Preston Sturges - The Filmmaker Collection (Sullivan's Travels/The Lady Eve/The Palm Beach Story/Hail the Conquering Hero/The Great McGinty/Christmas in July/The Great Moment)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: June Preston, Preston SturgesBrand: NBC Universal
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Russian (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
DVD Release Date: 2006-11-21
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Preston Sturges - The Filmmaker Collection (Sullivan's Travels/The Lady Eve/The Palm Beach Story/Hail the Conquering Hero/The Great McGinty/Christmas in July/The Great Moment)
Movie Review: A bargain for Sturges fans though there COULD be some decent extras included
Summary: 5 Stars
Preston Sturges has always had a small following among film fans. That's too bad because he was probably one of the most brilliant writers and directors of his generation. His screwball comedies are brilliant examples of Hollywood filmmaking at their best. The first film I saw by Sturges at UCLA was "Sullivan's Travels" and from that point on nobody could compare to this maverick. This boxed set from Universal collects the rest of Sturges most important work ("Unfaithfully Yours" and "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" are also available on DVD). Sturges reign at the top was brief but prolific; he produced most of his best films as a writer/director between 1940 and 1948 when he was at Paramount.
Overall the films in the "Preston Sturges Collection" look quite good although "The Great McGinty" looks a bit gritty at times but still looks quite good. Blacks are pretty solid and the condition of the prints look pretty good with Universal clearly putting digital clean up into some of these films. Keep in mind also that the source material varies in age with the oldest film here being 66 years old. "Sullivan's Travels" compares favorably to the Criterion edition although I'd suggest fans keep that edition since "ST" has no notable extras as part of the package. Audio sounds crisp and clear which is important as Sturges' verbal wit is almost as important as the slapstick comedic set pieces that decorate his films like icing on a cake.
Although this isn't a special feature it is a trend in the right direction for Universal. Many of their "tribute" collections have had as many as five films crammed onto one dual layered dual sided disc. "PSC" keeps it to one film per disc which is a big plus preventing problems during the pressing process that plagued some of their previous releases for some fans.
Sadly all we get are five trailers for the films included. Universal should have ported over some of the Criterion material or, at the very least, put together an hour documentary on Sturges career. It would have been pretty simple to do so in collaboration with his estate which has a website up and running full of biographical and trivia information about the great director. Although I'm not a fan of "Mad Wednesday" Sturges last major film as a director/writer made with Harold Lloyd since it is in the public domain it might have behooved Universal to find a decent print or source element, clean it up and include it as an extra here as well. Commentary tracks would have been welcome as there are a number of bright scholars at UCLA, USC and NYU that would gladly have tackled that here. At the very least having a director that does comedy and appreciates Sturges (or that is stylistically similar) would be great. Although he's not the same type of comedy director Mel Brooks or Buck Henry would have provided great commentary tracks (as would Christopher Guest). Ah the world of missed opportunities. If only I ran Universal's vintage film division.
Keep in mind that three of the seven titles here have been released before two of them in superior editions by Criterion. Still, it's hard to argue with the price for this set. I'd suggest keeping your Criterion titles for the extras since Universal has been stingy with anything worthwhile here.
A collection of terrific films at a great price sans much in the way of extras appears celebrating one of the comedic masterminds of film direction from the 20th century. If Sturges hadn't come along film comedy would have been the poorer for it. His films have had a wide ranging impact on a variety of comedy writers/directors/actors through exposure in revival houses and television. This great collection of some classic (and one not so classic) Sturges films is worthwhile for fans. Between this, the Criterion releases and Paramount the bulk of his best material is available finally on DVD.
Synopsis of the film's plots below (whic don't do their comedy elements justice I might add).
Beginning with Sturges "The Great McGinty" with Brian Donlevy (who reprises the role briefly in "Sullivan's Travels" in an amusing cameo) is one of the best political satires of the era as well. Donlevy plays Daniel McGinty who rises to the top in politics due to his connections and the corruption of the political machine. McGinty eventually becomes Governor but along the way develops a conscience when he falls in love with the woman he married to help propel him to power. Its a brilliant, cynical and dark comedy that makes no apologies nor does it try and take the Capra's more sentimental optimism.
1940 was one of Sturges most prolific periods. He also wrote and directed "Christmas in July" with Dick Powell, Ellen Drew and Sturges regular William Demarest. Adapted from his own play Sturges "Christmas in July" is set during The Depression with Dick Powell playing Jimmy McDonald a naïve character who keeps trying to make his big splash by winning $25,000 in a advertising contest for coffee. He believes he has won and he and girlfriend are offered promotions and become minor celebrities. Of course this is Sturges not Frank Capra so the wit is more cynical.
