ReFocus: The Films of Preston Sturges (ReFocus: The American Directors Series)

Building on existing biographies and published screenplays, this book assesses Preston Sturges’s entire career, paying particular attention to four areas: contexts (genre, studio, authorship), cultural commentaries (race, gender, class, satire), technique (dialogue, performance, music), and impacts (critical reception and ongoing influence). Each chapter blends close analyses of the films with insights drawn from film history and cultural studies to demonstrate that Sturges revolutionized film comedy in the 1940s and that his films continue to influence Hollywood cinema. The contributors assess Sturges’s main strengths as a filmmaker—dialogue, plotting, collaborations with actors, and uses of satire—as well as his creative shortcomings, such as his stereotyping of characters based on race and ethnicity. As such, the book provides thorough accounts of the highs and lows of Sturges’s career, including why he initially proved so successful before falling into relative obscurity. The first collection of critical essays on Hollywood director and screenwriter Preston SturgesRead and download the introduction for free here (pdf)Director, screenwriter and comic genius, Preston Sturges has been an influence on filmmakers ranging from Orson Welles to the Coen brothers. The first person to win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, he wrote and directed some of the most bizarre, controversial and downright hilarious comedies of the 1940s, including Sullivan's Travels and Hail the Conquering Hero. He may be the most talented Hollywood filmmaker yet to receive the critical recognition he deserves.The Films of Preston Sturges is a pioneering collection of essays by world-famous scholars that chart Sturges' contributions to Hollywood cinema, revealing his pivotal status as an early writer-director, exploring his inimitable style and making a bold case for his ongoing influence today. Reawakening interest in this filmmaker's life and works, this book will remind readers why Sturges' movies remain not only immensely enjoyable, but of great cultural significance as well.Key featuresTraces Sturges' early career and writing process, including the shift from playwright to writer-director as well as screenwriting techniquesProvides cultural contexts for Sturges' films, including representations of class, gender and race Assesses the rises and falls of Sturges' critical reputation and popularity, including his influence on contemporary filmmakersContributorsChristopher Beach teaches film in the English Department of Williams College.Matthew H. Bernstein, Professor of Film and Media Studies at Emory University.Diane Carson, Professor Emerita at St Louis Community College and former UFVA president (2008-10.Krin Gabbard is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies at Stony Brook University.Leger Grindon is the Walter J. Cerf Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at Middlebury College in Vermont.Jeff Jaeckle is the editor of Film Dialogue (2013). Kristine Brunovska Karnick is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Sarah Kozloff is Professor of Film on the William R. Kenan, Jr. Chair at Vassar College. Martin Marks, Senior Lecturer in Music and Theater Arts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Joe McElhaney is Professor of Film Studies at Hunter College/City University of New York. G. Tom Poe, Associate Professor of Film and Media Arts at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.Christian Viviani is Professor at Université de Caen-Basse Normandie and coordinator and co-editor of Positif.Virginia Wright Wexman is Professor Emerita of English and Art History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. " Introduction: An Agile Mind - The Many Stands Of Preston Sturges / Jeff Jaeckle -- Pt. 1. Contexts: Genre, Studio, Authorship -- Preston Sturges And Screwball Comedy / Leger Grindon -- Preston Sturges, 'sullivan's Travels,' And Film Authorship In Hollywood, 1941 / Virginia Wright Wexman -- To Write And Not Direct / Sarah Kozloff -- The Edge Of Unacceptability: Preston Sturges And The Pca / Matthew H. Bernstein -- Pt. 2. Cultural Commentary: History And Identity -- Sturges's Many Mothers / Kristine Brunovska Karnick -- These Are Troublous Times: Social Class In The Comedies Of Preston Sturges / Christopher Beach -- They Always Get The Best Of You Somehow: Preston Sturges In Black And White / Krin Gabbard -- Falling Hard: 'the Sin Of Harold Diddlebock / Joe Mcelhaney -- Pt. 3. Technique: Scripting, Performance, Music -- The Unheard Of 'song Of Joy' / Jeff Jaeckle -- The Eye Of The Storm: Preston Sturges And Performance / Diane Carson -- 'presto(n) Con Spirito': Comedies With Music, Sturges-style / Martin Marks -- Pt. 4. Impact: Reception/reputation -- Thrust With A Rapier And Run: The Critics And Preston Sturges / G. Tom Poe -- Hail The Conquering Auteur: Preston Sturges In 'la Revue Du Cinéma (1946-1949) / Christian Viviani -- O Preston, Where Art Thou? / Sarah Kozloff. Edited By Jeff Jaeckle And Sarah Kozloff. