Tweet
Released by: Twilight Time
Released: January, 2015.
Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Mia Farow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello
Year: 1985
Purchase From Screen Archives
The Movie:
Woody Allen's highly lauded 1985 picture The Purple Rose Of Cairo is as atypical a romantic comedy as you would expect from the 'controversial' filmmaker but it really is a film loaded with charm. It's also one of his more accessible pictures in that, while it does not want for the director's trademark quirk, he keeps his involvement in the film strictly limited to working behind the camera. The film is also up there with Crimes And Misdemeanors as one of the best that Allen would make in the eighties.
Without going overboard on the plot details, the storyline follows a beautiful woman named Cecilia (Mia Farrow), a diehard movie buff. Although she is married, she's feeling trapped in a loveless relationship to her crum-bum husband (Danny Aiello) and like many would in her situation, she yearns for something more passionate and inspired. She finds this in the most unexpected way one day when she takes in a screening of a film called The Purple Rose Of Cairo. During the movie, the lead male character, Tom Baxter (Jeff Daniels), literally walks off of the screen to be with her.
At first this seems like a dream come true but of course, real world complications soon shatter that illusion as she and he must sort out what to do about all of this. Things get even more complicated for Cecilia when the actor who plays Baxter, Gil Shepard (Daniels again), arrives on the scene. Oh, and then there's the matter of the characters that Baxter left in the movie - they're not sure how to finish what they're doing without him, to no qualm whatsoever with the audience still seated for the film.
Very much one of Allen's most poetic love letters to the art of filmmaking, it would not be entirely inaccurate to describe the picture as whimsical. The way that Allen exploits his 'film within a film' motif here (the old movie is shown in some nicely recreated vintage Hollywood style black and white scenes) is stylish and clever but it's the relationship that develops between Daniels and Farrow that really drives this picture. Of course, we know that this relationship is going to be trouble from the moment he walks off of the screen but damn it all if we don't wind up caring enough for both parties to want it to work out for them. Both leads deliver absolutely phenomenal work here.
Daniels is underrated as a comedic actor, at least he was in this pre-Dumb And Dumber endeavor (Allen would use him again in Radio Days shortly after). However, he proves more than capable of playing the dashing, romantic Tom Baxter and the more grounded Gil Shepard pretty much perfectly. Farrow brings the vulnerability that some might say is her trademark to this film in a big way but she too handles the more comedic side of things with ease. As her relationship with Daniels develops and the intricacies of the plot unfold, we see her handle the different situations and emotions that Cecilia experiences with grace. Danny Aiello is perfect as the chauvinist pig that she's married to, but the film really belongs to Daniels and Farrow.
With this film Allen (more or less) pushes his own neurosis to the side and instead focuses on crafting one of the most entertaining pictures of his career. By putting the romantic angle at the forefront the film delivers a warmth sometimes lacking in his other, more personal pictures. At the same time, his stamp is all over it as a genuine love for cinema comes through in pretty much every frame.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Purple Rose Of Cairo looks very good on Blu-ray from Twilight Time, framed in its proper 1.85.1 widescreen aspect ratio in an AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer on a 50GB disc. Detail is strong throughout and a nice, natural amount of film grain is evident throughout while actual print damage is pretty much a non-issue. The warm colors used throughout the movie really come through nicely here while the black and white sequences show great contrast. The picture has nice depth and detail and easily surpasses previous home video releases. Skin tones look lifelike and natural and there are no signs of digital manipulation meaning edge enhancement and noise reduction are non-issues. This looks very film-like, and that's a very good thing indeed.
The English language DTS-HD Mono track is also quite good. It has more depth than most single channel tracks do and the dialogue sounds quite natural and properly mixed in against the score. This isn't a particularly effects heavy track so Mono works just fine. The score has good range and presence to it and there are no problems with any hiss or distortion. Optional English subtitles are provided.
Extras on the disc itself are slim, though we do get an isolated score track, a trailer for the feature and an MGM promo spot in addition to menus and chapter selection. Inside the keepcase is a booklet of liner notes from writer Julie Kirgo that note how the movie has the ability to make us both laugh and think. She extols the virtues of the cast, and rightfully so, but also of the script and the style used throughout the movie. She also rightfully talks about how the viewer painlessly accepts the surrealism employed in the picture, much like the theatrical audience seen in the theater featured in the movie. Good stuff as always, and the archival stills and art are always a nice touch too.
The Final Word:
The Purple Rose Of Cairo is one of those rare Woody Allen films that even people who can't stand Woody Allen seem to at least appreciate, and even sometimes actually enjoy. It's a beautifully made and wonderfully acted picture offering a great blend of comedy and romance that at the same time works likewise as a celebration of all that cinema has to offer. Twilight Time's Blu-ray is light on extras but it looks and sounds very nice all around. Quite a great presentation of a great movie.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
