Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Now how many films could get away with a line like that? Among other memorable lines include, "You're dead, son. Get yourself buried", "I'd hate to take a bite outta you. You're a cookie full of arsenic", and "Your mouth is as big as a basket and twice as empty". One could argue that Alexander Mackendrick's amorality tale is most remembered for its slickly written screenplay, boasting one sharp one-liner after another. However, the film also succeeds in utilizing its top-notch cast (led masterfully by Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis) set against the backdrop of an atmospheric New York City to the tune of a fittingly accompanied jazz score - never has the city appeared as charming as it does sinister, with its shadowy presence and dark undertones felt throughout the film. To immerse yourself in this film is to hypnotically experience the 'City that Never Sleeps' as a setting of estrangement, overcrowded sidewalks, excessive street noise and the smoke-filled nightclubs and bars.The story is of Sidney Falco and JJ Hunsecker. JJ is a powerful jazz columnist while Falco is an unprincipled press agent much of whose success is contingent on getting that next big story into Hunsecker's column. ("Exactly how does a press agent work?", a man asks him. To which Falco responds, "A press agennt eats a columnist's dirt and is expected to call it manna".) JJ is unhappy with his sister's latest romance with a jazz guitarist named Steve Dallas and seeks out Falco to break it up. We remember these names because these are some highly memorable characters; they talk fast, talk smart and use their charm to persuade people to do what they want from them. Together, both Curtis and Lancaster project a cynicism and otherworldly pizazz that almost transcend their own surroundings. Consider also the script's persistent attribution of its characters to dogs ("Tell me sir, when he dies, do you think he'll go to the dog and cat heaven?") I think what's most compelling about these characters is not so much their complete disregard for human emotion but rather how their hunger and drive for dirt on anyone will come at any cost. Both Falco and JJ are constantly scheming and conniving in their pursuit for success, that 'sweet' smell of it. It's intoxicating to them and their aggressive wordplay distracts us from the true lack of elegance these men have. At their core, their sleaze balls and toy with innocents like puppeteers as a means for personal gain. This kind of greed and narcissism is maybe more relevant today than it was back then and understandably makes this film timeless in its themes and characters. Overall, it's a black and white film whose morals are anything BUT black and white. "I love this dirty town", JJ states in the film's beginning. He's right about the dirty part...

Sour-Full Display of the most Cynical with its Cyanide Script and Loathsome Characters. Visually Striking New York City Showbiz Nightlife with Predators Aplenty.Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis Spar Endlessly using Their Wits as Weapons taking Bites out of each other and Wounding Weaker People then Occasionally going in for the Kill. The Film is Populated with assorted Associates, Hangers On, Desperate Types and the Corrosive Colliding like so many Pin-Balls in the Confined Environment of the Big Apple.Visceral War of Words in the Concrete Jungle as these "Animals" Instinctively Forego Empathy and replace it with Brutality. It can be a Tough Watch because it is Relentlessly Hurtful and the Slaughter is Shown Up Close and in High Contrast.The Pace is Hustle and the Mood is Manic. Fascinating, Captivating, and Claustrophobic, it Ranks with the Likes of "Sunset Blvd" (1950) as the Decades most Scintillating and Scathing Films to come from the Safe and Saccharin 1950's.Film-Noir as a Substantive, Subversive Style was in Decline by this Late Date, but the Makers of this Movie didn't Read the Press Release as it Remains a Solid Entry in the Genre.

Sweet Smell of Success tells the story of a young press agent Sidney Falco. He is always getting the bitter taste of failure from all the sides. And he is going to the great extend to get the Sweet Smell of Success. But, as he thinks he won, and ready to enjoy the sweet smell, everything goes to the bitter taste again.Tony Curtis has done a great job in the movie. Especially the character with a negative touch during that time should have been a real challenge. All the other cast did perfect job. This is another classic movie that excels in all aspects, cast and crew.

Is the goodness of their actions ever questioned by the men in Sweet Smell of Success? They are all selfish, and scan their targets with steely eyes that betray their desires. They feel entitled to these things, as if a little power makes any obstacle move out of their way. Late in the film, Sidney Falco is seemingly at a moral impasse, the slimy press agent himself outraged at the lows that his boss would go to to destroy a young man's life and career. But like the whipped dog he is, Falco is instantly panting and begging when J.J. dangles the possibility of taking over the main column for an extended period of time. From this we can extrapolate that J.J. is used to snapping his fingers and quickly getting his way - and no one, not until the very end of the film, has ever stood up against him. Steve Dallas does so in a minute, almost insignificant manner, and J.J. sets his sights on obliterating him, and cannot be swayed by anyone else. His introduction is a key scene, telling us as much about him from the man himself but also how he affects the behaviour of those around him. See how Lancaster controls the table with an air of absolute authority, his gaze daring you to utter a wrong word. Observe how his thick browline glasses add deep dark furrows over his eyes, giving him the constant appearance of an oversized bully. The rest of the characters are flustered - they attempt to quickly seize any opportunity in the conversation to impress, and are disturbed by how Lancaster is unperturbed at these interruptions. Nothing can distract the king from his duties. Mackendrick is never shy about hiding his film's noir elements. James Wong Howe's photography utilises the deepest of blacks that hide depravity in every corner of the room, and focuses the key lights so that each image produces a stark contrast; see how simply a hat's shadow can make J.J. into a sinister monster. And the dialogue is snappy and distinct; maybe a little too flashy for what the hardboiled setting entails, with its smoky, jazz-filled bars, murky streets and even murkier inhabitants. But perhaps it envisions the city as J.J. sees it, the setting plucked straight from an old pulpy novel. When he stands on the rooftop and looks over his kingdom, night-time New York almost seems like a gliterry paradise, and the man who rules it almost seems like a guardian. In the end Falco gets beaten by the corrupt cops and arrested, no doubt off for a lengthy prison sentence. This makes some sense from a moral perspective, and we feel justice has been served. Susan, the angel within the dark reaches of the city, is driven to the very depths of despair, but only momentarily, and is the only one to walk away with a brighter future in mind. The sorriest of them all is J.J., who by trying to control everything has lost even himself and his sense of decency towards his family, and in the end, is the loneliest and most despondent of them all. Could we ever imagine his beginnings as a decent man, whose good intentions have spiralled into an overly obsessive and corrupt tirade? Lancaster makes it very difficult, and possible.