{"product_id":"o-brother-what-might-have-been","title":"O Brother, What Might Have Been","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat Might Have Been opens a hidden door into the creative world of Preston Sturges, one of the great originals of American cinema, the trailblazing writer-director whose comedies \u003cem\u003eThe Lady Eve\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSullivan's Travels\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Palm Beach Story \u003c\/em\u003ebrought a new sophistication to Hollywood in the early 1940s. This remarkable volume gathers three unproduced screenplays that span the breadth of his career-scripts that were written with the same verve, wit, and satiric brilliance as his best-known films, but which never made it to the screen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eSong of Joy\u003c\/em\u003e (1936), Sturges crafts a razor-sharp satire of the movie business and its manic machinery, channeling his frustrations with studio absurdity into a vibrant, madcap tale of mistaken identity, opera stars and clueless executives. This previously lost link between \u003cem\u003eThe Good Fairy\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eEasy Living \u003c\/em\u003ereveals the moment when Sturges truly found his comic voice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNothing Doing \u003c\/em\u003e(1949) finds Sturges returning to one of his favorite conceits: the reinvention of a man adrift. Here, a high-powered tycoon retreats to a small town under doctor's orders, only to rebuild its economy and rediscover himself. With echoes of \u003cem\u003eSullivan's Travels \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eThe Sin of Harold Diddlebock\u003c\/em\u003e, Sturges grapples with success, exhaustion and post-war America in a story that blends slapstick with soul-searching. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Millionairess\u003c\/em\u003e (1953-54), Sturges adapts George Bernard Shaw's social comedy into a lively, visually inventive screenplay originally intended for Katharine Hepburn. The result is a richly cinematic transformation that deepens Shaw's characters and sharpens the romantic tension, while offering Sturges' signature mix of verbal fireworks, comic montage, and offbeat heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith a foreword by Sturges' son Tom and annotated with rich, illuminating introductory essays by Jay Rozgonyi, \u003cem\u003eWhat Might Have Been\u003c\/em\u003e is a poignant, hilarious and revelatory glimpse into the mind of one of American cinema's greatest comic artists. A gift to cinephiles and a reminder of the dazzling energy and human insight that made Sturges a legend, it is also a loving act of restoration, a chance, at last, to read what he might have filmed - if only the world had let him.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tom Sturges, Preston Sturges, Jay Rozgonyi","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47278891434220,"sku":"9798899760174","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47278891466988,"sku":"9798899760181","price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9798899760174.jpg?v=1770256483","url":"https:\/\/intl.allstora.com\/products\/o-brother-what-might-have-been","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}