Purple Rose of Cairo

UPC: 027616860477

Studio: MGM

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Adult Situations]

Summary: Woody Allen blurs the the boundaries between the real and unreal in this unique comic fantasy. The scene is a small town in the mid-1930s. Trapped in a dead-end job and an abusive marriage, Cecelia (Mia Farrow) regularly seeks refuge in the local movie house. She becomes so enraptured by the latest attraction, an RKO screwball comedy called The Purple Rose of Cairo, that she returns to the theatre day after day. During one of these visits, the film's main character Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels), pauses in his dialogue, turns towards the audience, and says to Cecelia, "My God, how you must love this picture." Then he climbs out of the movie, much to the consternation of the rest of the audience and the other characters on screen. Liberated from his customary black-and-white environs, he accompanies Cecelia on a tour of the town, eventually falling in love with her. Meanwhile, the other Purple Rose characters, unable to proceed with the film, carry on a discussion with themselves. Desperately, the RKO executives seek out Gil Shepherd, the actor who played the hero of Purple Rose. Shepherd (also played by Daniels), is sent to Cecelia's hometown to see if he can repair the damage. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Awards: Best Picture – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Special Effects Award – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Original Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Screenplay – null Best Foreign Film – French Academy of Cinema Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Screenplay – New York Film Critics Circle Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Collectable booklet
Original theatrical trailer
English: mono
French: mono
Spanish: mono
English, French & Spanish language subtitles

Purple Rose of Cairo

Format: DVD

Release Date: 11/06/2001

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, 1 USA & territories, Canada

Runtime: 82 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
0. Scene Selections
1. Main Title/Depression [:08]
2. An Adventurer in Love [5:21]
3. Olga the Acrobat [5:33]
4. The Hero Emerges [4:59]
5. All Talk, No Action [7:39]
6. Too Smoldering [5:57]
7. Fake Money, Real Kisses [1:58]
8. Fact Fights Fiction [5:33]
9. Fighting Dirty [7:06]
10. That Magical Glow [4:17]
11. Love Not for Sale [3:01]
12. A Talent for Musicals [5:14]
13. Cecilia in the Movies [5:21]
14. What About Perfection? [6:00]
15. Hollywood Fade-Out [4:43]
16. End Credits [6:05]

Michael Betzold

In the Woody Allen canon, The Purple Rose of Cairo marked perhaps the pinnacle of his Mia Farrow era. This is a charming story about an abused, mousy woman (Farrow) who escapes from her alcoholic husband (Danny Aiello) by going to the movies and catching the attention of an on-screen film hero (played with wonderful knowingness by the under-appreciated Jeff Daniels). Allen reversed the effect of Buster Keaton's projectionist's entering a film in Sherlock Jr. by having Daniels's character come off the screen and into Farrow's life. One of several Allen pieces to exhibit his fascination with the entertainment culture of the earlier years of the 20th century (see also Radio Days, Broadway Danny Rose, Bullets over Broadway and Sweet and Lowdown), The Purple Rose of Cairo features a strong, straightforward script that is also not burdened by any actors trying to play Woody Allen. It is a perfect vehicle for Farrow, who is appealing and sympathetic, and the film dotes on her. The movie is redeemed not by a fairy-tale ending, but by an appreciation of the limits of escapism. It masterfully shows us why movies were so alluring during the Great Depression, and what function they served. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Jeff Daniels  Actor 
Glenne Headly  Actor 
George Martin  Actor 
Mark Hammond  Actor 
Tom Degidon  Actor 
Andrew Murphy  Actor 
Peter Von Berg  Actor 
Edwin Bordo  Actor 
Helen Miller  Actor 
Jean Shevlin  Actor 
Wade Barnes  Actor 
Mary Hedahl  Actor 
Milton Seaman  Actor 
Margaret Thompson  Actor 
Crystal Field  Actor 
Gretchen MacLane  Actor 
Rick Petrucelli  Actor 
Sydney Blake  Actor 
Drinda La Lumia  Actor 
Willie Tjan  Actor 
Ray Serra  Actor 
David Weber  Actor 
Elaine Grollman  Actor 
Don Quigley  Actor 
Juliet Taylor  Actor 
Maurice Brenner  Actor 
Robert Trebor  Actor 
Albert S. Bennett  Actor 
Tom Kubiak  Actor 
David Tice  Actor 
Lela Ivey  Actor 
Martha Sherrill  Actor 
Mimi Weddell  Actor 
George Hamlin  Actor 
Benjamin Rayson  Actor 
Ken Chapin  Actor 
Helen Hanft  Actor 
George J. Manos  Actor 
Peter Castellotti  Actor 
James Lynch  Actor 
Loretta Tupper  Actor 
Paul Herman  Actor 
Joseph G. Graham  Actor 
Leo Postrel  Actor 
Victoria Zussin  Actor 
Woody Allen  Director 
Woody Allen  Screenwriter 
Robert Greenhut  Producer 
Dick Hyman  Composer (Music Score) 
Charles H. Joffe  Executive Producer 
Jack Rollins  Executive Producer 
Mia Farrow  Actor 
Jeff Daniels  Actor 
Danny Aiello  Actor 
Dianne Wiest  Actor 
Van Johnson  Actor 
Zoe Caldwell  Actor 
John Wood  Actor 
Milo O'Shea  Actor 
Deborah Rush  Actor 
Irving Metzman  Actor 
John Rothman  Actor 
Stephanie Farrow  Actor 
Alexander H. Cohen  Actor 
Camille Saviola  Actor 
Karen Akers  Actor 
Michael Tucker  Actor 
Annie Joe Edwards  Actor 
Peter McRobbie  Actor 
Juliana Donald  Actor 
Edward Herrmann  Actor 
David Kieserman  Actor 
Eugene Anthony  Actor 
Ebb Miller  Actor 

Country: USA