Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Social Network's Parable of Roy Raymond

If there is a moment that the film The Social Network seems to really achieve something, it is the scene where Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) shares the story of Roy Raymond with Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg).

They're at a loud club and Parker's date, a Victoria's Secret model leaves for a moment providing an ideal opportunity for Parker to share the story of Roy Raymond, the founder of Victoria's Secret.
Raymond was a graduate of Tuft's University and the Stanford School of Business. Raymond is said to have opened Victoria's Secret after experiencing embarrassment associated with trying to buy his wife lingerie in a public store environment. The company started out as a catalogue, and after 5 years, in 1982, he was able to sell the company to The Limited. A decade later, in 1993 at the age of 47 he committed suicide jumping off the Golden Gate bridge.

I love this scene because it really helps to carry the theme of this film between the connection between Zuckerberg's personal desires mixed with his business success that came as a side-effect of something much more personal.

I think this "parable" in the film serves to suggest that worldly success achieved at handling a different personal deficiency and fear does not assuage the personal issue at the core.

I thought this scene was really the heartbeat of the film, and the scene after watching the film I think of most often. David Fincher's inclusion of this moment and Aaron Sorkin's writing of this scene really demonstrates some true artistry and message.

3 comments:

Dale said...

I watched the movie and I think it's great. I saw the scene between those two guys and I find everything they said interesting.

business consultant

William Wagner said...

The scene shows how the business of Roy Raymond went, and it definitely helped Mark do the things he does in his own business.

form an llc

virtual office said...

Let's not forget that the movie wasn't an accurate depiction of Mark's claim to fame. Who knows if Roy actually helped?