Analysis of Cecilia, Tom, and Monk in The Purple Rose of Cairo
The following piece is an analysis regarding the mis-en-scene in the film The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) and the manner in which it influences the depiction and portrayal of three of the film’s main characters: Cecilia, Tom, and Monk. The elements of mis-en-scene I am focusing on are figure expressions and movement, costumes and makeup, and lighting, with a particular focus on figure expressions and movement. Woody Allen has directed this film brilliantly, and his unique style has allowed him to craft the mis-en-scene of the film to portray each of these three characters in vastly different ways. From the opening minutes of the film, the viewer is made aware of Cecilia’s clumsiness and tendency to zone out, as well as her sense of innocence and curiosity through her expressions and movement. These characterization elements are later developed through lighting and costumes and makeup. Additionally, in Tom Baxter’s first actions once he leaps off the silver screen, the viewer is made aware of his assertive, confident, and often impulsive nature through his expressions and movement. Tom’s outstanding moral character, and natural innocence are later emphasized as well through costumes and makeup and lighting. Moreover, Monk’s desire for control and dominance is emphasized through his expression and movement throughout the film. In addition, his questionable moral character and deceptive nature are also emphasized through lighting as well as costumes and makeup throughout the film. I will utilize these examples of figure expression and movement and supplementary examples of costumes and makeup as well as lighting, to further exhibit how these elements of mis-en-scene contribute to the characterization of Cecilia, Tom, and Monk throughout the film.
Beginning with Cecilia, I would argue she is the main character and the one that possess the most evident examples of characterization through mis-en-scene for analysis. As stated above, from the first shot of Cecilia the viewer can glean that she is pensive, with a sort of innocent curiosity about her. This is exemplified throughout the movie by her long, blank, expressionless stares, in this case at the movie poster for The Purple Rose of Cairo. Cecilia’s expression is that of pensiveness and thoughtfulness, she is clearly intrigued by the poster and we are immediately made aware of her love for cinema through this almost trance-like stare. This is of course a figure expression, and in her movement later in the scene her clumsiness is emphasized, as she is almost struck by an object falling from the marquee of the movie theater. Cecilia’s clumsiness is repeatedly emphasized through her movement throughout in the film in fact, as she is pictured fumbling and breaking dishes on multiple instances in her work, as well as in her home. This figure expression and movement seems to indicate Cecilia’s generally nervous personality and her tendencies to fidget with objects. This tendency to fidget is highlighted multiple times throughout the film, Cecilia is often shown clasping or wringing her hands, and she also nervously strokes her ukulele and a bouquet of flowers later in the film.
Cecilia is also portrayed as innocent throughout the film. From a curious innocence in the opening minutes conveyed through expression, this innocence also manifests itself in the way her character is lit throughout the film. Gil Shepard describes Cecilia as having a “magical glow” and I believe we see this when Cecilia is watching the Purple Rose of Cairo for the first time. Even though she is in a movie theater, a dark and not well-lit venue, Cecilia’s face seems to light up the room, and have this natural sense of innocence and purity. By the same token, during this shot we also once again see Cecilia’s thoughtful and pensive nature through her expression. Her eyes are opened very wide and she is quite focused on the movie, not even bothering to look down at her popcorn. This choice of expression also once again conveys to the viewer Cecilia’s focus and the fact that she is invested in the film through her riveted stare.
Cecilia is also shown in costumes and clothing that are very drab and dull in nature. To be fair, I suspect this was largely to represent the attitude and demeanor of the country during the Great Depression, as nearly everyone in the film is depicted wearing neutral hues of brown and beige. I believe that Cecilia’s costumes were also chosen to be drab and unremarkable as a way of highlighting Tom’s unique and extraordinary costume, more on this to follow. Finally, Cecilia is once again shown to be very calculated with a tendency to overthink towards the end of the film. When pondering whether to choose Tom or Gil, Cecilia once again nervously fidgets with her hands on her ukulele and gives off a blank expressionless stare. Cecilia’s nervous and calculated nature often contrasts with that of Tom’s often confident and impulsive nature that I will explore further in the following paragraph.
