Crooked, but Never Common: The Films of Preston Sturges

Preston Sturges directed a string of all-time classic comedies from 1939 through 1948, but his achievements remain underappreciated. Stuart Klawans' book "Crooked, but Never Common" offers a deeper understanding and appreciation of Sturgess' work, presenting him as a filmmaker who balanced slapstick and social critique, American and European traditions, and cynicism and affection for his characters. Klawans reveals structures, motives, and meanings underlying the uproarious pleasures of Sturgess movies, making him one of the truly great filmmakers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 376 pages
Publication date: 10 January 2023
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Preston Sturges directed a string of all-time classic comedies from 1939 through 1948, including The Great McGinty, The Lady Eve, Sullivans Travels, The Palm Beach Story, and The Miracle of Morgans Creek. His movies were cynical, sophisticated, romantic, and sexually frank, and were wildly breakneck and endlessly witty. Despite this acclaim, Sturges' achievements remain underappreciated, as he is often categorized as a dialogue writer and plot engineer more than a director and belittled as an irresponsible spinner of laughs. In Crooked, but Never Common, Stuart Klawans combines a critic's insight and a fan's enthusiasm to offer deeper ways to think about and enjoy Sturges' work. He provides an in-depth appreciation of all ten of the writer-director's major movies, presenting Sturges as a filmmaker whose work balanced slapstick and social critique, American and European traditions, and cynicism and affection for his characters. Klawans reveals structures, motives, and meanings underlying the uproarious pleasures of Sturges' movies, and reveals him as one of the truly great filmmakers—and funnier than ever.

Weight: 464g
Dimension: 139 x 217 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231207294