Sweet Smell of Success
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Movie Reviews of Sweet Smell of Success
Movie Review: "Match me, Sidney."
Summary: 5 Stars
Like ON THE WATERFRONT, THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS is a 1950's movie that shows the brutal dark side of urban life. Unfolding almost entirely at night, the plot follows publicist Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) as he tries vainly to become a "success" by sucking up to the boss he hates, acid-witted columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster, in a role that alludes to Walter Winchell). Lancaster's quietly riveting performance hints at Hunsecker's deep loneliness, but it is Curtis' movie, and he is alive to his role's every nuance: Falco is a man of many "faces," a fact relished by Curtis. The supporting cast includes Susan Harrison and Martin Milner as young lovers whose future together is ruined by Hunsecker and Falco. Yet the push-push, city-that-never-sleeps atmosphere is the movie's true "star," and this is superbly created by cinematographer James Wong Howe's glossy black-and-white, Elmer Bernstein's jazz score (with drumming legend Chico Hamilton leading a combo in several nightclub scenes), and the screenplay, co-written by dramatist Clifford Odets, which is almost surreal in its evocation of urban tough-talk.
Movie Review: Dark, powerful film. One of my faves.
Summary: 5 Stars
"Sweet Smell of Success," the Lancaster/Curtis team-up of 1957, is a brilliant little piece of work, underappriciated as a classic film but widely praised in many circles and by fans of twisty, biting noir. The script (co-penned by Ernest Lehman of "North by Northwest" fame) is very, very dark and lets no one off the hook. The characters are all sinister and manipulative, but the film itself shares a strong moral center and the consequences of J.J. & Sidney's actions are greatly taken into account during the closing moments. Entertainment Weekly's TOP 100 MOVIES OF ALL-TIME listed the film at #49 and said it was the type of movie "you stumble upon late at night on cable tv." And they're right: I happened to flip by TCM at 2:00 am one night, caught the opening titles of "Sweet Smell of Success," and sat riveted for the entire running time. It's great, really great. One of my favorite films, and even though the DVD itself is medicore to say the least (CRITERION! HEED MY CALL!), it holds a special place in my DVD collection.
Grade: A+
Movie Review: Great film - Correct aspect ratio?
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not so sure about this being the wrong aspect ratio... IMDB shows it as 1.85:1 but they COULD be wrong.
The director, Alexander McKendrick, was brought over from Britians' Ealing studios to direct this film and the trend for British 'widescreen' was 1.66:1 (as it is today, as opposed to the common American film standard of 1.85:1). I'm assuming that since he was familiar with 1.66:1 he proposed filming it in that ratio to Burt Lancaster (who's production company produced it). There were not a lot of films being produced in a 'widescreen' format yet (1957) and there certainly were no established standards yet so, it was a very progressive decision they undertook.
This film looks marvelous on my Sony 52" LCD - properly anamorphic as far as I can discern. If we have, indeed, been shorted by a cropping of 1.66:1 from 1.85:1 then we may hope for a definitive Blu-ray release soon but, overall, this is a tip-top transfer.
Movie Review: A truly great, no nonsense movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
The very first movies, relied upon exaggerated acting and the actors' good looks. Then, along came the 'talkies' - and voices assumed great importance. With the advent of 'talkies' came the necessity to tell a good story - cinematically. Today, the emphasis is all on 'special effects', 'shock value', 'sex, and foul language.
For a relatively brief period between the coming of talkies and the modern cinematographic masterpieces, there was a halcyon period where excellently acted and expertly directed films were made of exceptionally good stories - often based on first rate novels.
'The Sweet Smell of Success' is one such movie. The actors are highly competent, the acting is superb, the story is great and the direction is first rate. 'The Sweet Smell of Success' comes together exceptionally well and is a first rate movie in all respects.
I would recommend it to anyone who wishes first rate entertainment.
Movie Review: Amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
I was stunned when I watched this film, and it's been a while since that's happened. The script, the acting, the cinematography are all dazzling. Why this isn't mentioned in the same breath as "The Third Man" is unforgivable. Even the score is wonderful. Also, the film demands a second viewing because there is far to much to take in. Watching it I was reminded of "Citizen Kane," "Sunset Boulevard," "The Third Man," and maybe a little Godard (maybe the look of "Alphaville"?). The film really feels like it exists in a time and place, oozing atmosphere. The only downside to the film and dvd is that some of the scenes were not restored quite as well as others, but this is an excusable oversight, considering the shimmering quality of the rest of the film and one can only hope for a special edition or criterion release in the future with commentary by a film critic or two. Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster (in American movies) were never better.