Cultural Opportunity: "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle"

"I'll wear my heart on my sleeve like a wet, red stain." ~Dorothy Parker.

            For my third cultural opportunity, I chose to watch the film Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle. I mainly chose this because of doing research on the Algonquin Roundtable Movement. This film really did fill me in quite a lot about her life. Surprisingly the movie had many memorable actors and actresses play the parts of all the people from the table.

            First off the film definitely has the 20’s feel to it. The director (Alan Rudolph) I feel really succeeded on bringing that forward. Throughout the film there is an occasional switch in tone to get the feel of “present” and "past" experiences of Mrs. Parker. The more “present” portrayal of Dorothy was shot in Black and White… it was very dull and dreary. Where as when the film was going through her "past" life with the table, it was shot in color and felt livelier. Also with the black and white scenes, it always shows Dorothy saying her poems. In a way I felt like I really got to understand her writings much more than just reading them. I also have a larger perspective on the 20’s in general. How tough it had to be a woman trying to get a job with writing. Many men would not have that, but the Algonquin Roundtable certainly did not mind. They loved her, and I feel this film really portrayed that.

            I have a larger respect for Dorothy Parker. Her life really was full of more downs than ups. Overall this movie for me was pretty slow and seemed to drag on, but I actually quite enjoyed it. If I hadn’t researched information on the table before watching this I don’t think I would appreciate it as much. While watching it I was quite surprised at a couple of actors within the film. Matthew Broderwick plays a love affair of Dorothy’s and Gwenith Paltrow plays a small part of a woman named Paula Hunt. All the other actors also did a FANTASTIC job. The lead lady who played Dorothy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) really drew me into the character, the man who played Robert Benchley (Campbell Scott) was another that I really enjoyed watching. The one man that I even loved before watching the film was Alexander Woollcott (Tom McGowan). I believe I just really enjoyed this movie because it tells the lives, of all the different people that I had learned about.