The Great Filmmakers: Preston Sturges

The Great Filmmakers: Preston Sturges

You may be asking yourself: “So who is this guy, and why have I never heard of him?” My response is: “Challenge yourself to become enthralled with the filmmaker whose name you may not know but whose movies are unforgettable!”

That is exactly the challenge I gave to screenwriter Jarett Miller. Jarett, 26, is a frequent guest when I speak about movies. In addition to being a screenwriter who has worked on major projects like “Wonder Woman,” “It,” and “The Umbrella Academy,” among others, Jarett has an advanced degree in film and a passion for great storytelling. For this unique two-part series, I challenged Jarett to watch some of the great Preston Sturges movies. Our course description matches what I told him! I do hope you will sign up!

In a span of just seven years, Preston Sturges had an unparalleled run of making some of the greatest American movies of all time.  

The films of Preston Sturges are absolutely unique, unforgettable, and utterly brilliant. However, although his Hollywood career lasted over 35 years, the movies Preston Sturges wrote and directed between 1938 and 1945 alone were enough to cement his reputation as one of the most influential directors and respected screenwriters of all time.  After becoming the first screenwriter of the talking movie era to direct his own films,  Preston Sturges created a unique body of work that still delights challenges and amuses audiences 80 years later. Furthermore, his personal life was as unexpected, unique, and memorable as his movies!

Join Jarett and me as we explore the movies written and directed by one of the great filmmakers, Preston Sturges! We will explore his films in chronological order. Join us for both parts of this great two-week program.