Sullivan's Travels [Blu-ray]

A little known but great movie. Good laughs and a great story!!!

This CRITERION COLLECTION of the Preston Sturges movie SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS is about as good as it gets for movie historians and movie-viewing fans in general. Every aspect of this release is quality; a complete edition to a 5 star rating.The 1990 75 minute documentary The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer (by PBS for American Masters Series) only stalls some when Preston Sturges' original comedic writing (and directing) Hollywood career crashed to an ostracized halt, leaving him stumbling around France and, eventually, the Algonquin Hotel until his sudden passing at 61.But, getting to watch clips from other movies like Unfaithfully Yours (some believe ahead of its time; eventually remade with Dudley Moore and Nastassja Kinski!) Lady Eve (with Henry Fonda and Barb Stanwyck) as well as The Miracle at Morgan Creek has me considering another viewing (of these Preston Sturges 1940's original movies). They should be better the second time. There is also a 15 minute video essay with filmmaker Bill Forsyth (Gregory's Girl; Local Hero) that was more interesting than I expected.As for watching SULLIVAN'S TRAVEL my crush on Veronica Lake is reconfirmed. What a sassy lil' doll she was. Truly, she is someone from black-and-white era I just don't take my eyes off. Seriously, I can't do it. There is also a great tidbit in commentary (with Christopher Guest and Michael Mckean ... yes, from Spinal Tap fame ...) that reveals to us Veronica was 6 months pregnant during shoot and, Oh, that's why she was so heavily clothed and holding the purse et cetera and so on... Love the way they did her 'nude' showering scene, by the way.If reading this you're probably already aware of SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS reputation but if you have not seen it yet, I would think it a safe bet any serious movie fan will agree this 1941 movie holds up well remaining a social and Hollywood satire that speaks volumes in relevancy, still, today. SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, really, to me, only had one screwball comedy, slapstick miss and that was the "must Everyone get pulled into the swimming pool (gag)"?But, SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS is amusing even moreso with its dialogue: "You need me to go with you ... you don't know what you're doing, you can't even FIND trouble ... you can't even find your way OUT of Hollywood." Only makes real sense when Veronica Lake (simply called THE Girl) is talking to someone who is trying to live like a hobo to see how the poor live ... and is failing miserably ... right down to wannabe hobo's (Joel McCrea as Sullivan) developing a really bad head cold.Like I said SULLIVAN"S TRAVELS is a satire on "How the other half lives" whether it's the poor (half) or about Hollywood's money making movie moguls making a movie ... within a (Sturges-Sullivan) movie! It is not a mistake essays are written about the importance of SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS as well as becoming a film school viewing staple. Smart, funny and, yes, serious to the point being made, yet, with it's simple-how-did-they-do-this-so-well with such an unpretentious message (in only 90 minutes)?SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS O' Brother Where Art Thou references is truly one for the books.

"Sullivan's Travel's"(1941) is considered by many film historians to be director Preston Sturges finest film. An escapist comedy about a Hollywood director known for making only lightweight comedies who now wants to make a socially responsible film about human suffering and hardship during Depression era America, holds up quite well today and contains many memorable sequences. Criterion has now released this film on Blu-ray and it's a vast improvement over the standard DVD that they released of the film in 2001. The video quality is very pleasing and Criterion has given the film a high Bitrate(35.01) which certainly improves the picture in all areas. According to the liner notes: "This new high-definition transfer was created from a 35 mm nitrate fine-grain at Universal Studios where the film was restored". The results of that restoration are very impressive and "Sullivan's Travels" has never looked better. The are no vertical lines, torn frames, dirt, debris, etc. to the picture now that it is on Blu-ray. Blacks, whites and grays are very well balanced with a pleasing contrast throughout. Set designs, props, and costumes are very detailed now and certainly add to the viewing experience. The audio has been improved also. Again from the liner notes: "The original monaural soundtrack was re-mastered at 24-bit from a 35 mm magnetic track made from the original 35 mm soundtrack negative". There are no noise artifacts(hiss, pops, etc.) with dialogue and sounds being very clear. As far as the acting goes, it's easy to see how Veronica Lake became one of the biggest stars in the early Forties. Even without that "peak-a-boo" hairstyle of hers, anyone viewing the film even after seventy years will not be able to take their eyes off her. Although she and Joel McCrea did not get along during the filming they still make a great couple and have excellent chemistry on screen together. Paramount wanted to put the two of them in "I Married a Witch"(1942) but McCrea rejected the idea(stating: "Life's too short to make two films with Veronica Lake") so they paired her with Fredric March instead. The Sturges "Stock Company" of actors offer great support as they do in all of his films. "Sullivan Travels" is 90 minutes(Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1) and contains all of the commentaries and featurettes from the 2001 DVD including a 75 minute documentary on the life and career of Preston Sturges. Criterion has also included a six page informative booklet by film critic Stuart Klawans that tells all about the production of "Sullivan's Travels" and it's famous director. This is the second Preston Sturges film to be released by Criterion this year(following "The Palm Beach Story") and hopefully we'll get "The Lady Eve" sometime in the future. Until then, Criterion's new Blu-ray of "Sullivan's Travels" should be a welcome addition to any film library and comes highly recommended.

This movie takes two or three unexpected plot turns, all good, and all well-developed. In the end, all the pieces fit. A professional piece of work by Sturges and by the cast.

The "Multiple Format" description seems best understood as a "Blue-ray" disk. And since blue ray doesn't seem to add that much compared to the DVD, feels like wasted money. Having said that...What a great movie!

The Criterion Collection released this sublime comedy/drama masterpiece written and directed by Preston Sturges starring Joel McCrea as Hollywood director John L. Sullivan who wants to stop directing fluff comedies and instead direct serious social dramas, and sets out on the road as a bum with 10 cents in his pocket to research the idea, meeting an unemployed, equally poor woman(played by the gorgeous Veronica Lake) then later getting much more of real world hardship than he ever imagined...Looking splendid in HD, a definite upgrade from the 7-film Preston Sturges DVD set from 2006, now including an audio commentary from filmmakers Noah Baumbach, Kenneth Bowser, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean., an episode of the PBS series "American Masters" about Sturges, and interview with his (now) late wife Sandy, and audio excerpts of him, as well as a brief video essay from critic David Cairns.

A great comedy with a serious message. Had the movie not come out just before we entered WW2, I think it would be considered a classic. It's funny yet with a message. We all need to laugh.

If it's your Preston Sturges, I recommend planning to watch it twice. His sudden changes of tone can bewilder, but SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS only grows better each time I watch it.

HABE DEN FILM FÜR € 33,84 GEKAUFT. DER LÄNDERCODE LÄSST ABER EIN ABSPIELEN DER DVD IN ÖSTERREICH NICHT ZU ! ! !

A truly enjoyable movie that is both poignant and funny - I would say a must see!

Sullivan's Travels is a film that belongs on every movie lovers list.