Purple Rose Of Cairo Film Essay
Anything can be possible in the movie. During the Great Depression countless Americans have to face the harsh economy. However, Cecilia(Mia Farrow) chooses to escape dreary live by watching glamorous movie in The Purple Rose of Cairo(dir. Woody Allen, 1985). She has an unpleasant marriage and hopes to have a romantic life in a big city with a romantic man - Tom(Jeff Daniels). As a result, she sees the film again and again. Surprisingly, the bravest and the most romantic character, Tom steps away from the screen and enters the real colored world. “Her dream about meeting an adventurous and romantic man comes into the reality.”
Cecilia faces a collision between the reality and the wonderful fictional world. In the scene, Cecilia has to choose between Tom who represents the fiction world and Gil(Jeff Daniels) who represents the real world. These shots make people critically self-reflexive about their relationship to movies: dreaming a wonderful life by escaping the laborious reality. Tom represents a fictional ideal to escape while Gil allows her to escape from a non motivated husband and back to Hollywood with him. Because her passion on Gil is not her true feeling, he betrays her which as an authentic outcome for those who choose …show more content…
reality over fantasy. The scene helps the spectators critically self-reflexive that an yearn for an ideal fictional world cannot be a short cut to escape the reality.
In shot 1 and 2, Tom and Cecilia walk closely and embrace in a black-and-white fictional scene. These shots start with a panning shot towards the right, presenting a well-decorated apartment with valuable ornament setting around. The scene uses deep focus at the windows to demonstrate the beauty and the luxury of the Manhattan city. The skyscrapers and shining windows allude a fascinating night life. In shot 2, a medium shot focusing on Cecilia and Tom presents a romantic relationship between them. Such a balanced composition between Cecilia and Tom was used as a proclaim that the fictional world is the home field for Tom.
However, when the camera enters the colored real world, the leading role switches to Gil as a real man. After shot 7, Cecilia and Gil are always in tow while Tom as a fictional man, is separated. Both costumes of Cecilia and Gil are suitable with a dark brown while Tom is suited in a dust coat, which represents he is a fictional character with adventurous spirit. While all the Hollywood romantic come to life, Tom provides her infinite romance but Gil acts also like a doppelganger. In shot 18 and 19, Tom says he is a “honest, dependable, courageous, romantic and a great kisser.” Gil is different from Tom without these that he has. However, as Gil counters in shot 19, “I’m real.” that reality is the only way that Gil can compete with Tom.
In shot 27, Cecilia makes her decision, Gil - representing a choice to escape through the real world, because that is the only option she has. Escape can be perfect, however, none of us can exist and escape the reality for the whole time. Cecilia is naive to the real world. She doesn't understand Gil who he really is; Gil is only a doppelganger of Tom. In shot 36 and 37, Gil leaves with Cecilia and Tom back to the movie with the last sight he can see Cecilia. The shot 36 pans to the right focusing on Cecilia and Gil and then switches from medium shot to long shot to yield a sensation of distance between Tom and Cecilia. In the last shot, Tom watches Cecilia to the end with a helpless facial expression and walks away from the scene-in-scene. These shots accompany with the piano music with sadness mood intimate the ending of the film.
“Losing in fantasy to avoid the harsh life is not living but a delusion.” Tom gives Cecilia a chance to have a romantic life with fiction.
Gil offers Cecilia a romantic fantasy as a Hollywood actor. However, neither of them is totally real for her. Tom is fictional while Gil is acting like a real in order to let Tom back to the movie and abandons her at the end. Gil success because he is a excellent actor acting a man in love while Tom is a man who actually in love with Cecilia. “Cecilia discovers that when she chooses reality over fiction, she loses all hope of finding reliable happiness.” What the movie wants to tell the spectators is that they cannot follow their illusion reckless, but also awear to face the cruelty of the
reality.
Cecilia faces a collision between the reality and the wonderful fictional world. In the scene, Cecilia has to choose between Tom who represents the fiction world and Gil(Jeff Daniels) who represents the real world. These shots make people critically self-reflexive about their relationship to movies: dreaming a wonderful life by escaping the laborious reality. Tom represents a fictional ideal to escape while Gil allows her to escape from a non motivated husband and back to Hollywood with him. Because her passion on Gil is not her true feeling, he betrays her which as an authentic outcome for those who choose …show more content…
reality over fantasy. The scene helps the spectators critically self-reflexive that an yearn for an ideal fictional world cannot be a short cut to escape the reality.
In shot 1 and 2, Tom and Cecilia walk closely and embrace in a black-and-white fictional scene. These shots start with a panning shot towards the right, presenting a well-decorated apartment with valuable ornament setting around. The scene uses deep focus at the windows to demonstrate the beauty and the luxury of the Manhattan city. The skyscrapers and shining windows allude a fascinating night life. In shot 2, a medium shot focusing on Cecilia and Tom presents a romantic relationship between them. Such a balanced composition between Cecilia and Tom was used as a proclaim that the fictional world is the home field for Tom.
However, when the camera enters the colored real world, the leading role switches to Gil as a real man. After shot 7, Cecilia and Gil are always in tow while Tom as a fictional man, is separated. Both costumes of Cecilia and Gil are suitable with a dark brown while Tom is suited in a dust coat, which represents he is a fictional character with adventurous spirit. While all the Hollywood romantic come to life, Tom provides her infinite romance but Gil acts also like a doppelganger. In shot 18 and 19, Tom says he is a “honest, dependable, courageous, romantic and a great kisser.” Gil is different from Tom without these that he has. However, as Gil counters in shot 19, “I’m real.” that reality is the only way that Gil can compete with Tom.
In shot 27, Cecilia makes her decision, Gil - representing a choice to escape through the real world, because that is the only option she has. Escape can be perfect, however, none of us can exist and escape the reality for the whole time. Cecilia is naive to the real world. She doesn't understand Gil who he really is; Gil is only a doppelganger of Tom. In shot 36 and 37, Gil leaves with Cecilia and Tom back to the movie with the last sight he can see Cecilia. The shot 36 pans to the right focusing on Cecilia and Gil and then switches from medium shot to long shot to yield a sensation of distance between Tom and Cecilia. In the last shot, Tom watches Cecilia to the end with a helpless facial expression and walks away from the scene-in-scene. These shots accompany with the piano music with sadness mood intimate the ending of the film.
“Losing in fantasy to avoid the harsh life is not living but a delusion.” Tom gives Cecilia a chance to have a romantic life with fiction.
Gil offers Cecilia a romantic fantasy as a Hollywood actor. However, neither of them is totally real for her. Tom is fictional while Gil is acting like a real in order to let Tom back to the movie and abandons her at the end. Gil success because he is a excellent actor acting a man in love while Tom is a man who actually in love with Cecilia. “Cecilia discovers that when she chooses reality over fiction, she loses all hope of finding reliable happiness.” What the movie wants to tell the spectators is that they cannot follow their illusion reckless, but also awear to face the cruelty of the
reality.