The Purple Rose of Cairo (fictional film)
Encyclopedia
The Purple Rose of Cairo is a fictional film
set within the Woody Allen
film The Purple Rose of Cairo
. It is featured and mentioned throughout the movie and lends its name to the film's title.
who resides in a lavish Art Deco penthouse
in Manhattan
with his companions Jason and Rita. When the film is first seen, Henry complains of boredom and Jason suggests that a vacation to Paris
is just the thing. However, Henry responds that he did not have the Ritz
in minds and was thinking of something more exotic such as Morocco
or Egypt
. Rita overhears the conversation and announces that she has "just the dress to wear for the Pyramids". Henry comes up with an idea that the three visit Casablanca
and Tangiers and return in time for his new play. Jason toasts "to Cairo
, Morocco
and Tangiers, to all the exotic and romantic places in the world".
The film moves onto a scene in an Egyptian tomb. Henry, Jason and Rita enter and Rita exclaims how everything is ancient while Jason exclaims how he doesn't "want to feel a bandaged hand around my throat". At that moment, a figure in a safari
suit and pith helmet
comes in through a secret entrance and startles the three. He introduces himself as "Tom Baxter, explorer, adventurer". Tom explains that he is looking for the Purple Rose of Cairo. According to the legend "a pharaoh had a rose painted purple for his queen. And now the story says, purple roses grow wild at her tomb. Jason comes up with an idea that Tom should come with them to Manhattan
to meet the Countess and how "she loves anything a pith helmet". Though Tom remarks it is impulsive, he agrees. He adds that a fortune teller foretold he would fall in love in New York.
The film then moves on to a later scene at the Copacabana
back in Manhattan
. Jason, Henry, Rita and Tom are with the Countess and her suave "boy-toy" Larry Wilde. Jason requests a table for six and the party is escorted to a ringside table by the mustachioed maître d' Arturo. As they sit down, the bandleader
presents Kitty Haynes, who makes her entrance and begins to sing "One Day At A Time". Tom is entranced by Kitty and her voice. Meanwhile, Henry and Rita have a private conversation. Rita then exclaims that its time to open the champagne and that she feels "like getting plushed to the scuppers."
The next time the film is seen, the scene is in the penthouse and Tom is admiring the Art Deco living room. He then makes a brief speech on how he "still can't get over the fact that twenty-four hours ago I didn't know any of you...and here I am now...on the verge of a madcap Manhattan weekend." Jason says to Baxter "hope you like your martinis very dry". Tom declines politely saying he'd rather wait for "that glass of champagne at the Copacabana
."
Later, the film is seen after Cecilia is fired from her job. The scene is still in the penthouse, but earlier when the four return from Egypt. Rita exclaims how she "can't wait to get out of these clothes and hit some of the nightspots". Henry tells them not to waste time and that the "floorshow at the Copacabana
starts in ten minutes". The scene where Tom makes his speech is then replayed.
In a brief scene, Delilah, Rita's maid, makes the bed while Rita does her nails. Delilah asks Rita if something's on her mind.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
set within the Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
film The Purple Rose of Cairo
The Purple Rose of Cairo
The Purple Rose of Cairo is a 1985 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. Inspired by Sherlock, Jr., Hellzapoppin, and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, it is the tale of a film character who leaves a fictional film of the same name and enters the real...
. It is featured and mentioned throughout the movie and lends its name to the film's title.
Plot summary
In the fictional film, Henry, a rich playwrightPlaywright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
who resides in a lavish Art Deco penthouse
Penthouse apartment
A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
with his companions Jason and Rita. When the film is first seen, Henry complains of boredom and Jason suggests that a vacation to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
is just the thing. However, Henry responds that he did not have the Ritz
Hôtel Ritz Paris
The Hôtel Ritz is a grand palatial hotel in the heart of Paris, the 1st arrondissement. It overlooks the octagonal border of the Place Vendôme at number 15...
in minds and was thinking of something more exotic such as Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
or Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Rita overhears the conversation and announces that she has "just the dress to wear for the Pyramids". Henry comes up with an idea that the three visit Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
and Tangiers and return in time for his new play. Jason toasts "to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Tangiers, to all the exotic and romantic places in the world".
The film moves onto a scene in an Egyptian tomb. Henry, Jason and Rita enter and Rita exclaims how everything is ancient while Jason exclaims how he doesn't "want to feel a bandaged hand around my throat". At that moment, a figure in a safari
Safari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
suit and pith helmet
Pith helmet
The pith helmet is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of cork or pith...
comes in through a secret entrance and startles the three. He introduces himself as "Tom Baxter, explorer, adventurer". Tom explains that he is looking for the Purple Rose of Cairo. According to the legend "a pharaoh had a rose painted purple for his queen. And now the story says, purple roses grow wild at her tomb. Jason comes up with an idea that Tom should come with them to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
to meet the Countess and how "she loves anything a pith helmet". Though Tom remarks it is impulsive, he agrees. He adds that a fortune teller foretold he would fall in love in New York.
The film then moves on to a later scene at the Copacabana
Copacabana (nightclub)
The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba...
back in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Jason, Henry, Rita and Tom are with the Countess and her suave "boy-toy" Larry Wilde. Jason requests a table for six and the party is escorted to a ringside table by the mustachioed maître d' Arturo. As they sit down, the bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
presents Kitty Haynes, who makes her entrance and begins to sing "One Day At A Time". Tom is entranced by Kitty and her voice. Meanwhile, Henry and Rita have a private conversation. Rita then exclaims that its time to open the champagne and that she feels "like getting plushed to the scuppers."
The next time the film is seen, the scene is in the penthouse and Tom is admiring the Art Deco living room. He then makes a brief speech on how he "still can't get over the fact that twenty-four hours ago I didn't know any of you...and here I am now...on the verge of a madcap Manhattan weekend." Jason says to Baxter "hope you like your martinis very dry". Tom declines politely saying he'd rather wait for "that glass of champagne at the Copacabana
Copacabana (nightclub)
The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba...
."
Later, the film is seen after Cecilia is fired from her job. The scene is still in the penthouse, but earlier when the four return from Egypt. Rita exclaims how she "can't wait to get out of these clothes and hit some of the nightspots". Henry tells them not to waste time and that the "floorshow at the Copacabana
Copacabana (nightclub)
The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba...
starts in ten minutes". The scene where Tom makes his speech is then replayed.
In a brief scene, Delilah, Rita's maid, makes the bed while Rita does her nails. Delilah asks Rita if something's on her mind.
Cast of characters
- Henry: a rich playwright
- Jason: Henry's confidante
- Rita: a socialite
- Tom Baxter: an "explorer, poet, adventurer" of the Chicago Baxters
- The Countess: a wealthy woman
- Larry Wilde: the Countess' date
- Arturo: the maître d' at the CopacabanaCopacabana (nightclub)The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba...
- The BandleaderBandleaderA bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
: the leader of the band at the CopacabanaCopacabana (nightclub)The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba... - Kitty Haynes: a chanteuse at the CopacabanaCopacabana (nightclub)The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba...
who catches Tom's eye - Delilah: Rita's African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
maid