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

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 'play fair'. This moral statement, although somewhat of a parody, shows us that it is possible to be brought into a totally different era (the 1930's) and genre (fantasy) and still have something to think about after having watched the movie.
The ending of the film is one that has come as a surprise and disappointment to many viewers. …