Five Screenplays by Preston Sturges [Hardcover]

Preston Sturges (Author), Brian Henderson (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 14, 1985

Here are five comic masterpieces by Preston Struges, who has been called "Hollywood's greatest writer-director, with emphasis on the former." The scripts are drawn from the great period between 1939 and 1944, which Andrew Sarris called "one of the most brilliant and most bizarre bursts of creation in the history of cinema."
They are astonishingly readable and deliciously funny. Brian Henderson's introduction provides an overview of Sturges criticism and brief biographical material. Each script is preceded by a prefatory essay discussing its evolution. The insights provided by this volume will be useful to film students and aspiring screenwriters, and fascinating to anyone interested in screen comedy. Virtually all the illustrations, showing Sturges at work, are published here for the first time.
The collection includes The Great McGinty, Christmas in July, The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, and Hail the Conquering Hero.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Superb commentaries by Henderson." -- Geoffrey O'Brien, The New York Review of Books

"The scripts . . . help to reveal Sturges's working process. . . . Henderson provides the reader with fascinating background information on the genesis and evolution of these pictures." -- Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"The scripts are demonstrations of comedy construction at its most expert and of the writing of vernacular dialogue at its most effective. . . . Henderson's book is not so much a reminder as a proof of what an original and gifted filmmaker Sturges was." -- Charles Champlin, Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Preston Sturges (1898-1959) was a member of Hollywood's gifted royalty. He wrote, directed, and produced a remarkable number of successful films and wrote and produced for the Broadway stage. Brian Henderson is Professor of Film and Chair of the Department of Media Studies at the State University of New York, Buffalo.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 848 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (June 14, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520054423
• ISBN-13: 978-0520054424
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,151,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars brilliant, April 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Five Screenplays by Preston Sturges (Paperback)

Sturges was brilliantly funny, and these scripts are beautifully constructed. Make a point to see HAIL, THE CONQUERING HERO; it's his best film, and includes arguably his funniest scene (the mayor dictates a speech to his son then his secretary).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The master of witty dialogue, November 23, 2001

By 

George Matusek (St Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Five Screenplays by Preston Sturges (Paperback)

These screenplays contain some of the wittiest lines ever written. To my taste, Preston Sturges wrote better dialogue than Shakespeare. This volume contains the screenplay to one of my favorite films, "Christmas in July" -- one of the warmest and funniest fims ever made. Puts Shakespeare back with the shipping news.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Titles, November 24, 2005

By 

Donald Rogers (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Five Screenplays by Preston Sturges (Paperback)

Preston Sturges stands out among the writer/directors of the 30's and 40's (how many others were there? I can think only of John Huston) for his wittily jaded takes on politics, the battle of the sexes, art and patriotism. But if you're looking at this review, you're a fan already, so I'll just tell you the titles in this volume:

* The Great McGinty

* Christmas in July

* The Lady Eve

* Sullivan's Travels

* Hail the Conquering Hero

Good films all, and the last two classics.