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Director, screenwriter and comic genius, Preston Sturges has been an influence on filmmakers ranging from Orson Welles to the Coen brothers. The first person to win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, he wrote and directed some of the most bizarre, controversial and downright hilarious comedies of the 1940s, including Sullivan's Travels and Hail the Conquering Hero. He may be the most talented Hollywood filmmaker yet to receive the critical recognition he deserves. The Films of Preston Sturges is a pioneering collection of essays by world-famous scholars that chart Sturges' contributions to Hollywood cinema, revealing his pivotal status as an early writer-director, exploring his inimitable style and making a bold case for his ongoing influence today. Reawakening interest in this filmmaker's life and works, this book will remind readers why Sturges' movies remain not only immensely enjoyable, but of great cultural significance as well. Key features. Traces Sturges' early career and writing process, including the shift from playwright to writer-director as well as screenwriting techniques Provides cultural contexts for Sturges' films, including representations of class, gender and race Assesses the rises and falls of Sturges' critical reputation and popularity, including his influence on contemporary filmmakers Title page Copyright Contents Figures Notes on Contributors Introduction: An Agile Mind-The Many Stands of Preston Sturges PART 1 Contexts: Genre, Studio, Authorship Chapter 1 Preston Sturges and Screwball Comedy Chapter 2 Preston Sturges, Sullivan’s Travels, and Film Authorship in Hollywood, 1941 Chapter 3 To Write and Not Direct Chapter 4 “The Edge of Unacceptability”: Preston Sturges and the PCA PART 2 Cultural Commentary: History and Identity Chapter 5 Sturges’s Many Mothers Chapter 6 “These Are Troublous Times”: Social Class in the Comedies of Preston Sturges Chapter 7 “They Always Get the Best of You Somehow”: Preston Sturges in Black and White Chapter 8 Falling Hard: The Sin of Harold Diddlebock PART 3 Technique: Scripting, Performance, Music Chapter 9 The Unheard Song of Joy Chapter 10 The Eye of the Storm: Preston Sturges and Performance Chapter 11 Presto(n) con Spirito: Comedies with Music, Sturges-style PART 4 Impact: Reception/Reputation Chapter 12 Thrust with a Rapier and Run: The Critics and Preston Sturges Chapter 13 Hail the Conquering Auteur: Preston Sturges in La Revue du cinéma (1946-1949) Chapter 14 O Preston, Where Art Thou? Index Director, screenwriter, and comic genius, Preston Sturges has been an influence on filmmakers ranging from Orson Welles to the Coen brothers. The first person to win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, he wrote and directed some of the most bizarre, controversial, and downright hilarious comedies of the 1940s, including 'Sullivan's Travels' and 'Hail the Conquering Hero'. He may be the most talented Hollywood filmmaker who has yet to receive the critical recognition he deserves. This is a pioneering collection of essays by renowned scholars that chart Sturges' contributions to Hollywood cinema, revealing his pivotal status as an early writer-director, exploring his inimitable style, and making a bold case for his ongoing influence today The Films of Preston Sturges, first book in the ReFocus series, provides this recognition with essays by world-famous scholars that chart Sturges' contributions to Hollywood cinema, pivotal status as an early writer-director, inimitable style and ongoing influence. This first collection of critical essays on Preston Sturges - director, screenwriter, comic genius of Hollywood - reawakens interest in the filmmaker's life and works and reminds readers why his movies continue to be culturally significant and immensely enjoyable