Sullivan's Travels. 1941. Directed by Preston Sturges.

(5/26/00)

Veronica Lake shines. She has tremendous presence in this picture and for me she has a lot more impact than Joel McCrea. It is a joy to watch her in the diner as she offers to buy him eggs. This is a very assertive, modern young woman and the slow, laid-back way she speaks her lines is thoroughly engaging. I would really like the opportunity to see more of her films.

Sullivan's Travels is supposed to be a classic. I find it uneven on a first viewing. By that I mean that it is inconsistent in tone. The first part of the film seems like a pretty silly comedy. When Sullivan loses his memory and gets trapped in a chain gang it takes on a seriousness and a power.

When Veronica Lake is dressed as a hobo I thought of Louise Brooks in Beggars of Life. I think those two films--both produced by Paramount--would make a great double feature.

One scene that made an impression on me was when Sullivan went out distributing $5 bills to the homeless. That had impact, especially the looks on their faces. Probably the most affecting scene was when he has been brought low and is in the black church where the prisoners have been invited as guests to see the movie. You can feel the kindness and how much it means and the blessed relief of laughter.

When Sullivan finds himself trapped in the maw of the criminal justice system with no way out he is granted his wish to really experience life and hardship. He gets it with a vengeance. But the funny thing about Sullivan is that he seems sincere in his quest for this knowledge. He really does want to learn. Why the gods seem to thwart his attempts in the first part of the picture don't make a whole lot of sense to me.

And the beauty of Sullivan's Travels is that what Sullivan discovers is his own value, or the value of his talent. He aspires to making something serious instead of the comedies he has been making, but the lesson he learns is that there is value in making people laugh, because laughter is all that some people have. His search for knowledge validates the worth of his talent.

I liked very much that there are a few digs at the income tax. Sullivan is trapped in a loveless marriage which was a business arrangement designed to save him money in taxes. When caught driving his expensive sports car and asked why he's wearing those clothes he says, "I just paid my income taxes."

And there is a very sharp comment on the criminal justice system. Sullivan gets out of the chain gang by getting his picture in the paper so people will know that he is alive and where he is. He does not clear himself of the crime he was charged with. The only thing that changes is the perception of who he is. If you're somebody you don't sweat on a chain gang even if you committed the very same offense. "And justice for all."