The Power of Illusion- an essay about "The Purple Rose of Cairo"

The Power of Illusion Many messages can be derived from Woody Allen's 1984 success, "Purple Rose of Cairo". It is easy to see that this is one of Allen's more subdued films, and for good reason. He is truly keeping with the 1930's code of moral decency by using overly tame ideas and actions throughout the movie. An example is when Tom challenges Gil to a fight and gets beaten up because he expects Gil to …

…ral standards are less severe, giving writers and directors a lot more freedom to show rather than imply. "Purple Rose of Cairo" both mocked and embraced the fact that movies nowadays require no imagination or thought. In those days, to be a success, a movie required a strong script and tight direction. These days, all that is needed is the formula for a box-office hit. Film is not an art anymore, it is an industry.