Preston Sturges

[Mr Sausage]

Am I the only one who prefers The Lady Eve?

[swo17]

I've got your back.

[Gregory]

The Lady Eve is ranked highest on They Shoot Pictures, ahead of Sullivan's Travels by a nose. (To me, LE is a far sight better.)

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Am I the only one who prefers The Lady Eve?

Absolutely not. It's got the best acting of any of his films. Stanwyck is the emotional center of the film and she does such a superb job in every single scene. She absolutely owns it. "But so am I, darling. So am I." It's utterly bewitching and entertaining every time I watch it. Fonda gets the thankless role of the lunk, but he's so good. Sturges' eye for casting is absolute gold in this film (not that I think it's generally any less stellar in his cinema).

[Stefan Andersson]

If I Were King (1938) announced as a Universal MOD release:

http://www.amazon.com/If-Were-King-Rona ... +were+king" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[wllm995]

Am I the only one who prefers The Lady Eve?

No - I think that "The Lady Eve" is not only the best of Preston Sturges's great filmography - but also one of the best all-time comedies.

[Drucker]

I went to a double feature last night: The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend and Unfaithfully Yours.

The former was a good film, but really nothing else. What it had going for it was superb acting by the leads. The lead women were tough and funny. I don't know how audiences would have reacted in 1949, but its implicit indictment of white men and the control they try to exert over women, while minor, is obviously still relevant today. The film had some good moments, but was definitely weighed down by an over-reliance on slapstick (the set-up for that final bullet in the butt was far too much) and the awfully annoying two peeping-tom brothers. So not a bad film, but not what I've come to expect reading the praise of Sturges. It was projected on DCP, and it's a Fox film, so for those wondering: there was definitely a bit of a blue/orange lean in the color timing, but overall considering I imagine the original elements are gone, it looked pretty fantastic. Blues and reds popped as I imagine they should.

Unfaithfully Yours, however, was a masterpiece, and reading through this thread and the Arrow Sullivan's Travels thread, I'm surprised nobody mentioned this as their favorite, though it seems to get the appropriate amount of love in its dedicated Criterion thread. I was constantly knocked out by this film. It starts well-enough, about what I expected based on only seeing Sullivan's Travels. A great set-up, funny dialogue, all great stuff from a film of its time. But the film rises to the next-level when we reach the flashback sequences. Considering how much of the film these sections take up is a testament to how invested we already are in the story, and how much we identify with the protagonist.

SpoilerShow

When he starts murdering his wife, I was laughing hysterically. Many in the crowd also were, and there was a sense of "how could I be laughing at this horrible deed?!" but it was pitch perfect. The following scenes where he feigns regret and sympathy for Tony are perfect black comedy, and I truly found myself laughing out loud. Of course, from there, he runs by two more scenarios in his head, with the excellent climax of his imagined suicide, which, again, had me in stitches.

At the end of the film, he tries to execute the plans he's conjured in his head. Comparing just this scene to the finale of Beautiful Blonde is a testament to just how hard it is to pull-off a scene like this. In the other film I saw, the gunfight goes on too long and isn't that funny. The final reel of this film, however, is constantly hysterical, no matter how many times certain gags are replayed.

Next Wednesday I plan on catching The Great McGinty and The Great Moment. Bummed I really can't make all of these films, but I'm officially converted to a full-on Sturges fan.

[Roger Ryan]

Totally agree with your assessment of UNFAITHFULLY YOURS which ranks with the best of his 1940 - 1944 golden period. Sturges had to do a lot of maneuvering to make this pitch-black idea work as a screwball comedy including steering it to a "happy ending" that, in fact, doesn't actually negate Sir Alfred's dangerously obsessed nature at all. This was the mistake that the woeful 1984 remake made. In trying to make star Dudley Moore appear as likable as possible, the revenge fantasies were pared down to one in which Moore's character appeared bland and nonthreatening. The majority of the screen-time was devoted to the bumbling attempt to commit the crime so, without the strong juxtaposition between the visceral thrill Sir Alfred feels in his fantasies and the reality of his actions (as shown in Sturges' original), the remake was completely ineffectual.

As you may be aware, "Drucker", THE GREAT MOMENT was Sturges' attempt to do straight drama with minor humorous interludes and it ended up being heavily cut by the studio. The result isn't very successful. THE GREAT MCGINTY, on the other hand, has a lot of charm and, even if the pacing is not up to par with Sturges' subsequent films, the excellent performances carry it.

