True film buffs
have ongoing debates about certain cinematic icons to rival rock-and-roll fan’s
preferences between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Charlie Chaplin
admirers are contrasted by those who would hail Buster Keaton as the true king
of silent slapstick, fans of The Three Stooges are often in competition with
The Marx Brothers, and there is an ongoing rivalry between the sentimental
films of Frank Capra and the more cynical and satirical work of Preston Sturges.
The one film which seems to be in contradiction of this distinction between the
two filmmakers seems to be Sullivan’s
Travels, though it is still difficult to decipher how much of this was
sincerity and how much was a subtle back-handed attack from Sturges against
Capra’s iconic and popular style. Whatever the intentions may have been, Sullivan’s Travels remains my favorite
Sturges film for the similarities it shares with that rival filmmaker’s movies.
We are
constantly reminded of Hollywood
Joel McCrea
stars as the title character, a film director named John L. Sullivan. Although
Sullivan is best known for his musicals and lighthearted film fare, he has a
grand ambition to make a film that captures the heartache and struggle of poor
American existence. This opus is called O
Brother, Where Art Thou?, and was clearly calling to mind the success of
John Ford’s adaptation of Grapes of Wrath.
When the studio executives point out that Sullivan has never suffered hardship,
and therefore may not be the best equipped to handle heavy drama, he sets out
on a journey of enlightenment. Thinking that he must live as a poor man in order
to understand them, Sullivan dons a shabby outfit and leaves his possessions
behind for a temporary vacation from privilege.
Despite his
ill-informed first initial attempts to escape, Sullivan repeatedly finds
himself returned to Hollywood Veronica Lake Lake ’s character a name. She is
simple billed as “The Girl,” though this certainly could be referencing the
tendency towards similar neglect in Chaplin’s classics.
This is the dual
pleasure of watching Sullivan’s Travels; not only is it a fun take on the
Screwball film, it has the added challenge and pleasure that comes with
deconstruction. While the film can certainly be enjoyed on a merely surface
level, I find myself far more entertained with the process of going beneath the
surface to attempt to understand the intentions of Sturges. This is a pastime
that is apparently shared by many contributors to this Blu-ray disc’s special
features, including filmmakers Noah Baumbach, Kenneth Bowser, Christopher Guest
and Michael McKean, who offer their praise and opinion in a commentary track
from 2001. There is also a feature-length documentary that Bowser made about
Sturges in 1990 for PBS, an interview with Sandy Sturges from 2001, and
archival interviews and audio recordings of the late filmmaker. These features
were previously available, but this new Blu-ray release comes with anal-new
video essay from film critic David Cairns, as well as a high definition digital
restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack.
Entertainment Value:
8.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8.5/10
Historical
Significance: 9.5/10
Special Features: 9/10
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