There's something appealing about those few Woody Allen films in which he doesn't act, as they give us a chance to catch a glimpse of his amazing talent from a different angle. The Purple Rose of Cairo is, if I'm not mistaken, the second time in his career he'd stayed behind the camera (the previous one was Interiors), and much like he would again in the 90's with Everyone Says I Love You and Sweet & Lowdown, Woody has taken the opportunity to examine film and entertainment from a different angle, and not use the kind of sly dialog and dry humor that usually character his starring roles.<br /><br />These films, of course, don't quite have the depth of his earlier, more personal works - namely and especially, Annie Hall and Manhattan. Nor is it as daringly original like 1983's underrated masterpiece Zelig. The Purple Rose of Cairo is closer to it's predecessor of the previous year, Broadway Danny Rose, and like that film it's, on most levels, entertainment as pure in form as Woody has ever made. Still, what both these movies have in abundances is charm and atmosphere, and in my opinion, Purple Rose is the better of the two. In Purple Rose Allen revisits his great love-hate relationship with Hollywood, and he creates a charming ode to Hollywood of the 30's while never neglecting to point out how naive and out of context it really was. Clearly, there's no room for a Manhattenite Woody Allen character in there - he gracefully gives center stage to his spouse and muse Mia Farrow, who gives one of her most powerful performances in an Allen film. She's supported by a lovely young Jeff Daniels and a fantastic Danny Aiello, who both highlight the huge gaps between Hollywood life, small town life and the movies during the Great Depression.<br /><br />The Purple Rose of Cairo is neither deep or particularly involving; the characters and relationships are, for the most part, stereotypical and symbolic and lack any real intense exploration. What Allen does succeed in creating in it, and wonderfully so, is atmosphere, an amazing atmosphere that manages to capture the viewers and transport them. And so, even if it's neither extremely important nor extremely funny, Purple Rose is grabbing and entertaining all the way through, and it manages to blend the comedy, romance and fantasy elements into a perfectly charming piece of cinema. Purple Rose is a pleasure, recommended for viewing with a loved one, in a darkened living room, on a big screen TV, with a big bowl of popcorn.