"The Lady Eve" presented Sturges with a rare opportunity--he gets two top notch stars Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck who take to their comedic roles as if they were born to play them./ Jean Harrington (Stanwyck) just wants to land wealthy shy guy Charles Pike (Fonda) because of the money but ends up falling in love anyway but with a healthy dose of--yes--sly sarcasm at the heart of the film. It's not Sturges most accomplished as its clear the elements of the plot were used before for other screwball comedies but it's more about what Sturges does with the material than the material itself that matters here.
"Sullivan's Travels" has always been my favorite film by Struges. Film director John Sullivan (A very funny Joel McCrea) has had it with making over-the-top comedies. He wants to make SERIOUS films about humanity's plight but has no clue how to as he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. So he becomes a hobo wandering the camps that are occupied by the disenfranchised. What he discovers though is that escape and hope are just as valuable as making films raising social issues. Veronica Lake plays his love interest and with her sweeping hair created a craze. It's brilliant, sarcastic, satirical and a moving drama all within the scope of a comedy. It's one of Sturges' outstanding achievements and definitely still one of the 100 Greatest Films of All Time.
McCrea appears again in "The Palm Beach Story" another of Sturges brilliant great screwball comedies that plays with the conventions of the genre. Tom and Gerry (Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert) are up to their eyeballs in debt. Tom's an inventor with impractical creations. Gerry decides to leave him and find a rich beau John Hackensacker (Rudy Vallee) while Tom tries to collect his wife Hackensacker's sister Centimillia -what a name--(Mary Astor) FALLS for him. It's a rollicking screwball with some of the funniest sequences from any film. Although this wasn't my favorite Sturges comedy for a long time I've come to realize it's probably one of his best.
"The Great Moment" is an odd drama/comedy focusing on a dentist/ inventor (McCrea again) who comes up with anaesthesia during the 19th century. The film chronicles the dentists attempts to protect his invention and profit from it while others push him to release its secret to the public for the greater good. Of course the greater good in this case is for a company to exploit the invention without paying him a penny. It's an odd film and very uneven. We'll never know what Sturges truly intended here as the film was taken away from him and recut by the studio prior to release. It's one of the few Sturges films that I hadn't seen before (I did catch portions of the film on TV though throughout the years but never saw the whole film) and it's not among his best but does have some sparkling passages in it. Needless to say audiences were a bit baffled at the time and the film flopped at the box office.
Finally we have Eddie Bracken as the lead in "Hail the Conquering Hero" the last film that Sturges made for Paramount. Bracken plays Woodrow a man who is forced to masquerade as a hero. Discharged from the military during World War II Woodrow never sees any action and hasn't told anyone back home that he is a civilian again. Convinced by a group of Marines to pretend he served he is greeted as a hero suddenly honored by his home town for his service. Again Sturges uses an absurd situation to act as both social critic and humorists roles that he was born to assume.
More Preston Sturges - The Filmmaker Collection (Sullivan's Travels/The Lady Eve/The Palm Beach Story/Hail the Conquering Hero/The Great McGinty/Christmas in July/The Great Moment) reviews:
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Summary of Preston Sturges - The Filmmaker Collection (Sullivan's Travels/The Lady Eve/The Palm Beach Story/Hail the Conquering Hero/The Great McGinty/Christmas in July/The Great Moment)
Preston Sturges was the first prominent screenwriter to direct his own script. He went on an unparalleled creative streak that brought to the screen some of the most beloved films of all time. This collection pays tribute to seven of his finest and funniest films, starring cinema's most illustrious screen stars. The Great McGinty An opportunist (Brian Donlevy), turns corruption into a promising political career, but struggles to stay on top when he tries to go honest. Christmas in July Hope springs eternal when an office clerk (Dick Powell) mistakenly believes he's won a coffee slogan challenge and spends the "prize money". The Lady Eve It's the ultimate battle of the sexes when a wealthy heir (Henry Fonda) falls (literally!) for a con woman (Barbara Stanwyck) with a shady past. Sullivan's Travels In this comedic masterpiece, a wealthy director (Joel McCrea) wants to find "real" people for his next great film (co-starring Veronica Lake). The Palm Beach Story Money makes the world go 'round, or so Gerry (Claudette Colbert) believes when she divorces her struggling husband (McCrea) and supports him by marrying a millionaire. The Great Moment This stirring biopic follows the fascinating life of W.T.G. Morton (McCrea), a 19th century dentist who successfully develops the first anesthesia. Hail the Conquering Hero A quirky soldier (Eddie Bracken) gets an unexpected homecoming when a group of uproarious Marines decide to "make" a hero out of the comic misfit.Similar DVD Movies
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