The Purple Rose of Cairo

"She's finally met the man of her dreams. He's not real, but you can't have everything."

1985 1h 22m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 1,185

FantasyComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. Her only escape from her mundane reality is the movie theatre. After losing her job, Cecilia goes to see 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' in hopes of raising her spirits, where she watches dashing archaeologist Tom Baxter time and again.

“She's finally met the man of her dreams. He's not real, but you can't have everything.”

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Cast

Mia Farrow
Cecilia
Jeff Daniels
Tom Baxter / Gil Shepherd
Danny Aiello
Monk
Dianne Wiest
Emma
Milo O'Shea
Father Donnelly
Van Johnson
Larry
Deborah Rush
Rita
Zoe Caldwell
The Countess

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Woody Allen
Writers: Woody Allen
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

82 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 71% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Woody Allen, shot by Gordon Willis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dick Hyman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Susan E. Morse shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mia Farrow and Jeff Daniels and Danny Aiello carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "She's finally met the man of her dreams. He's not real, but you can't have everything.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Woody Allen directs. Gordon Willis behind the camera. Dick Hyman scores. Susan E. Morse cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

182 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Earned back only 71% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
341 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Woody Allen, shot by Gordon Willis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Dick Hyman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Susan E. Morse shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Mia Farrow and Jeff Daniels and Danny Aiello carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "She's finally met the man of her dreams. He's not real, but you can't have everything.".
9IMDB entry: tt0089853 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gordon Willis
Original score: Dick Hyman
Editing: Susan E. Morse
Production design: Stuart Wurtzel
Costume design: Jeffrey Kurland
Makeup / hair: Fern Buchner
Sound: Rick Dior
Runtime: 82 min · 1h 22m
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $10,631,333
Return: 71% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

Awards

Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
BAFTA Award for Best Film
The President's Memorial Award
César Award for Best Foreign Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Woody Allen

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-05-30
★ 7/10
Initially, this reminded me a little of the scenario for “King Kong” as the impressionable young “Cecilia” (Mia Farrow) manages, not unreasonably it has to be said, to get fired from her waitressing job in 1930s New York. Despondent, she heads to the cinema to see the “The Purple Rose of Cairo” only for it’s star “Tom” (Jeff Daniels) to quite literally leap off the screen at her and soon her world is in turmoil. It’s not just her, neither. The studio is complaining that he is doing exactly the same in cinemas all over the shop. That gives “Cecilia” quite a quandary as she knows this man of her dreams cannot be real, whilst the rest of the nation wants to know what happens at the end of the movie - and without it’s star, well we can never find out! What is “Tom” going to decide, too? He is quite taken by his time amongst us non-celluloid types, but… I am not really much of a fan of Daniels, but he works well here as this comedy works on quite a few different levels. On one, it’s an out and out romantic comedy but on others it looks at the effects of the aftermath of the Great Depression, the crucial role of cinema in the lives of so many people and at just how repetitious and dreary life can be as that big screen allures! Meantime, “Tom” is given a rather too realistic glimpse of life on the other side of the reel as he encounters some of the less savoury characters from the time. It’s monochrome photography, Dick Hyman’s quirky score and a charming chemistry between an on form, flighty, Farrow and Daniels all contributes to another piece of gentle nostalgia from a Woody Allen who is very much at the top of his game and from a Stuart Wurtzel whose production design is engaging and sympathetic to the era and to the gently poignant and often quite witty dialogue. I wonder if anyone might make a real archaeological movie called “The Purple Rose of Cairo”?

Production companies