Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle

Last updated

Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Alan Rudolph
Written by Alan Rudolph
Randy Sue Coburn
Produced by Robert Altman
Starring
Cinematography Jan Kiesser
Edited bySuzy Elmiger
Music by Mark Isham
Production
company
Distributed by Fine Line Features
Release date
  • September 7, 1994 (1994-09-07)
Running time
126 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million [1]
Box office$2,144,667 [2]

Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle is a 1994 American biographical drama film directed by Alan Rudolph from a screenplay written by Rudolph and Randy Sue Coburn. The film stars Jennifer Jason Leigh as writer Dorothy Parker and depicts the members of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of writers, actors and critics who met almost every weekday from 1919 to 1929 at Manhattan's Algonquin Hotel.

Contents

The film was an Official Selection at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Palme d'Or. The film was a critical but not a commercial success. Leigh won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress.

Peter Benchley, who plays editor Frank Crowninshield, was the grandson of humorist Robert Benchley, who once worked underneath Crowninshield. Actor Wallace Shawn is the son of William Shawn, the longtime editor of The New Yorker .

Plot

During the Prohibition era in the United States, the Algonquin Hotel is a hub for the "Vicious Circle," a group of intellectuals. Among them is Dorothy Parker, a successful writer. Dealing with a troubled marriage to a drug addict, she finds solace in the genuine friendship of Robert Benchley, a colleague at Vanity Fair . The "Vicious Circle" successfully stages an improvisational theatrical performance, leading Dorothy to cross paths with Charles MacArthur. Their relationship results in abandonment and an abortion, further shaping her sharp and skeptical character.

Amidst depression, Dorothy attempts suicide, but Robert intervenes, choosing not to pursue a romantic involvement due to fear of potential heartbreak. Without the prospect of love, Dorothy and Robert navigate separate paths, seeking solace in different relationships and experiences. In 1945, Dorothy discovers Robert's death from cirrhosis of the liver, adding another layer of hardship. Attempts at psychoanalysis fail to alleviate the darkness within her. In 1958, aged and increasingly isolated in New York, she receives a significant literary award.

Cast

Given the historical impact of many of the people portrayed in the film, the ensemble nature of the cast led to opening credits displaying all 30 actors listed above. Other historical characters, in brief appearances, included portrayals by Keith Carradine as Will Rogers, Jon Favreau as Elmer Rice, lead character Robert Benchley's grandson – Jaws author Peter Benchley – as Frank Crowninshield, Malcolm Gets as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gisele Rousseau as Polly Adler.

Production

Development

Director Alan Rudolph was fascinated with the Algonquin Round Table as a child when he discovered Gluyas Williams' illustrations in a collection of Robert Benchley's essays. [3] Speaking in 1995, he said "the Algonquin Hotel round table, what it symbolised, and the ripple effect that went out from it, was probably up there in the 50 most significant events of the century". [4] After making The Moderns , a film about American expatriates in 1920s Paris, Rudolph wanted to tackle a fact-based drama set in the same era. He began work on a screenplay with novelist and former Washington Star journalist Randy Sue Coburn about legendary writer Dorothy Parker. In 1992, Rudolph attended a Fourth of July party hosted by filmmaker Robert Altman, who introduced him to actress Jennifer Jason Leigh. Rudolph was surprised by her physical resemblance to Parker and was impressed by her knowledge of the Jazz Age. Leigh was so committed to doing the film that she agreed to make it for "a tenth of what I normally get for a film". [3]

The screenplay originally focused on the platonic relationship between Parker and Robert Benchley, but this did not appeal to any financial backers. [3] There still was no interest even when Altman came on board as producer. The emphasis on Parker was the next change to the script, but Rudolph still had no luck finding financing for "a period biography of a literate woman." [3] Altman used his clout to persuade Fine Line Features and Miramax—two studios he was making films for—to team, with the former releasing Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle domestically and the latter handling foreign distribution. [3] Altman claimed that he forced the film to be made by putting his own money into it, adding, "I put other projects of mine hostage to it. I did a lot of lying." [5]

Filming

Rudolph shot the film in Montreal because the building facades in its old city most closely resembled period New York City. [3] Full financing was not acquired until four weeks into principal photography. [1]

