X
- 1985
- PG
- Orion Pictures
- 1 h 22 m
- 1985
- PG
- Orion Pictures
- 1 h 22 m
Summary A Depression-era waitress spends every free moment she has at the cinema because the grand stories she finds there distract her from her pitiful life, but when a dashing character from one of the films becomes smitten with her and leaves his celluloid world, she finds herself in the middle of her own fantasy romance.
Directed By: Woody Allen
Written By: Woody Allen
- 1985
- PG
- Orion Pictures
- 1 h 22 m
- 1985
- PG
- Orion Pictures
- 1 h 22 m
The Purple Rose of Cairo
75
8.3
Where to Watch
Summary A Depression-era waitress spends every free moment she has at the cinema because the grand stories she finds there distract her from her pitiful life, but when a dashing character from one of the films becomes smitten with her and leaves his celluloid world, she finds herself in the middle of her own fantasy romance.
Directed By: Woody Allen
Written By: Woody Allen
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
75
71% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
14% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
14% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 Critic Reviews
75
71% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
14% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
14% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
A cornball adventure film about a dashing young explorer mixing with New York cafe society types. What a delightfully complicated fantasy film this is. What Woody Allen has done with The Purple Rose of Cairo is create a classic film about our love affair with fantasy. [28 Jun 1985, p.1]
I'll go out on a limb: I can't believe the year will bring forth anything to equal The Purple Rose of Cairo. At 84 minutes, it's short but nearly every one of those minutes is blissful.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 75 User Ratings
8.3
91% Positive
68 Ratings
68 Ratings
7% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
3% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 75 User Ratings
8.3
91% Positive
68 Ratings
68 Ratings
7% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
3% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
A tribute to cinema within cinema, to remind us what films are for: to evade reality for a moment, to admire and identify ourselves with the characters. A Woody Allen signature love letter.
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Woody Allen is amazing.
I thing he is free. Free from every thing.
Look at his films, there is no logical things in his films. every thing in his films is possible!
He always surprised his audience.
There is too different between him and Charlie Chaplin but I want to say that Woody Allen is the best comedian after Charlie Chaplin.
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Allen has done better than this, but The Purple Rose of Cairo is a sweet little film and an interesting diversion for his legion of followers.
The Purple Rose of Cairo, Woody Allen's tender Valentine to the movies, features poignant performances by Jeff Daniels and Mia Farrow. In the critical rush to canonize Allen, it's easy to forget how far Farrow has come as an actress. [31 May 1985, p.27]
Tale is a light, almost frivolous treatment of a serious theme, as Woody Allen here confronts the unalterable fact that life just doesn't turn out the way it does (or did) in Hollywood films. For all its situational goofiness, pic is a tragedy, and it's too bad Allen didn't build up the characters and drama sufficiently to give some weight to his concerns.
Woody Allen's naive notions of art--he thinks it means a story with a moral--might have some primitive charm if he didn't put them forward so self-importantly.
Movies are fantastical and enchanting. They are magical places that we revisit over and over again. They send us to a place of comfort and joy. With The Purple Rose of Cairo, Woody Allen showcases why people love the movies, what we actually see in movies and how they reflect on us, all while making a great one.
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Allen at his most romantic (in terms of romanticism) about film, TPROC is as sweet as a film could be, without being sugary. It's funny, sad, romantic, and quite zany, and catches Allen at his most Chaplinesque. I feel I'm about using the word 'magical' in a review, but I'll generate a substitute for the word, and use that instead.
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Cinema is a heavenly parallel version of life.
This film really reminded me why I find the most light-hearted, feel-good romantic comedies so heart-crushing and devastating.
(8/10)
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The more and more shades of Woody Allen I find myself being exposed to throughout the years (parody Woody Allen, crime drama Woody Allen, adult dramedy Woody Allen) the more and more I realize that the one I think I appreciate most is his nostalgia-obsessed side. First off, similar to "Radio Days," there's a tremendously tender hand assigned to filling this world with as much detail and texture as possible, in order to make it feel totally period accurate. It's evocative and warm, hearkening back to an era that's so far gone, yet so aesthetic. Pile on some trademark Woody Allen magical realism and you're dealt a movie that's just too hard to dislike. Say what we will about the many flaws and intricacies of him as a human being (and there's a hell of a lot to say) I'll be damned if the man can't write a watchable movie at the very least. "The Purple Rose of Cairo," however, is thankfully not only watchable, but a thoroughly delightful and a blast at times to watch, featuring two incredible performances from Jeff Daniels.
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If you love watching movies then you have to watch "The Purple Rose of Cairo". It's sweet, funny, nostalgic and it overall it just nails what a good film is about.
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Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
