Running Time: 90 minutesDirected By: Preston Sturges
Written By: Preston Sturges
Main Cast: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick, William Demarest, Franklin Pangborn
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THE KING OF COMEDIES?
With "Bergman Week" behind me, I decided to go back to the days of black & white pictures, around the time period (within a few decades anyway) of where my journey began and take a look at yet another Preston Sturges comedy - "Sullivan's Travels".
Joel McCrea is John L. Sullivan, one of the hottest picture director's in town, a man who has dedicated his life to making comedies (films like Ants In Your Pants, for example). However, up until now, his life's work has been more about making money, rather than making poignant pictures. Sully decides that it's time to make a statement with one of his films and announces his decision to make a film called O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a film that explores the misfortunes of the poor. He figures that people want to watch something that they can relate to and since times are so tough, it's perfect timing. Sully's studio boss reminds him that he doesn't know anything about being on the streets or what it's like to be someone who's less fortunate. Sully agrees and decides to take to the streets and find out, first hand, what it's like to be a tramp. Along the way he meets a girl (Lake), because, let's face it - "There's always a girl in the picture!". The girl becomes so attached to him (in record time actually) that she insists on following him around like a lost puppy dog and participating in the experiment with him.
Me and this movie just didn't click. I think my main problem with it, is that I was expecting something different. In fact, I shouldn't have known what to expect. Of the two Preston Sturges films I've watched for the book, one I thought was brilliant ("The Palm Beach Story") and the other...not so much ("The Lady Eve"). However, I had heard the basic plot synopsis for this film (I need to stop reading those) and thought it sounded like something that I'd really take to. Actually, to me it kinda' sounded like "It Happened One Night" (which I loved), where we'd have a guy and a girl go from strangers to lovers and along the way, treat us to a good road comedy. That's not really what I got at all. I had some problems with the script, to be honest. The basic structure sounded like gold - a rich man sets out with ragged clothes and a dime in his pocket to learn about the plight of the downtrodden. However, every time the film got going, the plot had a wrench thrown into it and I never really got that road comedy I was looking for. In fact, when Sully and the girl finally do get out on the road, their entire trip is told through a montage, that lasts no more than five minutes.SPOILER ALERT!
With that all being said, let me say that everything past Sully handing the one thousand dollars in $5 bills out to his former, fellow tramps was really great. Sully handing out the $5's, being beaten over the head and robbed for his money, waking up on a train car, viciously assaulting a train station employee with a rock and getting sentenced to six years of hard labor in a prison camp, where he realizes that comedies are essential and plotting to get out of prison so that he can make more. Not to mention, being pronounced dead and having his wife (whom he hates and who won't grant him a divorce) re-marry under the circumstances and opening the door wide for him to marry Veronica (or whatever her name was - "the girl"). That right there is an ENTIRE 'freaking movie, in itself!! That sounds amazing to me and everything I just wrote up there literally takes up about the final twenty minutes of the film. For my money, that's way too much gold to cram into twenty minutes. And the beginning wasn't good enough to warrant such a fabulous ending.
The reason I suggest that this movie may be the "King of Comedies" is, obviously, because of its message - comedies are essential and provide more of an escape. It's a nice message, really. Let's face it, comedies aren't usually on the top of a film snobs list of favorite genres, they never receive Oscar nominations (at least not the LOL comedies, the ones that really make you howl) and the ones that do make you howl are usually written off as nothing but garbage (usually by yours truly). But Sturges takes a stand for all comedies, for all-times to come - they're essential and as long as they keep the busting the gut's of the audience, they will always have a place in the American cinema scene.
RATING: 5.5./10 I know, I know, that seems really harsh, but all in all, I just wasn't crazy about it. They're were script issues, as far as I'm concerned and had it been a little more polished (at least for my tastes) it could've gone a lot further.
MOVIES WATCHED: 417
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 584
March 26, 2012 8:39pm
It somehow seemd apropriate you should follow the Berman season.. all that heavy , full of message stuff, with a film about someone wanting to make a heavy 'message' movie, but learning that perhaps a good comedy is (at the very least) just as good, and in fact, more what the people want and need.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was disagreeing with you at first, that it didn't work for you.. but then I realised that I actually felt the same on several points.. that it seemed to promise a road movie, and didn't.. Quite right. I perhaps didn't feel that mattered all that much to me.
Not a 'Great' film, but a good one, and a valid entry in the book.
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