Heaven at home: popcorn and “Sullivan’s Travels” ready to go.
Here’s a story that will be a source of pleasure all season and combines three of my favorite things: movies, lists and the young woman who inspired it.
My friend Ellen came home from college and said she wants to catch up on classic movies over the summer. I’d been thinking about doing something similar and pulled up EW.com’s list of the Top 100 All-Time Greatest Movies for reminders and suggestions. Turns out I’ve done OK according to Entertainment Weekly, having seen 68 of these.
But I’d like to at least make a dent in the other 32. I started on Sunday evening, with “Sullivan’s Travels,” a classic Preston Sturges comedy and No. 96 on EW’s list. Short review: LOVED it. It’s about a Hollywood director who decides he needs to find trouble in order to make serious movies, and it’s full of sharp dialog, arresting images, and verbal and visual wit, with two appealing and funny stars, Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake.
So glad I finally made that journey, and I look forward to sharing notes with Ellen as she starts her own adventure. Her father and I grew up at the movies together, and I love that she’s become a cinephile, too. Next up for me: “A Face in the Crowd” with Andy Griffith and Patricia Neal (No. 93).
How about you? What classic movies have you somehow failed to see? Any interest in catching them now? Send me a comment in the link at the top.
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I’l be interested what you think about my two favorite Westerns you haven’t seen: The Searchers and The Wild Bunch. Much more complex than they first seem. Looks like you’ll also be heading into the world of Ingmar Bergman. That should be a trip.
Being the geek I am, I’ve seen all but three: Sullivan’s Travels, Sorrow and Pity, and Face in the Crowd. Neither excite me much, but you have made me interested in Sullivan’s Travels. I do like Sturges (The Lady Eve is personal fav) so sounds like it’s worth it.
I love The Lady Eve, too. Stanwyck rules. And Fonda.
Sullivan’s Travels is one of my favorites. Love Joel McCrea. These past few weeks I’ve been thinking quite a bit about A Face in the Crowd. The Donald Sterling incident has eerie resonance with what occurs in A Face in the Crowd. Why does no one ever mention The Third Man? I may be slapped about the face and neck, but I honestly think it is a better film than Citizen Kane.
Just watched A Face in the Crowd. Yes, it’s very prescient about a lot of people and trends, isn’t it? Scary stuff all too true. The Third Man IS great! That will be high on my next movie list — classics I haven’t seen in a long time.