Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Directed by

Alexander Mackendrick

Genre

drama film, film noir

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 36m

Rated

e 14

Rating

7.6 of 10 from 586 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A powerful newspaper columnist uses his influence to break up his sister's relationship with a jazz musician. His sycophantic press agent carries out the dirty work to stay in his good graces.

tensecynicalsleazyfast-pacedshadymanipulativeclaustrophobicnoirish

What happens

Sweet Smell of Success is a 1957 American satirical drama film noir directed by Alexander Mackendrick, adapted by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman from the latter's 1950 novelette Tell Me About It Tomorrow!. It stars Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner. The film tells the story of powerful and sleazy newspaper columnist J.J. Hunsecker (portrayed by Lancaster and based on Walter Winchell) who uses his connections to ruin his sister's relationship with a man he deems unworthy of her. The shadowy noir cinematography filmed on location in New York City was shot by James Wong Howe. The picture was produced by James Hill of Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists. The supporting cast features Sam Levene, Barbara Nichols, Joe Frisco, Edith Atwater, David White, and Emile Meyer. The musical score was arranged and conducted by Elmer Bernstein and the film also features jazz performances by the Chico Hamilton Quintet. Mary Grant designed the costumes. Despite a poorly received preview screening, Sweet Smell of Success has greatly improved in stature over the years. It grew to become highly acclaimed by film critics, particularly for its cinematography and screenplay. In 1993, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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