The film's large cast followed Leigh's lead and agreed to work for much lower than their usual salaries. Rudolph invited them to write their own dialogue, which resulted in a chaotic first couple of days of principal photography. Actor Campbell Scott remembered "Everyone hung on to what they knew about their characters and just sort of threw it out there." [3] Actress Jennifer Beals discussed this in her appearance on the Jon Favreau program Dinner for Five , where she stated that while much dialogue was improvised in the style of the real-life characters the actors were playing, many of these characters were not integral to the plot. As such, many of the actors had much larger parts that were edited down to nearly nothing in the film’s final cut. [6]

During the film’s 40-day shoot, the cast stayed in a run-down hotel dubbed Camp Rudolph and engaged in all-night poker games. Leigh chose not to participate in these activities, preferring to stay in character on and off camera. She did a great amount of research for the role and said "I wanted to be as close to her as I possibly could." [3] To this end, Leigh stayed at the Algonquin Hotel for a week and read Parker's entire body of work. In addition, the actress listened repeatedly to the two existing audio recordings of Parker in order to perfect the writer's distinctive voice. Leigh found that Parker "had a sensibility that I understand very, very well. A sadness. A depression." [3]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 76% approval rating based on 33 reviews, with an average score of 6.3/10. [7] A rough cut of Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle was screened at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival where it divided film critics. It was rumored afterwards that Leigh re-recorded several scenes that were too difficult to understand because of her accent but she denied that this happened. [1] The film was an Official Selection at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Palme d'Or. [8]

For her performance in the film, Leigh was nominated for both the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama [9] and Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. [10]

Year-end lists

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Parker</span> American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist (1893–1967)

Dorothy Parker was an American poet and writer of fiction, plays and screenplays based in New York; she was known for her caustic wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles.

Charles Gordon MacArthur was an American playwright, screenwriter, and 1935 winner of the Academy Award for Best Story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Turner (screenwriter)</span> American screenwriter and actress (1936–2016)

Gloria Rose "Barbara" Turner was an American screenwriter and actress. The actress Jennifer Jason Leigh is her daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Jason Leigh</span> American actress (born 1962)

Jennifer Jason Leigh is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). She received critical praise for her performances in Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), Miami Blues (1990), Backdraft (1991), Single White Female (1992), and The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Dorothy Parker in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algonquin Round Table</span> Group of actors, critics, wits, and writers

The Algonquin Round Table was a group of New York City writers, critics, actors, and wits. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of "The Vicious Circle", as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel from 1919 until roughly 1929. At these luncheons they engaged in wisecracks, wordplay, and witticisms that, through the newspaper columns of Round Table members, were disseminated across the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Benchley</span> American writer and actor (1889 – 1945)

Robert Charles Benchley was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and movie actor. From his beginnings at The Harvard Lampoon while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays and articles for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and his acclaimed short films, Benchley's style of humor brought him respect and success during his life, from his peers at the Algonquin Round Table in New York City to contemporaries in the burgeoning film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deems Taylor</span> American composer and music critic (1885–1966)

Joseph Deems Taylor was an American composer, radio commentator, music critic and author. Nat Benchley, co-editor of The Lost Algonquin Roundtable, referred to him as "the dean of American music." He was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin P. Adams</span> American newspaper columnist (1881–1960)

Franklin Pierce Adams was an American columnist known as Franklin P. Adams and by his initials F.P.A. Famed for his wit, he is best known for his newspaper column, "The Conning Tower", and his appearances as a regular panelist on radio's Information Please. A prolific writer of light verse, he was a member of the Algonquin Round Table of the 1920s and '30s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert E. Sherwood</span> American writer

Robert Emmet Sherwood was an American playwright and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Benchley</span> American author (1940–2006)

Peter Bradford Benchley was an American author. He is best known for his bestselling novel Jaws and co-wrote its movie adaptation with Carl Gottlieb. Several more of his works were also adapted for both cinema and television, including The Deep, The Island, Beast, and White Shark.

Sam Prideaux Robards is an American actor. He is best known for his film roles in American Beauty (1999) and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001). For his performance in the Broadway production of The Man Who Had All the Luck, he received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Rudolph</span> American film director and screenwriter

Alan Steven Rudolph is an American film director and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Hale (feminist)</span> American journalist and womens rights activist (1887–1934)

Ruth Hale was an American journalist who worked for women's rights in New York City during the era before and after World War I. She was married to journalist Heywood Broun and was an associate of the Algonquin Round Table.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Ogden Stewart</span> American author and screenwriter

Donald Ogden Stewart was an American writer and screenwriter best known for his sophisticated golden age comedies and melodramas such as The Philadelphia Story, Tarnished Lady and Love Affair. Stewart worked with a number of the directors of his time, including George Cukor, Michael Curtiz and Ernst Lubitsch. Stewart was a member of the Algonquin Round Table and, with Ernest Hemingway's friend Bill Smith, the model for Bill Gorton in The Sun Also Rises. His 1922 parody on etiquette, Perfect Behavior, published by George H. Doran and Co., was a favourite book of P. G. Wodehouse.

The 7th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards honored the finest achievements in 1994 filmmaking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Chauve-Souris</span>

La Chauve-Souris was the name of a touring revue during the early 1900s. Originating in Moscow and then Paris, and directed by Nikita Balieff, the revue toured the United States, Europe, and South Africa. The show consisted of songs, dances, and sketches, most of which had been originally performed in Russia. The revue was enormously successful in the U.S., and one of its legacies is the popularization of the jaunty tune The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers by Leon Jessel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Crowninshield</span> American editor, art and theater critic (1872–1947)

Francis Welch Crowninshield was an American journalist and art and theater critic best known for developing and editing the magazine Vanity Fair for 21 years, making it a pre-eminent literary journal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Case</span>

Frank Case was an American hotelier and author. He owned and managed the Algonquin Hotel during the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table and wrote a number of books about his experiences with the hotel and the Round Tablers.

Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. is an American film editor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Critics' Choice Movie Award, a Hollywood Film Award and a Satellite Award, and has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards and four Eddie Awards.

<i>Vanity Fair</i> (American magazine 1913–1936) American magazine published 1913–1936

Vanity Fair was an American society magazine published from 1913 to 1936. It was highly successful until the Great Depression led to its becoming unprofitable, and it was merged into Vogue in 1936. In the 1980s, the title was revived.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Appelo, Tim (December 23, 1994). "How "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle" got made". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  2. ↑ Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle at Box Office Mojo
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Carpenter, Tessa (August 29, 1993). "Back to the Round Table With Dorothy Parker and Pals..." The New York Times . Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  4. ↑ Johnston, Trevor (March 10, 1995). "Living by her wits". The List . The List. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  5. ↑ Weinraub, Bernard (July 29, 1993). "Robert Altman, Very Much A Player Again". The New York Times . Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  6. ↑ Dinner for Five . Season 1. Episode 8. June 3, 2002. IFC.
  7. ↑ "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Winners & Nominees 1995". goldenglobes.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Independent Spirit Awards Nominees 1995" (PDF). Film Independent . p. 46. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  11. ↑ Mills, Michael (December 30, 1994). "It's a Fact: 'Pulp Fiction' Year's Best". The Palm Beach Post (Final ed.). p. 7.
  12. ↑ Howe, Desson (December 30, 1994), "The Envelope Please: Reel Winners and Losers of 1994", The Washington Post, retrieved July 19, 2020
  13. ↑ Schuldt, Scott (January 1, 1995). "Oklahoman Movie Critics Rank Their Favorites for the Year Without a Doubt, Blue Ribbon Goes to "Pulp Fiction," Scott Says". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  14. ↑ Zoller Seitz, Matt (January 12, 1995). "Personal best From a year full of startling and memorable movies, here are our favorites". Dallas Observer .
  15. ↑ Pickle, Betsy (December 30, 1994). "Searching for the Top 10... Whenever They May Be". Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 3.
  16. ↑ Simon, Jeff (January 1, 1995). "Movies: Once More, with Feeling". The Buffalo News . Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  17. ↑ Lovell, Glenn (December 25, 1994). "The Past Picture Show the Good, the Bad and the Ugly -- a Year Worth's of Movie Memories". San Jose Mercury News (Morning Final ed.). p. 3.
  18. ↑ MacCambridge, Michael (December 22, 1994). "it's a LOVE-HATE thing". Austin American-Statesman (Final ed.). p. 38.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.