Details
Movie Description
Frustrated film director Sullivan (Joel McCrea) is fed up with serving out easily digestible but ultimately meaningless chunks of comedy for the studios. He decides to set off across America to rediscover the daily lives of the Joe Lunchpails as research for his socially responsible next film, O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? Giving up all his unnecessaries, he begins his cross-country road trip in hobo's clothes with barely a dime in his pocket to regain his focus.
Synopsis
Comic maverick Preston Sturges writes and directs this seriously insightful satire in which a successful yet naive director of fluff films named John Lloyd Sullivan, played by Joel McCrea, decides he wants to make a film about the epic troubles of the downtrodden entitled BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? Much to the chagrin of his producers, he sets off in tramp's clothing with a single dime in his pocket to experience poverty firsthand. Having suitably costumed himself as a hobo, he is discreetly dogged by a studio caravan containing a film crew ready to record his thoughts during his journey. In a fit of frustration he sends them packing only to realize later, when he finds himself part of a chain gang, that he has severed the only tie that connects him to his former identity. Sturges skillfully lampoons the liberals who hope to imbue their films with messages while still managing to celebrate the medium itself. Packed with standard Sturges witticisms, eccentric characterizations, and superlative performances, SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS is an unforgettable gem.
Film Notes
Theatrical release: January 1942.
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS is number 39 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Funniest Movies.
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1990.
The Coen brothers made a film in 2000 named for the film that Sullivan wanted to make--O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
Industry Reviews
"...One of the most brilliant screen mixes of comedy and drama in history..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (08/24/2001)
"...Its endlessly fertile and still-influential fusion of satire, screwball comedy, drama and slapstick remains tartly fresh..."
Entertainment Weekly - Tim Purtell (11/09/2001)
"Cramming a hundred ideas and a dozen genres -- screwball, road movie, thriller, musical -- into a package that moves like a runaway train..."
Uncut - Damien Love (05/01/2005)
"[A] superbly crafted comedy."
Sight and Sound - Geoffrey Macnab (06/01/2005)
Quotations
"There's a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that that's all some people have?"--John Lloyd Sullivan (Joel McCrea)
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