particular movie, sees Cecelia sneak back to the cinema evening after evening to watch it over and over, with the enjoyment and contentment etched all over her face and magically caught in her eyes through the flicker of the light from the big screen.

After what must be 20 + visits to watch "The Purple Rose of Cairo", the object of Cecelia's affection, Tom Baxter, speaks to her from the screen! Transfixed by her he speaks out and states "… You must really like this movie?" to which Cecelia doesn't appear overly astonished at the occurrence. Tom exits the picture and enters the real world absconding with Cecelia, much to the dissatisfaction and irritation of his co-stars, who later demonstrate and epitomise the beauty of this skilfully crafted script. Tom's co-stars are the source of interest and the movie within the movie is as interesting as the movie itself, as the characters provide a number of entertaining and witty moments. Henry (Edward Herrmann) is worried they will turn off the projector and make everything dark, while the maid, Delilah (Annie Joe Edwards) is unhappy about people being in the wrong reel. An ingenious look at the whole concept of movies, and the comparison and likening to the theatre, whereby the characters and scenes are played over and over by the actors and actresses day after day. Without the lead character and no suitable understudy, the show, quite literally cannot go on!

The majesty of the film is so much in the blend between fantasy and reality, which is interestingly captured in the moment when Gil Shepherd, the actor - within the film - who plays Tom Baxter is informed that Tom has walked off screen and that the picture cannot finish until he returns. Gil promptly turns up in the small town, and happens to meet Cecelia, who mistakes him for Tom, which adds to the humour and majesty of the film / script. Of course, Cecelia then also falls in love with Gil, as well as his - now living - character Tom, which adds a whole new dimension to the fantasy and makes everything seem so much real to her.

I won't say too much more for fear of spoiling the story and of course the ending, but for anyone who likes light humour and a tale of fantasy, this film is most definitely for you. It is an enchanting story and an interesting take on the movie genre itself.

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Special Features
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The special features comprise the original theatrical trailer for the film, along with the scene selection menu, which comprises of 16 Chapters.

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Awards & Nominations
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• Nominated for an Oscar
• Won a BAFTA for "Best film" and "Best Screenplay - Original"
• Won a further 12 awards & 11 nominations

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Point of Interest
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Woody Allen and Mia Farrow never actually married or lived together, despite having a child together. They also adopted a son and daughter, only for Woody Allen to later strike up a relationship and wed Farrow's adopted daughter Soon-Yi.
 

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