> > Movies about movies? "Singin' in the Rain", "Purple Rose of Cairo," > "The Stunt Man." > Eric > > Eric Rabkin [log in to unmask] > Department of English [log in to unmask] > University of Michigan office : 313-764-2553 > Ann Arbor MI 48109-1045 dept : 313-764-6330 > voice msgs: 313-763-3128 > Ah... "Purple Rose of Cairo" -- Perhaps one of the finest movies ever made about movies. It's amazing: every time I see it, there's a new twist in the dialogue that makes me rethink the whole movie... On the surface, it's great entertainment -- effortless escapist fantasy, in the best tradition of the movies. And then there's the ending, of course, which turns the whole movie upside down and forces the viewer to think about why he or she is even in the theater to begin with. Like all great ART, "Purple Rose" makes the viewer react to it -- there's just no choice not to. And like rare great art, it makes the viewer think about the art form itself -- what is it in his or her life that creates such an emotional response to this MOVIE, this mere projection on the screen. It's an amazing, subtle stroke of genius on the part of Allen and all those involved -- Farrow and Daniels are in perfect, thirties-escapist form (Farrow has never been better)-- and the movie was virtually overlooked in awards when released in 1985, and will most likely be remembered as one of the finest films of the past twenty years. --Mike Hastings