Jun 17, 2014 the coen brothers got the title for their film o brother, where art thou. Sullivans travels is a 19421 american comedy film written and directed by preston sturges. To date, i have bought sullivans travels four times one criterion dvd my first exposure to the film, a barebones inclusion in a big preston sturges dvd collection nothing to write home about, but then again sullivans travels wasnt the reason i bought the set in the first place, the criterion bluray upgrade earlier this year excellent and probably more than sufficient for most r1. Sullivans travels 1941, directed by preston sturges film.
Some minor softness interfered at times, but not with any frequency, so most of the movie a. Sullivans travels furthered my love of veronica lake who i grow to enjoy with every film and convinced me to seek out the rest of preston sturges films. Preston sturgess 1941 insidehollywood comedy gave the coen brothers both the title and the premise of o brother, where art thou. I want to explain who gullivers travels is for, and who it might not be for. Five brave sullivan brothers died on this day in 1942. Even though grounded in 1930s depressionera anxieties, hobo camps and issues, the film still charms today maybe even more so, considering how much range of emotion writerdirector preston sturges evokes, from hilarity to horror. The title is taken from jonathan swifts classic tale of selfdiscovery, gullivers travels 1726.
En route to enlightenment, he encounters a lovely but nononsense young woman veronica. The title is a reference to gullivers travels, the. He was a wellconnected anarchist in a system that frowned on such tendencies unless they made money. With such an aura of legend around it i expected a lot and it delivered. Joel mccrea, in full joel albert mccrea, born november 5, 1905, south. It is written and directed by preston sturges, who. Reaching for the sun russ elliott 1941 sullivan s travels. Sullivan s travels is not remotely a defense of junk, but it does respect comedy as a force for escapism, and it does roll its eyes at wouldbe makers of art chasing after prestige and meaning. Advised by his servants that the poor resent having the rich intrude upon them, sullivan escapes his retinue and continues his travels incognito. And to complete the satirical cycle, it winds up saying something about social ills and world horrors after all. Sullivan joel mccrea is an idealist filmmaker who decides to make a serious, socially responsible movie instead of his typical comedic fare. Even though grounded in 1930s depressionera anxieties, hobo camps and issues, the film still charms today maybe even more so, considering how much range of emotion writerdirector preston sturges evokes, from hilarity to horror, while.
Sullivans travels 1941 full movie hd sullivans travels 1941 full movie hd sullivans travels 1941 full movie hd. Eric blore sullivan s valet robert greig sullivan s butler byron foulger mr. Tired of churning out lightweight comedies, hollywood director john l. Sturges himself was in the midst of the great depression.
One of his more interesting and intelligent films from a repertoire of about twelve films in his entire career, sturges sullivan s travels satirizes hollywood pretension and excesses with his particular brand. Sullivans travels is an excellent, satirical film that combines an adorable, romantic story with a hardhitting social relevance that 1941 needed. Rent sullivan s travels 1942 starring joel mccrea and veronica lake on dvd and bluray. Sullivans travels is a curious but effective mixture of grim tragedy, slapstick of the key stone brand and smart, triggerfast comedy. Sullivan s travels 1941 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Sullivan, convinced he wont be able to film his ambitious masterpiece until he has suffered, dons a hobo disguise and sets off on a journey, aiming to know trouble firsthand. An escapist comedy about a hollywood director known for making only lightweight comedies who now wants to make a socially responsible film about human suffering and hardship during depression era america, holds up quite well today and contains many memorable sequences. Sullivan joel mccrea battles with the studio heads about his next project, o brother, where art thouthe bigwigs think that he doesnt know enough about human suffering to lead a flick about the struggles of the underclass and feel he. Veronica lake and joel mccrea in sullivans travels 1941 joel mccrea in sullivans travels 1941 veronica. The coen brothers were so influenced by sullivans travels they named their film o brother, where art thou. Preston sturges pokes at the movie industry in 1942 s sullivans travels. Nov 09, 2000 preston sturges was a writerdirector the like of which we havent seen since.
But the way his assemblage of characters so often seem to realise. It is a satire about hollywoods top director of comedies, played by joel mccrea, who longs to make a socially relevant drama, but eventually learns that creating laughter is his greatest contribution to society. Deserving of eternal veneration as the first screenwriter to decisively break through as a director, sturges paved the way for the likes of john. Over each of the last twenty days, a different blog has written about a movie that must somehow connect to the previous days film. A hollywood director, john l sullivan, sets out to experience life as a poor, homeless person in order to gain relevant life experience for his next movie.