[Drucker]

Thanks for the heads up about the films next week. Film Forum is doing double features, so I'm kind of roped into seeing both, but I may only see McGinty in that place, since it's playing earlier. Excited to see Tamiroff, of course.

[domino harvey]

The Great Moment, like all of Sturges's films, is worth seeing though. It gets a bad rap but it's not a bad film at all and I think people just disregard it out of hand because it doesn't fit the same model of the rest of Sturges' work (though it kinda still does). I probably like it as much as the Great McGinty, at least

[Roger Ryan]

After seeing MCGINTY, be sure to rent THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK for a fun in-joke.

[Drucker]

Noted. I'm trying to basically plan my attendance around seeing the films that aren't/I don't expect to get a blu-ray upgrade anytime soon. So Palm Beach Story/Sullivan's Travels are out, as well as the other film's playing with them (Christmas in July/Lady Eve). I'm bummed most of all I'm missing Morgan's Creek and Conquering Hero, but those are playing this weekend only and I'll be at a festival in NYC.

Is Mad Wednesday as awesome as it looks? It's playing with a film he screenwrote for, Never Say Die.

[Revelator]

For a while Unfaithfully Yours (which flopped on release) was seen as part of Sturges' supposed decline, though in reality Sturges never lost his talent, and continued writing strong scripts up to his death. The film had some champions, such as Pauline Kael, who loved it and badmouthed The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend as the only truly bad Sturges film. I have to agree--Beautiful Blonde is grindingly tedious and depends on shockingly uninventive slapstick. Witless Betty Grable exercises a sort of reverse charisma that further sucks life from the film.

With regard to Unfaithfully Yours, some might be interested to know that Darryl Zanuck cut several sequences, including a flashback scene. Fortunately his editing was a model of restraint compared to Paramount did with The Great Moment. You can read Sturges' original script in Four More Screenplays by Preston Sturges, an excellent book superbly edited by Brian Henderson, who also provides comprehensive introductions and analyses.

The book is also worth getting because it has Sturges' original script for Triumph Over Pain, which Paramount butchered, re-edited and retitled The Great Moment. I urge you to read the script before seeing the film. Sturges attempted to re-use the scrambled chronology of The Power and the Glory, but this time with greater assurance and skill, and a greater command of tone, mixing comedic scenes to prevent the film becoming a stuffy great-man-biopic. The original version Triumph Over Pain might have been a masterpiece. You wouldn't guess that from the altered film, whose sequences were rearranged by Paramount in an act of despicable corporate vandalism. By all means, read the script before seeing the film.

BTW, The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend is now available on DVD as a MOD disc from Fox Cinema Archives. That leaves only one Sturges film bereft of home video release--his last film, Les Carnets du Major Thompson, aka The French, They Are a Funny Race. Its reputation has suffered due to being to hard to see, but it's a gentle, endearing late film and deserves a bigger audience.

Is Mad Wednesday as awesome as it looks? It's playing with a film he screenwrote for, Never Say Die.

Mad Wednesday is Howard Hughes' re-edit of Sturges' original Sin of Harold Diddlebock. The original is universally considered superior, except by whoever wrote the Film Forum program notes. Sturges is co-credited for Never Say Die but his exact share is hard to pinpoint. The major films that Sturges wrote before becoming a director are The Power and the Glory, The Good Fairy, Diamond Jim, Easy Living, If I Were King, and Remember the Night.

[domino harvey]

Re: Mad Wednesday, I've only seen the original version of the Sin of Harold Diddlebock but I think it's easily Sturges' most underrated film and his last masterpiece. Great mix of pathos and laughs, plus Sturges' model girlfriend at the time, Frances Ramsden, is in it

[Roger Ryan]

Is Mad Wednesday as awesome as it looks?

Does anyone know what the differences are between the DIDDLEBOCK edit and the MAD WEDNESDAY edit? I thought WEDNESDAY was the shortened version. (EDIT: Ah, I see "Revelator" added some info.)

As to DIDDLEBOCK, Sturges was attempting to fashion a film that is based on tropes Harold Lloyd was known for ten to twenty years earlier, so it feels like a reheated version of Lloyd's earlier work with just a sprinkling of material that seems true to Sturges' approach to humor. There are some good moments, but I think Domino is just being contrary claiming it's better than UNFAITHFULLY YOURS!

