Review of The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) by Brett C — 21 Jun 2014

Review In A Nutshell:

The Purple Rose of Cairo tells the story of a waitress, Cecilia, who falls in love with a character that has jumped out of the film.

The film is set during the 1930s where the entire world was affected by the Great Depression, which meant people were out of jobs and money was hard to come by. If one was living in the lower class during that time, one's life wouldn't be satisfying as everywhere you look shows the suffering of people, the decay of the environment around them, and ideas like beauty and luxury are nowhere in sight. During that time, people like Cecilia purely wanted to escape from their difficult and depressing life and a lot of them did that through the viewing of films. Films were one of the most accessible and cheapest activities people can undergo to gain that sense of enjoyment, even if it's just a small glimmer of happiness, though there are others, like Cecilia, who are currently in their lowest when living reality and she doesn't just want to view a film, but to live it. She wants to touch and feel the characters she sees on screen as they are the perfect individuals, containing very few flaws and the ones that are present are right there on the surface. Though the film's setting takes place in a world where the environment is rough, but it still has the power to connect with contemporary audience, no matter what their economic or social status is. I, myself have been affected, in a way, the same way as Cecilia has when watching something on screen; television programs like Friends and Community and films like Lost In Translation have pulled me in so deep that sometimes reality isn't satisfying anymore, so I come back to it time and time again and hoping that someday it would also happen to me. Woody Allen demonstrates to us the power of films, showing us just how deep we could get when it sucks us in and at the same time display how beautiful it is when we just let ourselves go. The way Allen ends the film is definitely an interesting and logical choice. I didn't have a problem with this because it definitely is appropriate with the nature and logic of humanity and reality; it is important to move forward and deal with it.

The film's concept was definitely daring and something I have never experienced in a film before. I adore the seriousness that the characters are taking towards the situation, as this allowed the situation to feel both hilarious and romantically genuine. If the film's tone and the writing instead make fun of the subject and the situation then this film would have been a spoof and a put-down to Cecilia and the audiences that are just like her. One can definitely tell that Allen at one point was Cecilia, I think there was a film long ago that he has seen that affected his life more than he thought it would; one can see how much Allen cares about this character and how important it is to get the emotions between her relationships as accurate as needed in order for the film to feel effective in an emotional sense. This was definitely something I felt was lacking in Manhattan, aside from the obsession quality in the character that the director also plays as that is present in both films, it just purely lacked the love for the story and the concept, unlike this film.

Gordon Willis is a legendary cinematographer and his work for this film may not be in the same level or power as his earlier work, The Godfather and Manhattan, but I believe his contribution for this film still shines. Willis clearly wanted to make a clear contrast of both the virtual and actual, as the way the camera is used on both sides is quite different and one can truly tell which one is what. One of my favourite scenes was the "Night on the Town" sequence as Willis truly immerses us in this world to the point where the film almost completely transitioned to a new world with a new story.

I don't remember much of Dick Hyman's score, but I do recall a sound that was influenced by the films of that era; the big band/jazz type of sound which I felt actually worked with the film's atmosphere and tone. It remains upbeat through most of the film, with a couple of gentle moments during emotional scenes, and it works in sucking you in while also gaining some sort of nostalgia. I think I would appreciate it better the more I listen to it.

The acting in this film was fantastic with great performance from Mia Farrow, who plays this internally sad person who watches films in order to escape or gain a glimmer of happiness, even if it isn't her. Jeff Daniels was definitely the highlight of the film, playing two different characters, one fictional and one actual. He was able to bring something unique and different with each character, truly having each one feel like it's another person that we are watching on screen, this is definitely something not all actors could do. At the same time, he was able to demonstrate wonderful chemistry with Farrow, even more impressive as both characters he plays were able to convince me of their connection with the leading lady. Danny Aiello as Monk was great as the antagonist as he was able to show just how mean his character is, and never reaching to a point of disbelief.

The Purple Rose of Cairo has convinced me that Allen is a brilliant director, who is able to deliver into it his passion for cinema without forgetting to tell a wonderful story. I hope the next film I see from his would be just as great as this.