Sullivans travels 1941 a newly available from the criterion collection see product notes sdg original source. Mar 05, 2017 sullivans travels 1941 full movie hd sullivans travels 1941 full movie hd sullivans travels 1941 full movie hd. Path 1940, sullivans travels 1941, the palm beach story 1942, and the. As sully treads the road dressed in a hobo outfit from the studio costume department. Sullivans travels 1941 directed by preston sturges. In preston sturges classic comedy of depressionera america. With joel mccrea, veronica lake, robert warwick, william demarest. Sullivan, acclaimed director, jumps up into the light, full of excitement and passion over the truth and symbolism of the film wethey just. Tonally, the film is a real paradox, a movie where gravity and humor exist sidebyside, a tragicomic picture whose subject is comedy and whose premise is a serious onethat a. Like listening to someone else tell you about their dream. Sullivan joel mccrea decides to make o brother, where art thou.
Sullivans travel s1941 is considered by many film historians to be director preston sturges finest film. Aug 23, 2014 sullivans travels 1942 this is my contribution to the build your own blogathon hosted by the fantastic classic film and tv cafe. The ballad of narayama is a japanese film of great beauty and. Sullivans travels is a comedy film with a social message, made in 1941, written and directed by preston sturges and starring joel mccrea and veronica lake. After his producers point out that he knows nothing of hardship, sullivan hits the road disguised as a hobo. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing sullivan s travels near you.
Sullivan s travels is a gem, an almost serious comedy not taken entirely seriously, with wonderful dialogue, eccentric characterisations, and superlative performances throughout. Sullivans travels is a 1942 american comedy film written and directed by preston sturges. Some minor softness interfered at times, but not with any frequency, so most of the movie appeared acceptably accurate and concise. Sullivan s travel s1941 is considered by many film historians to be director preston sturges finest film. Sullivan s travels 49 movie clip meeting the girl 1941 hd duration. Cripple creek western movie hd1080p english full length classic feature film duration. Sullivan s travels 1941 is generally considered one of celebrated writerdirector preston sturges greatest dramatic comedies and a satirical statement of his own directors creed. Catholic digest the comic genius preston sturges believed that laughter is the best medicine, and that what people in hard times want is to forget their troubles and escape for 90 minutes or so into a world of lighthearted comedy, snappy repartee and slapstick silliness. It is a satire about a movie director, played by joel mccrea, who longs to make a socially relevant drama, but eventually learns that comedies are his more valuable contribution to society. Sullivan s travels is a 1941 american comedy film written and directed by preston sturges. Complete national film registry listing film registry national film preservation board programs at the library. Sullivans middle name is lloyd, which may be a reference to sturgess paramount stable mate, frank lloyd. Dec 10, 2012 the dilemma i faced in classifying sullivans travels is that it doesnt fit comfortably into either the comedyhaha or the comedynot tragedy modes of humor.
Sturges started writing sullivans travels in february 1941 and he started shooting. Sullivan, an ambitious bigshot director known for his successful feelgood comedies, insists he must make a more important film exploring real issues, namely the grinding poverty that many americans still face even though the great depression is supposedly over. Sullivans travels, american dramedy film, released in 1941, considered. The top two images are from sullivans travels, the bottom from the palm beach story. Eventually, god shows him that people need laughter and humor to lift up their spirits. The coen brothers got the title for their film o brother, where art thou. Although there are some issues with the tone of this story, sturges was in a fantastic place with his great cast to carry this very entertaining comedy. In one scene in sullivans travels, actor joel mccrea parodies chaplins signature little tramp character.
Sullivan s travels was an instant hit when it opened, despite or maybe because of the infamous japanese sneak attack on pearl harbor dominating headlines. It is a satire about a movie director, played by joel mccrea, who. But sullivan s studio transforms his odyssey into a publicity stunt, providing the wouldbe nomad with a luxury van, complete with butler robert greig and valet. Sharpness usually worked reasonably well, at least.
Sullivans travels preston sturges 1942 preston sturges sullivans travels moves at a such an astonishing fever pitch for much of its first half, that its unfortunate that it eventually gets bogged down a bit by a message. It is a richly comic movie interspersed with some surprising passages of deeply moving drama. A director joel mccrea of escapist films goes on the road as a hobo to learn. Norman ferguson wilfred jackson jack kinney hamilton luske bill roberts production company.
Directed by the gifted screenwriterdirector preston sturges, sullivans travels has a nearperfect balance of humor, pathos and moral commentary. Sullivan joel mccrea is reunited with the girl veronica lake and his staff, and reconsiders filming o brother, where art thou, in the final scene from preston sturges sullivan s travels, 1942. The greatest movies ever made roger ebert roger ebert. A feature film event that still looks like the tv show, where bigger setups doesnt necessarily translate to funnier. The palm beach story full full movie, the palm beach story full full movie streaming the palm beach story full movie engsub watch the palm beach story full english full movie online the palm. Subscribers may view the full text of this article in its original form through timesmachine. But sullivans studio transforms his odyssey into a publicity stunt, providing the wouldbe nomad with a luxury van, complete with butler robert greig and valet.
