THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO

US, 1985, 78 minutes, Colour/black and white.
Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Dianne Wiest, Zoe Caldwell, Van Johnson, Danny Aiello, John Wood, Milo O'Shea.
Directed by Woody Allen.

This is one of Woody Allen's most entertaining films. It also highlights Allen's interest in the impact of films on the audience, a story in which a battered waitress finds her escape in going to the movies during the 1930s. Mia Farrow is excellent as the waitress (and was in the middle of a period of working almost solely with Allen in about a dozen films). Jeff Daniels, at the beginning of his career, after Terms of Endearment, is the star who comes down from the screen to court her.

The film also has Van Johnson, Zoe Caldwell and John Wood amongst others as the stars who are left stranded up on the screen puzzling about what has happened when the hero leaves.

The film is a character portrait of a mousy and brutalised waitress, Mia Farrow embodying the desires, the frustrations, the sense of romance that people had for the movies in the classic period, especially of the 30s and 40s. Diane Weist, who was to soon win an Oscar with Allen for Hannah and Her Sisters (and later another for Bullets Over Broadway) appears as her friend.

1. Its place in Woody Allen's canon of films? Popular Allen entertainment? Critical success? Box office success? Audience response of humour, delight, insight?

2. The film's brevity and its impact and effect? The '30s and the re-creation of New Jersey, the small town, the Depression: the streets. the diner. Cecilia's house, the cinema (both inside and out)? The contrast with the affluence of the times, within the film itself, fashionable restaurants, the film world? The colour photography, atmosphere? The blend of the harsh and the pleasant? The colour photography contrasting with the black and white of the R.K.O. style '30s production: Egypt, Manhattan, New York nightclubs etc.?

3. The musical score: the Fred Astaire song at beginning and end? The '30s R.K.O. musical numbers? The songs within the film? The nightclub music? The contemporary background score? The contribution of the music to atmosphere and delight?

4. A film about cinema: reality/fantasy/illusions? The cinema mirroring nature? Shaping it, mirroring society, shaping it? The audience thinking of Cecilia's experience as reality and her illusions being the films she watched? Yet Tom the illusion becoming real (partly)? But the role of cinema in people's lives for reality and fantasy? But the unreality of the themes and treatment of '30s films - reality twice removed? The film setting up the links between film and audience? Building to the interaction? The film vocalising what happens when cinema enters life and enters the cinema audience and the visual dramatisation of this?

5. The title and its style, fanciful. the Valentino romance? Reality for Cecilia? The movies of the '20s and '30s? Their role in the Depression? Escapism? The regular viewing of films, their mystique, living them and talking about them? Audience knowledge of films, appreciation and love for them?

6. The film within the film: the title and the explanation, R.K.O. musicals of the Fred Astaire-Ginger? Rogers style? The world of the socialites, a whim in going to Egypt (and the pith helmeted simple hero full of nobility ? with a good Chicago background)? Manhattan, the nightclubs? The countess and the society man? (And the irony of having Zoe Caldwell and Van Johnson in these roles?) The heroine and her style, the composer, his friend? The English upper-crust tone? The nightclub singer and her romance? The waiter and his freedom to do his tap dancing routine? The priest wandering in? The black maid and the spoof of the maids of the time, genial but bossy? Cecilia being drawn into this and her night out in Manhattan?

7. The quality of Mia Farrow's performance as Cecilia? As dramatising Woody Allen's style of comedy? Her type, her age, experience at work, her mistakes, talking films, her sister, her awkwardness but niceness, clumsiness, being sacked? Her husband and his loafing, being out of work, womanising? Her meeting him in the street, her pleading with him, his putting her down, her taking in extra washing to make ends meet and his taking the money? Her feeling of not being loved? Wanting to go to the films with him, going by herself? Lost in her own world? Her being hurt by him when he had the woman in the house, her leaving, wandering the streets, returning home, as he predicted? The portrait of the humdrum Depression life? The relationships between men and women, battles, love? Marriage?

8. Her watching films over and over, attracted towards the heroes, knowing all about the stars? Tom noticing her, coming off the screen to everybody's shock and singling her out, the escape out the exit, their talking, arguing, the effect on Cecilia, her wanting to help him? Listening to his innocent talk, explaining to him about real life? The humour with the kiss and no fade-out? Her enjoyment of the lavish meal - with the fake cinema money? His jumping into the car and expecting it to go without keys? Her helping to explain reality to him, the kind of world which he knew nothing about? Staying at the carnival? The kiss and its effect on her? Her returning home, the story of babysitting, Monk trying to make up to her? Their clash? Her meeting him and his pleasantness, discussions with him, the ukulele song in the music shop. another kiss? Her being swept off her feet? The sequence in the church and her explaining God to Tom? Monk's arrival and the fight? Tom's choice to go back to the film after her rejecting his offer ? because he was fiction? Her being ditched by Gil when she was prepared to leave home for him? Her return to the films? The slow transformation of her face from sadness to delight in watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers? The housewife waif? Her skill with the Woody Allen character, the humorous one liners?

9. Monk as the boorish American husband, out of work. playing games in the street, womanising, disregard for Cecilia, imposing on her, pushing her round, his demands about the cheque for babysitting, his suspicions. listening to hearsay, going to the church, the fight with Tom, Cecilia's leaving him?

10. The sketch of the town, the diner, the workers. the customers? The cinema, the manager, the usherette, the local police? The satire on the audience in the cinema, visually, verbally? Their range? The range of responses? Some staying, some going, answering the characters in the film? Being answered back, insulting? The political and social comment in the arguments between screen characters and audience?

11. Tom and his place in the film and the audience laughing at him? His noticing Cecilia, coming down, a means of escape, yearning for the real life? Acting on his pre-written script? His introduction of himself and its corniness? The pith helmet? Not knowing about kisses and fade-outs, fake money, keys in cars? The carnival? Falling in love with Cecilia, kissing her? His arguments with the cast? The encounter with Gil and the discussions about who created whom? Who was the character? The fight with Monk and his coming up unscathed as in the films? The puzzle about God - as being greater than the producers and writers who created him? His disappointment with Cecilia's choice, the return to the film? The news of other Tom Baxters coming down from the screen?

12. Gil and his place in film society, his career, playing Lindbergh, people fawning on him, the problem of Tom Baxter, his insecurities and needing reassurance, not wanting to fly - but doing it? Meeting Cecilia, finding Torn and arguing with him? His attraction towards Cecilia. the ukulele song? Her praise and her fan's delight in meeting him? The problem solved and his returning (by plane) and leaving Cecilia?

13. The humour of the plot of the film within the film - the wealthy, musicals, the stage, going to Egypt, high society, fashions, the countess and her arrogance (and abusing the audience), the debonair elderly gentleman? The hero and his friend and their arguments about the film (and not turning the projector off)? The heroine, the singer and her confronting Cecilia during her visit into the film? The humorous interplay between reality and the film? Colour and black and white? Cecilia and her response to the life of the film, the night on the town and ginger ale for champagne?

14. The world of the producers, their lawyers, cinema managers and coping with such a crisis?

15. The feel of the film, gentle humour, clever satire? Characters and their lives and meaning? Real and reel life? Woody Allen's wit and wisdom?