Sullivan's Travels

A director who has made money on comedies wants to know poverty in order to make a serious film. He sets out dressed as a tramp, with the studio sending a caravan after him. The film spends its first half on the absurdity of the attempt, then genuinely puts him in prison and changes register. Where the narrative arrives is a defence: the scene of convicts laughing at a cartoon says comedy is worth something too. Preston Sturges wrote and directed, with Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake. A fictional novel named inside the film later gave the Coen brothers a title. Who it's for: those who like classic Hollywood comedy and films about film. Who it's not for: viewers wanting one consistent tone; the narrative darkens noticeably midway.