The film features one of veronica lakes first leading roles. Sullivan s travels written and directed by preston sturges, sullivan s travels is one of the greatest hollywood satires ever made. Sullivans travels 1941 letterboxd social film discovery. Sullivans travels 1941 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. When all he finds is a train ride back to hollywood and a beautiful blonde companion, he redoubles his efforts, managing to land himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he. Sullivans travels, american dramedy film, released in 1941.
Sturges views on the value of film clearly transcends into his 1942 film sullivans travels. To date, i have bought sullivan s travels four times one criterion dvd my first exposure to the film, a barebones inclusion in a big preston sturges dvd collection nothing to write home about, but then again sullivan s travels wasnt the reason i bought the set in the first place, the criterion bluray upgrade earlier this year excellent and probably more than sufficient for most r1. Sullivans travels has an entry in so many best of or top ten lists that to name them would be ridiculous. A hollywood director joel mccrea poses as a hobo for his next work, a serious social epic. Sullivans travels the current the criterion collection. Sullivan dreams of making a film called brother, where art thou, dealing with the misery of the povertystricken, and convinces the studio executives to allow him to do research by traveling crosscountry disguised as a hobo. Joel mccrea full list of movies and tv shows in theaters, in production and upcoming films. Full text is unavailable for this digitized archive article. I didnt think this was a great image, but it usually held up well. Sullivans travels is an old film, but the themes still feel current. So firmly ingrained into the discourse of classic hollywood films is sullivans travels that earlier in the century, turner classic movies includes scenes form the film in its promos for its weekly edition of the essentials with the nowfamiliar trope that the film became a classic in part due to its underlying argument that the gift of. Sullivan s travels is a 1942 1 american comedy film written and directed by preston sturges.
Veronica lake and joel mccrea in sullivans travels 1941 joel mccrea in sullivans. Path 1940, sullivans travels 1941, the palm beach story 1942, and. Sullivans travels is a 1941 american comedy film written and directed by preston sturges. After his travels posing as a hobo and his various experiences he decides to make a comedy, because he now believes people would rather laugh and feel good than be miserable watching a drama about the everyday realities and troubles theyre dealing with. Deserving of eternal veneration as the first screenwriter to decisively break through as a director, sturges paved the way for the likes of john huston. Sullivans travels was an instant hit when it opened, despite or maybe because of the infamous japanese sneak attack on pearl harbor dominating headlines. The affairs of jimmy valentine full full movie streaming the affairs of jimmy valentine full movie engsub watch the affairs of jimmy valentine full english full movie online the affairs of jimmy. A film about a filmmaker determined to make a movie that represented the hardships of the time he was living in. Sullivans travels, american dramedy film, released in 1941, considered by many to be director preston sturgess finest film. The bbc is not responsible for the content of external websites. Capra is namechecked in the film, and sullivans first name john may be a reference to john ford. Perhaps not entirely, since sturges, like sullivan, never quite knew how to do it. Sullivans travels veronica lake joel mccrea part 1 video. Walt disney productionsions cartoon that is shown is the 1934 short playful pluto.
Though watchable, the film showed its age through this spotty transfer. Sullivans travels joel mccrea veronica lake robert warwick 1942 a hollywood directors desire to produce a film about real people and human suffering leads him on an odyssey as a hobo. A hollywood director, john l sullivan, sets out to experience life as a poor, homeless person in. The plot involves john lloyd sullivan played by joel mccrea, a pampered. The sweetest, most generoushearted satire of the hollywood film industry the town has ever produced, sullivans travels was the fourth of the eight films preston sturges made during his astonishingly prolific streak between 1940 and 1944. Sullivans travels 1941 joel mccrea veronics lake dvd new. I think the same furniture was used in a previous paramountpreston sturgesjoel mccrea film, sullivans travels 1942. Who were the sullivan brothers brothers who died in wwii. Sullivans travels is a gem, an almost serious comedy not taken entirely. Irresistible tale of a hollywood director, tired of making comedies and bent on branching out with an arthouse epic called brother. The film opens with an exceptionally long take in a boardroom that shows us such rapidfire verbal sharpness. As sully treads the road dressed in a hobo outfit from the studio costume department, a fullyequipped land yacht, complete with. Sullivans travels 1942 movie clip o brother, where. Joel mccrea, in full joel albert mccrea, born november 5, 1905, south pasadena.
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