← Back to Reviews
in
Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner
I was about to call Sweet Smell Of Success "a film noir classic," but that would be wrong, since the term "classic" implies that a movie is well-known. Nonetheless, this is a terrific example of the genre.
Burt Lancaster plays J.J. Hunsecker, a powerful newspaper columnist who is as vicious and manipulative as he is famous. Tony Curtis is Sidney Falco, a conniving press agent who will do anything to get ahead and to remain in Hunsecker's good graces. The plot revolves around the fact that Hunsecker's younger sister is romantically involved with a jazz musician, and Hunsecker, who has a rather unhealthy affection for his sister, wants Falco to break up the romance. That's all I'll say about the plot, for fear of spoilers. As someone I know has said, though, the final scene is "shattering."
Lancaster and Curtis are both great in this film, which features some of the best performances by either of them. Curtis may have surpassed this performance in The Boston Strangler, but he comes pretty damn close here. He just oozes a feeling of sliminess, and Lancaster...wow...he electrifies every scene that he's in. I've never seen Elmer Gantry, for which he won a Best Actor Oscar, but it's hard to imagine him being any better than he is here.
The movie also looks great, with stunning black and white cinematography by James Wong Howe. Although this is no light romp in the park, I give it my highest recommendation.
Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner
I was about to call Sweet Smell Of Success "a film noir classic," but that would be wrong, since the term "classic" implies that a movie is well-known. Nonetheless, this is a terrific example of the genre.
Burt Lancaster plays J.J. Hunsecker, a powerful newspaper columnist who is as vicious and manipulative as he is famous. Tony Curtis is Sidney Falco, a conniving press agent who will do anything to get ahead and to remain in Hunsecker's good graces. The plot revolves around the fact that Hunsecker's younger sister is romantically involved with a jazz musician, and Hunsecker, who has a rather unhealthy affection for his sister, wants Falco to break up the romance. That's all I'll say about the plot, for fear of spoilers. As someone I know has said, though, the final scene is "shattering."
Lancaster and Curtis are both great in this film, which features some of the best performances by either of them. Curtis may have surpassed this performance in The Boston Strangler, but he comes pretty damn close here. He just oozes a feeling of sliminess, and Lancaster...wow...he electrifies every scene that he's in. I've never seen Elmer Gantry, for which he won a Best Actor Oscar, but it's hard to imagine him being any better than he is here.
The movie also looks great, with stunning black and white cinematography by James Wong Howe. Although this is no light romp in the park, I give it my highest recommendation.