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I adore Preston Sturges, and how odd...

Posted by Harmonia on November 15, 2008 at 22:25:54:
...his ghost must feel to be mentioned in a thread with Salo and Pasolini ;-)

Must see Sturges: The Lady Eve, Palm Beach Story, Sullivan's Travels, The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek. I also enjoy The Great McGinty, though as his first directorial effort it's a bit uneven, still pretty wonderful all told. The other 40's movies are all worth seeing. But see those I mentioned first. I think The Lady Eve is - along with The Philadelphia Story and Some Like It Hot - one of my two greatest, sublime comedies of the forties. Hail The Conquering Hero is a campanion film of sorts to TMoMC and also worth a look. None of these films is quite the fluffy screwball comedy you might think (although they are both hysterically funny)- Sturges gets in quite a few social barbs and astute observations on human nature. They seem uniquely American to me, I'll be interested to hear how they strike you.

Sturges started his Hollywood career as a successful screenwriter and was one of the first of that now uniquitous hyphenate, the writer-director. The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek is a manic, oddball, magical comedy quite unlike most movies of its day. I think Sturges has had quite an effect on modern comedies (e.g. obviously in the early films of Roger Zemeckis and slightly less obviously in the Coen brother's work), except of course Sturges' films are sublimely written - unlike comedy screenplays today.

However he remains a touchstone for contemporary filmmakers, witness the Coen's many references to him, not least the title to "Oh Brother Where Art Thou". The Coens and Sturges share a distinct sense of the absurd, creating unique, all enveloping and slightly off kilter universes. Sturges comedies are tightly constructed, which is a good thing the way he winds up his plots and builds those frenetic climaxes. Expect a mixture of verbal zingers and physical comedy.

What an amazing run of films he had in the 40's, from The Great McGinty in 1940 through Unfaithfully Yours around '49-49...hardly anything like it in the era - so many fresh and original films in such a short a space of time - not unlike like the Archers' run in Britain.

Alas, Sturges' fall was swift and devastating. The last films, the two after The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend, are nigh on unwatchable.