In contrast with Cecilia’s characterization throughout the film, Tom often acts as a foil in various ways demonstrated through multiple elements of mis-en-scene. Chief among these is Tom’s expression and movement throughout the film. From the first scene when Tom leaps off the silver screen, we are immediately made aware of Tom’s confidence, assertive and often impulsive nature through his expression and movement. Upon emerging from the screen, Tom immediately makes a beeline straight for Cecilia, and hastily proceeds to take her hand and lead her out of the theater in an abrupt and decisive manner. This gives viewers a hint at Tom’s character and foreshadows his often-abrupt actions depicted later in the film. One such instinctive action is later depicted when Tom and Cecilia are out at dinner. Upon realizing neither of them have sufficient funds to pay for the dinner, Tom almost immediately gets up and wants to make a run for it, once again exhibiting his confident nature.
Tom is also depicted as virtuous, comforting, and even reassuring throughout the movie through his expression and movement. During the fight scene with Monk, after winning fair and square, Tom offers a hand to the defeated Monk, his adversary, only to be betrayed and stabbed in the back by Monk who then twists Tom’s hand and knees him in the gut. Tom’s caring and compassionate nature is emphasized later as well during his interactions with the women in the brothel. We see that Tom even acts in this manner towards strangers, when he sits down and places a reassuring hand on Emma’s shoulder in the brothel to comfort her regarding the loss of her child. Another element of mis-en-scene utilized to depict Tom’s character is through costumes and makeup.
As I mentioned earlier, Tom’s costume is similar in color to other characters in the film, as he is clad in a drab, beige archaeologist’s uniform and an ostentatious hat, this costume simultaneously makes him stand out. I believe this represents Tom’s outstanding or extraordinary moral character. He stands out from the crowd not only in appearance, but also in terms of character through his high moral standing. Tom’s near-perfect character is also exemplified through his costume and makeup through the fact that during the fight with Monk he does not get hurt or bleed. Additionally, his hair does not fall out of place and he’s never shown with any bruises or imperfections. These costume and makeup choices once again emphasize Tom’s exemplary moral character.
Finally, Tom is also depicted as innocent, but in a differing way from Cecilia, through lighting. Tom (or in this case Gil) is also described by Cecilia as having the “magical glow”. His face is often well-lit, and this is used to depict his natural shine and purity. Tom’s innocence stems more from his ignorance regarding the way the real-world works, whereas Cecilia’s innocence is more so as a result of curiosity in addition to a lack of being able to fully experience and enjoy life due to being held back by Monk. This is exhibited by the fact that Cecilia says she has never had champagne before. I imagine this is due to Monk’s controlling influence over Cecilia, that which I will delve into in the subsequent paragraph.
As stated above, Monk operates through control and dominance, and these characteristics are primarily exhibited through his expressions and movement. Throughout the film, Monk often gestures with his hands, as if he always has to explain himself and his repeatedly unjustifiable actions to Cecilia. Monk’s demanding nature is also depicted through gestures and expressions with his hands, as he often puts out a hand when demanding money from Cecilia. Furthermore, Monk’s will to assert his dominance is exhibited through other expressions and movement as well, as he often stands up and encroaches Cecilia during conversation to emphasize his physical dominance and imposing figure. Monk demonstrates his aggressive and violent nature with movement several times throughout the film as well, as he is quick to pick a fight with both Tom in the church and Cecilia in their home near the end of the film by grabbing and violently shaking her.
Additionally, during this scene in the church, and in other scenes taking place in Monk and Cecilia’s home, Monk is often cast in shadows and darkness, and is not well-lit. This lighting choice emphasizes his shady and sleazy character. This characterization is also presented through Monk’s costume, particularly the cap that he frequently wears. It often hides some of his face and indicates his deceptive and villainous nature.
In summation, director Woody Allen excellently utilizes several elements of mis-en-scene to convey characterizations of the three main characters in the film The Purple Rose of Cairo. The elements I analyzed were that of figure expressions and movement, costumes and makeup, as well as the lighting that aided in the depiction of Cecilia, Tom, and Monk. Through these elements of mis-en-scene, Allen emphasized Cecilia’s clumsiness, innocence, pensive and calculated nature, as well as her magical glow. Additionally, Allen highlighted Tom’s instinctive, assertive, and confident nature, as well as his tendencies for compassion and care. Tom’s outstanding moral character and magical glow are also expressed as well. Finally, Allen drew attention to Monk’s desire to impose his physicality and control over others, as well as his shady and morally questionable character through these elements of mis-en-scene.
