The Purple Rose of Cairo
A disillusioned Depression‑era waitress seeks escape in a beloved romance film, only to have its dashing hero step off the screen and into her world, forcing her to choose between fantasy’s comforting illusion and the messy realities of life.
“She's finally met the man of her dreams. He's not real, but you can't have everything.”
Synopsis
Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, enduring a monotonous existence during the Great Depression. Her sole respite from the dullness of daily life is the movie theater. When she loses her job, Cecilia goes to see *The Purple Rose of Cairo* to lift her spirits, repeatedly watching the adventures of the charming archaeologist, Tom Baxter.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 170+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Susan E MorseShot by Gordon WillisScored by Dick HymanDesigned by Stuart WurtzelSound by Rick Dior Nm0228047Costumes by Jeffrey Kurland
Box Office
1985 · Box office
📉 Underperformed — grossed 0.7× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$10.6M
Opening weekend: $114K — 1% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $191K — 2% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 3 theaters
Also known as
- Purple Rose of Cairode
- La Rose pourpre du Cairefr
- La rosa purpurea del Cairoit
- (Bosnian)Purpurna ruža Kaira
- (Bulgarian)Пурпурната роза от Кайро
Release dates around the world2 countries · showhide
- United StatesJan 26, 1985
- AustraliaMay 9, 1985
Production & Distribution
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Cast & Crew
170 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Jeff Daniels
as Gil Shepherd
Danny Aiello
as Monk
Irving Metzman
as Theater Manager
Stephanie Farrow
as Cecilia's Sister
David Kieserman
as Diner Boss
Elaine Grollman
as Diner Patron
Mia Farrow
as Cecilia
Victoria Zussin
as Diner Patron
Mark Hammond
as Diner Patron
Wade Barnes
as Diner Patron
Joseph G Graham
as Diner Patron
Don Quigley
as Diner Patron
Supporting cast
63Maurice Brenner
as Diner Patron
Paul Herman
as Penny Pitcher
Rick Petrucelli
as Penny Pitcher
Peter Castellotti
as Penny Pitcher
Milton Seaman
as Ticket Buyer
Mimi Weddell
as Ticket Buyer
Tom Degidon
as Ticket Taker
Mary Hedahl
as Popcorn Seller
Edward Herrmann
as Henry
John Wood
as Jason
Deborah Rush
as Rita
Van Johnson
as Larry Wilde
Zoe Caldwell
as The Countess
Eugene J Anthony
as Arturo
Ebb Miller
as Bandleader
Karen Akers
as Kitty Haynes
Annie Joe Edwards
as Delilah
Milo O Shea
as Father Donnelly
Peter Mcrobbie
as The Communist
Camille Saviola
as Olga
Juliana Donald
as Usherette
Dianne Wiest
as Emma
Margaret Thompson
as Movie Audience
George Hamlin
as Movie Audience
Helen Hanft
as Movie Audience
Leo Postrel
as Movie Audience
Helen Miller
as Movie Audience
George Martin
as Movie Audience
Crystal Field
as Movie Audience
Ken Chapin
as Reporter
Robert Trebor
as Reporter
Benjamin Rayson
as Movie Goer
Jean Shevlin
as Movie Goer
Albert S Bennett
as Movie Goer
Martha Sherrill
as Movie Goer
Gretchen Maclane
as Movie Goer
Edwin Bordo
as Movie Goer
Andrew Murphy
as Policeman #1
Tom Kubiak
as Policeman #2
Alexander H Cohen
as Raoul Hirsch
John Rothman
as Mr. Hirsch's Lawyer
Raymond Serra
as Hollywood Executive
George J Manos
as Press Agent
David Tice
as Waiter
James Lynch
as Maitre D
Sydney Blake
as Variety Reporter
Michael Tucker
as Gil's Agent
Peter Von Berg
as Drugstore Customer
David Weber
as Photo Double
Glenne Headly
as Hooker
Willie Tjan
as Hooker
Lela Ivey
as Hooker
Drinda Lalumia
as Hooker
Loretta Tupper
as Music Store Owner
Marty Appel
as Restaurant Patron
Fred Astaire
as Jerry Travers
Murray Bandel
as Extra - Movie Theater
Jacqueline Carol
as Hooker in background
Robert Dahdah
as Crowd
George Maniere
as Trumpet Player at the Copa
Sharon Porter Phillips
James Prendergast
as Waiter
Ginger Rogers
as Dale Tremont
Directors
1Writers
1Producers
8Bob Lefcovich
the producers also thank: Modern Telecommunications, Inc.
Charles H Joffe
executive producer
Fred Astaire
the producers also thank
Gail Sicilia
associate producer
Jack Richards
the producers also thank: Bertrand Island Park
Jack Rollins
executive producer
Michael Peyser
associate producer
Robert Greenhut
Producer
Other crew
92Todd Thaler
additional casting (as Todd Michael Thaler)
Craig Lyman
additional makeup artist (uncredited)
Diane Andolsek
additional music score recording engineer (uncredited)
Justin Scoppa Jr
additional set decorator (as Justin Scoppa)
Andrew D Schwartz
additional still photographer (uncredited)
Kris Cole
apprentice film editor
Kathleen Earle Killeen
apprentice sound editor
Prudence Farrow
art department coordinator
Edward Pisoni
Art Director
W Steven Graham
assistant art director
Douglas C Hart
assistant cameraman
Richard Nord
assistant film editor
Parents Guide
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