Woody Allen
The Purple Rose Of Cairo

"Real people want to live in fantasy... and those invented want to live in reality"

After already launching the theme of the conflict between reality and fantasy in "Play It Again, Sam" Woody revisits it in '85 with a simply perfect film.

"The Purple Rose of Cairo" is a charming and light gem, a film in which the real and the fake blend magically and unexpectedly. For Allen, it’s natural that at a certain point in the film, the character Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels) steps out of the screen, takes the viewer Cecilia (Mia Farrow) by the hand, and escapes. In this film, the director seizes the opportunity to address one of the most peculiar human traits, which doesn't necessarily represent a parallel world to seek refuge in. But what if we change the perspective? Even the real world for film characters means escape; their life is monotonous after all. They repeat the same lines, experience the same loves, suffer the same pains, and always take the same punches; it's logical then for Baxter to seize the opportunity, touched by Cecilia's insistence in attending his show, to decide to step out and take her away.

A complex and difficult topic for Woody, but his talent manages to make everything appear as a modern fairy tale set in New Jersey during the Great Depression; between an unemployed, grumpy, lazy husband and a waitress job that suits her little, Cecilia spends her days, and the magic of cinema is the sugar on a plain loaf.

There's a hint of theatrical references, "Six Characters in Search of an Author" by Pirandello is obvious but fitting. Allen touches on a discourse of religion, for Baxter the creator is the screenwriter who outlined him and not the actor who gave him body and voice. For him, it’s difficult to understand the god of men, but Cecilia explains it is essentially the same thing. Woody redraws the spectator-actor perspectives, plays with cinema, and declares all his love for it. And two years later, it'll be the radio in "Radio Days."