[Drucker]

The film forum listing reads: "A superior re-edited version of The Sin of Harold Diddlebock. Didn't realize both versions were available.

[domino harvey]

There are some good moments, but I think Domino is just being contrary claiming it's better than UNFAITHFULLY YOURS!

I definitely think it's better than Unfaithfully Yours (and indeed better than any Harold Lloyd film I've seen, for that matter). My tastes are widely perceived as to the right or left of the standard by many, so like anything YMMV, but the praise I gave Diddlebock is a true representation of my esteem. But I've also said elsewhere that Sturges' record is untouchable as far as I'm concerned: every film he directed is worth watching, and while not every film is great, all are at the least still good, which is miraculous

[Revelator]

Does anyone know what the differences are between the DIDDLEBOCK edit and the MAD WEDNESDAY edit? I thought WEDNESDAY was the shortened version...
As to DIDDLEBOCK, Sturges was attempting to fashion a film that is based on tropes Harold Lloyd was known for ten to twenty years earlier, so it feels like a reheated version of Lloyd's earlier work with just a sprinkling of material that seems true to Sturges' approach to humor. There are some good moments, but I think Domino is just being contrary claiming it's better than UNFAITHFULLY YOURS!

The Hughes edit is at least 10 minutes shorter and eliminates most of Rudy Valee's part and adds a talking horse.
I like Diddlebock, but I feel its second half is a letdown, especially since Sturges doesn't film Harold Lloyd's physical hijinks as well as Lloyd did back in the 20s (Sturges tends to film slapstick with the camera too close) and the business with the circus and the lion drags on. The first half is lovely though, including the Harold's monologue about the sisters of Miss Otis and his bender at the bar.

[Roger Ryan]

The Hughes edit is at least 10 minutes shorter and eliminates most of Rudy Valee's part and adds a talking horse.
I like Diddlebock, but I feel its second half is a letdown, especially since Sturges doesn't film Harold Lloyd's physical hijinks as well as Lloyd did back in the 20s (Sturges tends to film slapstick with the camera too close) and the business with the circus and the lion drags on. The first half is lovely though, including the Harold's monologue about the sisters of Miss Otis and his bender at the bar.

Thanks. This is pretty much how I felt about the film as well. I should check out the MAD WEDNESDAY edit just to see if that talking horse is as bad an idea as it sounds!

[Black Hat]

Saw Mad Wednesday tonight for the first time and tho the audience very much enjoyed it, the film fell flat for me. It had the madness but lacked the energy of a Sturges film, perhaps this is a result of studio butchery but nevertheless. The first half certainly is more Sturgesian than the second, but ultimately Harold Lloyd seemed to be in one film while Preston Sturges was making another.

Anyone know why Film Forum screened this version instead of Sturges' preferred cut?

Meanwhile Never Say Die did nothing for me, but I've never found Bob Hope interesting, has anyone seen it? Curious to hear other opinions.

[domino harvey]

Are the discs in everyone else's Sturges set from Universal disintegrating into cloudy goop? Previously this only affected a couple titles but now I've checked and of the seven discs inside, only Hail the Conquering Hero and the Great Moment are unaffected (EDIT: Actually, even Hail is starting to form the cloudiness at the edges). Pretty clever of Criterion to somehow arrange this so I'd actually upgrade the Palm Beach Story!

[warren oates]

Yes, it's happened to a set I bought for my fam. Luckily it was only their Lady Eve, so I just send them mine (since I have the Criterion too). Some visual distortions on some of the other discs' media surfaces, but as yet no playback issues. These defects do seem to be progressive and random, though, like Criterion's browning problem.

[Stefan Andersson]

A new Fox resto of The Power and the Glory is screening at this year´s Venice Festival:
http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/ve ... ntID=42422" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[andyli]

Wild Side Video is preparing a blu-ray/DVD box set called Preston Sturges - King of Comedy for release in December. According to Blu-ray.com, the six titles included are Christmas in July, The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, Hail the Conquering Hero, and Unfaithfully Yours.

[Revelator]

The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend has just been released on Blu-Ray. DVDBeaver's review:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_ ... lu-ray.htm
I'd rather have Diddlebock or The French They Are a Funny Race on Blu-Ray, since Blonde is Sturges's worst film.