Sullivan's Travels (1941), directed by Preston Sturges, is an interesting film because it is all about one man's devotion to make a film. John Sullivan, a wealthy movie director, usually makes comedies; however, he decides he wants to make a dramatic film about those who suffer financially and otherwise in the United States. In order to correctly depict the lives of the poor, he makes the decision to travel for a couple weeks as a tramp with hardly any money. While doing so, he meets a girl and the two of them journey together a couple different times before John gets the true feel of what it is like to not live in luxury as he normally does. After many pitfalls, one including being arrested after everyone believes him to be dead, John finally resumes his status as a prestigious film maker; however, he changes his mind and decides he wants to make a comedy, not a drama, because he realizes that laughing is all some people have.
This last point is what was most interesting to me about the film. I agree with John's views on comedy because people love to laugh. During those times of war and poverty, people did not need to be reminded of their suffering by seeing it in a dramatic film. In the beginning of Sullivan's Travels, John's butler makes a good point that only the rich will be able to appreciate the dramatic film that Sullivan wishes to make because they are the ones that don't have to experience it in reality. The one thing that can help take people's minds off of the horrible or unfortunate things they may be dealing with in their lives is a film consisting of good old fashioned comedy that can let people escape for just enough time that they are able to feel happy again. John makes this realization in a scene toward the end of the movie when he and the other prisoners get to have a night at the movies. They are shown a cartoon by Disney at which all the men laugh, and John finds himself laughing as well. It is at that point he realizes that making a comedy would be of so much more help to the struggling people than a film reminding them of their suffering because humor would allow them to feel a sense of happiness and content.
This unusual dramatic movie about comedy is a great tool to illustrate the importance of comedy in our world of film. Comedies are a genre to be valued because they let us laugh, something that every person needs to make it through life. Comedies are my personal favorite genre of film because I love to laugh, and even though Sullivan's Travels was not necessarily a comedy, I really liked the message it conveyed in the end.
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These are interesting ideas, Megan. The comedy in this film depends on a lot of context that contemporary audiences wouldn't have without more study, but you're right about its message.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! I think laughter is one of the most powerful things in life. If you are feeling down, when something makes you laugh you instantly feel better. That's why I love this movie because the message that comes out of it is so important.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you on that point. I fully embrace that idea in my personal life and it's really cool to see it come through in a film. I think as far as movies with this message (you know, laughing is good, comedy lifts life, etc.) go, Sullivan's Travels was definitely top 10 for making me happy and feel good heh heh!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree here. I particularly found it interesting that although Sullivan's Travels was not a comedy itself per se, it consistently remembered to include comedic elements throughout the film, just as a reminder that in tough times, even films with a different purpose should still be able to make you laugh from time to time.
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