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 Universite 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