On October 31, the second day of the 2008 Virginia Film Festival, Bad Day at Black Rock was screened in Culbreth Theater. Sean McCord, lead writer for the VFF, introduced the film. After the screening, Sean discussed the film with Michael Sturges, Charlottesville resident and son of the film’s director, John Sturges.
Present in the audience were 200 high school students from Charlottesville High and other area schools. CHS drama students had studied both this film and The Great Escape, another classic John Sturges film, and Michael and Sean had visited the high school the day before to meet with the students and talk about the film.
After the film, Sean McCord and Michael Sturges discuss classic Hollywood filmmaking, and what it was like to grow up the son of a famous director.
Listened to your interview with Michael Sturges re “BDABR.” Fascinating. I particularly enjoyed Michael’s anecdote about the B&W print of the film shown at his high school and his father’s typically muted response.
Pure self-deprecating John Sturges — the Sturges I got to know during interviews for “Escape Artist: The Life and Films of John Sturges” (UWP).
Michael was a huge part of the book which celebrates the career of one of the most underrated filmmakers in the history of the medium.
Glenn Lovell
Film Instructor
De Anza College
Cupertino, CA
(408) 267-0605