Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Sullivan's Travels Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 19, 2015

Preston Sturges' "Sullivan's Travels" (1941) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include audio commentary with filmmakers Noah Baumbach, Kenneth Bowser, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean; new video essay by film critic David Cairns, featuring filmmaker Bill Forsyth; the documentary film "Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer" (1990); archival interview with Sandy Sturges, the director's widow; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Stuart Klawans. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"Have you made out the Panther Woman's check yet? You better get it to her before she comes here with the sheriff. She has a very peculiar sense of humor."

After years of shooting comedies, influential Hollywood director John Sullivan (Joel McCrea, The Palm Beach Story, Foreign Correspondent) decides that it is time for him to make a serious film about poverty in America. But the two studio bosses that greenlight his projects are concerned -- Sullivan was born rich and his success in Hollywood has made him even richer, so what does he know about poverty?

Determined to prove that he can direct serious films just as well as he does comedies, Sullivan dresses as a hobo and leaves Hollywood. In the real world, however, he is followed by a small group of studio officials and press agents who want to document every step of his fascinating journey. Realizing that the whole thing is a giant farce, not the type of illuminating experience he needs, Sullivan instructs his followers to meet him in Las Vegas in two weeks and continues his journey alone.

At a roadside diner, Sullivan meets a beautiful girl (Veronica Lake, I Married a Witch, The Blue Dahlia) who buys him breakfast and then confesses to him that she never made it in the world he left behind. Moved by her generosity and impressed by her beauty, Sullivan offers to help her get back home, but soon after he "borrows" a fancy car from a friend they end up in jail. Eventually, the fed up director reveals his true identity to the beautiful girl and she decides to join him. While exploring the real world, Sullivan and the beautiful girl fall madly in love.

Sullivan’s Travels is unquestionably Preston Sturges’ best film. It is witty, funny and poetic but also painfully honest in its dissection of America’s socio-political reality of the Great Depression era. It is also a very bold and personal film that makes it crystal clear how its creator felt about the system he was a part of.

The film is loaded with messages -- about the double standards that defined life in America, racism, and Hollywood’s obsession with profits -- but it does not overwhelm. On the contrary, it moves briskly and has a terrific sense of humor that effectively prevents one from overanalyzing the moral standards of its characters. A more serious attitude towards the rampant hypocrisy Sullivan and the girl constantly face surely would have made the film one big snooze-fest.

The script is pure gold. It is lean, witty and full of fantastic one-liners that give the film its identity. This type of brilliant writing is also the very reason why virtually all of Sturges’ films still feel remarkably fresh. (See the fantastic exchanges during the initial encounter between Sullivan and the girl in the empty diner).

The film’s visual style is equally impressive. Cinematographer John F. Seitz’s camera positioning is very precise while the framing frequently gives the film modern depth and elegance. (Pay close attention to the manner in which the camera follows Lake on the train and then compare it to the manner in which Raoul Coutard’s camera observes Jeanne Moreau after the race in Francois Truffaut’s Jules & Jim. There are more than a few rather striking similarities).

The energetic music score was composed by Oscar winning composer Leo Shuken (John Ford’s Stagecoach) and Charles Bradshaw (Sturges’ The Miracle of Morgan's Creek).

Sullivan's Travels Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit DataCine film scanner from a 35mm nitrate fine-grain at Universal Studios in Universal City, California, where the film was also restored. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic track made from the original 35mm soundtrack negative. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX 4.

Transfer: Universal Studios, Universal City, CA."

The basic characteristics of the technical presentation are very similar to those of Arrow Video's presentation of the film. There are areas of the film that look quite good, with well-lit close-ups, in particular, boasting strong depth and clarity. In fact, when one compares the Blu-ray release with the R1 DVD release many of the improvements are quite dramatic. However, the same traces of built-in sharpening that are visible on Arrow Video's release are also present here (see screencaptures #9 and 18). There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, but some minor inherited fluctuations remain. Overall image stability is good. Some minor dirt specks remain, but it appears that additional cleanup work has been performed and the film looks cleaner than it does on the Arrow Video release. The encoding is very good. To sum it all up, viewers who have previously seen Sullivan's Travels only on DVD will likely be pleased with the upgrade in quality, but it is quite obvious that there is plenty of room for additional improvements. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Sullivan's Travels Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The dialog is stable, well rounded, and easy to follow. Some extremely light background hiss is present, but it won't affect negatively your viewing experience. Dynamic intensity is fairly modest. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.

Sullivan's Travels Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer - this outstanding documentary film focuses on the life and legacy of Preston Sturges. It was written by Todd McCarthy and narrated by Fritz Weaver. The documentary was made for PBS's American Masters series in 1990. In English, not subtitled. (76 min, 1080p).

• Sandy Sturges - in this archival video interview, Sandy Sturges, author of Preston Sturges on Preston Sturges, explains how Preston Sturges became a playwright, and discusses his thoughts on Hollywood, his interactions with the people from his stock company, his special admiration for Barbara Stanwyck, his work with Joel McCrea, his relationships with Ernst Lubitsch and Howard Hughes (with some very interesting comments about Vendetta), etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2001. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080i).

• Ants in Your Plants of 1941 - in this new video essay, filmmaker David Cairns and director Bill Forsyth (That Sinking Feeling, Gregory's Girl) discuss the European qualities of Sullivan's Travels (and specifically its social and political overtones), its speed and chaotic energy, the brilliance of the dialog, the great contributions from the excellent supporting cats, some of the main themes from Sullivan's Travels which Bill Forsyth borrowed for his film Comfort & Joy, etc. The essay was created exclusively for Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• Archival Audio -
  
  1. Sturges Talks to Hedda Hopper - this short radio interview with Preston Sturges was originally broadcast on the program Hedda Hopper's Hollywood on January 28, 1951. In English, not subtitled. (5 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Sturges Recites "If I Were A King" - presented here is a rare homemade recording in which director Preston Sturges recites Justin Huntly McCarthy's poem "If I Were a King". The poem is featured in Justin Huntly McCarthy's play of the same name -- based on the life of French poet Francois Villon -- which was the basis for the 1938 film If I Were King, written by Preston Sturges. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).
  
  3. Sturges Sings "My Love" - presented here is a homemade recording from 1938 in which director Preston Sturges sings "My Love", one of many songs he composed that appeared in such films as William Wyler's The Gay Deception, George Marshall's Houdini, and his own The Miracle of Morgan's Creek and Hail the Conquering Hero. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this audio commentary features filmmakers Noah Baumbach, Kenneth Bowser, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean, and initially appeared on Criterion's DVD release of Sullivan's Travels. It was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2001.

• Leaflet - illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Stuart Klawans.

Sullivan's Travels Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sullivan's Travels is Preston Sturges' best film. It is witty, funny and poetic but also painfully honest in its dissection of America's socio-political reality of the Great Depression era. In many ways, the film's visual style also feels strikingly modern. Viewers who have previously seen Sullivan's Travels only on DVD will likely be pleased with the upgrade in quality the Blu-ray offers, but the film could look even better. Nevertheless, the Blu-ray should be an essential edition to any serious collection. RECOMMENDED.