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. 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." 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." Reception On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a approval rating based on reviews, with an average score of . 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. The film was an Official Selection at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Palme d'Or. For her performance in the film, Leigh was nominated for both the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. Year-end lists 4th – Michael Mills, The Palm Beach Post 6th – Desson Howe, The Washington Post 10th – Scott Schuldt, The Oklahoman Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Jimmy Fowler, Dallas Observer Top 10 (not ranked) – Betsy Pickle, Knoxville News-Sentinel Honorable mention – Jeff Simon, The Buffalo News Honorable mention – Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News Honorable mention – Michael MacCambridge, Austin American-Statesman References External links 1994 films 1994 drama films 1990s biographical drama films 1990s English-language films American biographical drama films Films directed by Alan Rudolph Films scored by Mark Isham Films set in hotels Films set in Manhattan Films set in the 1920s Films set in the 1930s Films set in the 1940s