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Sullivan's Travels [DVD] [1941]

DVD ~ Joel McCrea

3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

RRP:	�9.99
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Product details

Actors: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick, William Demarest, Franklin Pangborn
Directors: Preston Sturges
Writers: Preston Sturges
Producers: Preston Sturges, Buddy G. DeSylva, Paul Jones
Format: Black & White, PAL
Language English
Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Classification: PG
Studio: Universal Pictures UK
DVD Release Date: 2 Oct 2006
Run Time: 87 minutes

Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

ASIN: B00079FGXA
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,055 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)
Popular in these categories:
#73 in DVD > Classics > Comedy
#78 in DVD > Action & Adventure > Comedy

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Writer-director Preston Sturges's third feature, 1941's Sullivan's Travels, remains the antic auteur's most ambitious screen effort. Having added the producer's stripe to his duties, Sturges combines breezy romantic comedy, arch Hollywood satire, and social essay into a single, screwball story line. The titular pilgrim is John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea), an Ivy League grad who's enjoyed a meteoric rise as the director behind escapist movies like Ants in Your Pants of 1938, but is now determined to raise his sights toward more exalted, serious-minded cinematic art. His proposed breakthrough, portentously titled O Brother, Where Art Thou?, elicits a studio response closer to "Oh, brother," given the director's utter lack of first-hand experience on the wrong side of the tracks.

Instead of capitulating, Sullivan sets off disguised as a tramp, ready to meet life's crueler lessons face-to-face--albeit followed at a discreet distance by a motor home filled with studio handlers and reporters. His ludicrous odyssey may give the boy director no real insight, but it gives Sturges the chance to inject some reliably fine gags and a romantic subplot featuring the luminous Veronica Lake. It's at this juncture that Sturges the writer's darker objective throws a jolting shift in tone. Suffice it to say that just when a comic, upbeat denouement seems imminent, Sullivan travels instead from the sunlit California of the comedy's early reels toward a darker, relentlessly downbeat world influenced more by the social realism of the movies the hero desperately wants to make. By the final reel, Sturges has flirted with real tragedy, turning his conclusion into a meditation on his own seemingly carefree, dizzily comic art. --Sam Sutherland

Synopsis
A director of escapist films is forced to reassess reality when he researches his next film by taking to the road as a hobo.

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "There's a lot to be said for making people laugh.", 7 Nov 2005

By	Steven Y. "Pop Culture Addict" (Marvel Universe 616) - See all my reviews

Preston Sturges' "Sullivan's Travels" is a film about a great deal many things. Yet, despite its pointed commentary on the social and economic ills inherent in American society, its core message is an important one - people should never underestimate the important role laughter plays in their everyday lives.

Film director John Sullivan (Joel McCrea) tells his studio bosses that he has grown tired of making comedies and wants to direct a project with more substance. He comes up with a plan to pose as a vagrant in order to learn first-hand how the real world treats the less fortunate. After he comes back from his masquerade, Sullivan plans to use his experiences to make an important and socially-conscious new work. A young, struggling actress (Veronica Lake) joins him on his journey but Sullivan's plans go awry when a strange series of circumstances leads to his imprisonment.

"Sullivan's Travels" sometimes feels like it is biting off more than it can chew. Sturges uses Sullivan's 90-minute cinematic trek to comment upon the economic and artistic conflicts present in the Hollywood system, the plight of the downtrodden, and the troubling problems that exist in the American justice and prison systems. Trying to cover so much ground proves disorienting as the story oftentimes abruptly changes its focus. However, "Sullivan's Travels" nonetheless mostly succeeds in its multi-tasking endeavor and turns out to be both an entertaining and thought-provoking viewing experience. McCrea is perfectly cast in the lead role and Veronica Lake oozes with screen presence in every frame she occupies. Chalk up "Sullivan's Travels" as a journey that was well worth taking.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, 25 Mar 2009

By	Elizabeth Campbell (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have never seen this movie before but some of the sentiment is as relevant today as when it was made. Thoroughly enjoyable.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not amazing, 31 Jan 2009

By	Gary P. Davies "captainspiky" (Wales) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This film is regarded as a `classic', though personally I can't really see that it merits such distinction. It's entertaining, certainly, and there are laugh out loud moments along the way. But the screwball style comedy and the pacy dialogue all see a little unsubtle, like everybody is trying a bit too hard.
This period in Hollywood history gave us a wonderful array of feel-good comedies, but if you want to watch one of those try Harvey or Mr Deeds Goes To Town (or indeed anything by Frank Capra). They all have a lightness of touch and charm that is missing here. And I personally find it a little crass to be so self-aggrandising - Preston Sturges' message is that making comedies when the world is in dire straits is just about the most noble, worthwhile thing you can do, and that Hollywood performs a vital service. Surely this message would have more weight if it didn't come direct from a Hollywood comedy director.
On the plus side, you never quite know where the plot will take you, and it certainly pulls the rug out from under you at times. The performances are good, and Veronica Lake has the captivating screen presence you would expect from a 1940s leading lady. Furthermore, film buffs and fans of the Coen Brothers will be delighted to discover where they got their inspiration for the film O Brother Where Art Thou?
If you want an hour and a half's amusing diversion then this film will do admirably, but as a serious commentary on society I fear it is far too dated to have any real impact.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Great Preston Sturges
I thought it went without saying that this is one of the most positive and entertaining films from a period with a cliched embarrassment of riches but I see it gets only a three... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Don't Call me Allaiyah

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