Search - Sullivan's Travels [Criterion Collection] on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Suitable for Children, Adult Humor Movie Release: 1941 DVD Release: 08/21/2001 Format: DVD - Black and White Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 30 mins Studio: Criterion Members Wishing: 32 Genres: Comedy, Road Movie, Satire, Sophisticated Comedy, Showbiz Comedy

In Preston Sturges' classic comedy of Depression-era America, filmmaker John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea), fed up with directing profitable comedies like "Ants in Your Plants of 1939," is consumed with the desire to make a serious social statement in his upcoming film, "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" Unable to function in the rarefied atmosphere of Hollywood, Sullivan decides to hit the road, disguised as a tramp, and touch base with the "real" people of America. But Sullivan's studio transforms his odyssey into a publicity stunt, providing the would-be nomad with a luxury van, complete with butler (Robert Greig) and valet (Eric Blore). Advised by his servants that the poor resent having the rich intrude upon them, Sullivan escapes his retinue and continues his travels incognito. En route, he meets a down-and-out failed actress (Veronica Lake). Experiencing firsthand the scroungy existence of real-life hoboes, Sullivan returns to Hollywood full of bleeding-heart fervor. After first arranging for the girl's screen test, he heads for the railyards, intending to improve the lot of the local rail-riders and bindlestiffs by handing out ten thousand dollars in five-dollar bills. Instead, Sullivan is coldcocked by a tramp, who steals Sullivan's clothes and identification. When the tramp is run over by a speeding train, the world at large is convinced that the great John L. Sullivan is dead. Meanwhile, the dazed Sullivan, dressed like a bum with no identification on his person, is arrested and put to work on a brutal Southern chain gang. With its almost Shakespearean combination of uproarious comedy and grim tragedy, Sullivan's Travels is Sturges' masterpiece and one of the finest movies about movies ever made. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Joel McCrea - John L. Sullivan
Veronica Lake - The Girl
William Demarest - Mr. Jones
Franklin Pangborn - Mr. Casalais
Porter Hall - Mr. Hadrian
Robert Warwick - Mr. Lebrand

The people at The Criterion Collection have been consistently releasing the finest DVD reissues of film classics, and their edition of Preston Sturges' masterful Sullivan's Travels is another feather in their cap. The full-screen transfer corresponds to the theatrical release and is spotless, as is the hiss-free audio transfer. The DVD doesn't stop at the attention given to these technical details. The edition is loaded with DVD extras that include audio commentaries, a fascinating documentary on Sturges' career that previously appeared on the PBS series American Masters, separate interviews with Sturges and his widow, and various production archives, including photos and publicity materials. The commentaries are by scholar Kenneth Bowser, actor Michael McKean, and filmmakers Christopher Guest and Noah Baumbach. Besides being informative, these commentaries can also be quite amusing. McKean and Guest bring real insight to their consistently engaging, often quite funny discussion. Sullivan's Travels is a groundbreaking American classic that viewers can return to again and again, and this Criterion Collection DVD ensures that they will. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide