Sweet Adversity is an incredible documentary and both my husband and I were glued to it. We had recently moved and once our TV was plugged in this was the first thing we decided to watch and it did not disappoint. Not only does this documentary touch on the historical blacklisting of a Hollywood actress, but with the life and ripple effects that forced Marsha Hunt to make decisions that so obviously changed her life forever in ways I don't think she could have imagined. Via Marsha's own words, and those close to her, a life story that is almost unbelievable unfolded before my eyes. This documentary is told in a clear and compelling way so as to make the viewer feel that they may have traveled Marsha's life path with her as an unseen observer. The film clips and interviews blended beautifully to help me understand the intricacies of events that unfolded during her lifetime. The journey begins with her early life, where her parents' actions helped form and build a character that most of us wish we had, but few of us actually achieve. Not only did I learn how beautiful Marsh is on the outside, but I discovered an inner beauty, a talent, creativity, warmth and truth of character. The years presented during the blacklisting, where Marsha should have been angry and/or searching for some way to keep her career on its meteoric rise, showed a graceful strength where she stood true to her beliefs and to the truth itself. I almost cried for her myself when friends and peers caved to the pressures in order to maintain their careers. They followed the easiest course of action, sacrificing their honor, which then in turn left Marsha hanging by herself with nothing but the truth. Most of us would like to believe we would be Marsha in these situations, but I'm not so sure that faced with the same decisions whether many would be able to stand as true and tall as she did. The most amazing thing was that she went through this difficult period with such grace. Unbelievable! As the documentary moves past those years and Marsha had to decide what to do with her life the story just enhanced what you already had come to discover, which was that Marsha was able to think beyond herself and her own life, even with the loss of her husband, to become such a force for positive change to people around the world. Even though Marsha was so wronged with the horrendous blacklisting it did lead her on a humanitarian path to such wonderful causes like working with the U.N. So, in some bizarre way even though it was a horrible thing for Marsha to go through, her pain and suffering brought about positive changes that benefited so many by forcing her onto a different life path.
I thank Roger Memos for bringing this amazing persons story to life in such a clear and compelling way. I highly recommend this documentary to people of all types. It has great historical meaning, especially in today's climate of discontent, there was information presented that I never knew and on top of it all it was truly heartwarming. Thank you again.
