Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Powerful but unethical Broadway columnist J.J. Hunsecker coerces unscrupulous press agent Sidney Falco into breaking up his sister's romance with a jazz musician.

Director:

Alexander Mackendrick

Writers:

Clifford Odets (screenplay), Ernest Lehman (screenplay)

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Burt Lancaster	...	J.J. Hunsecker
Tony Curtis	...	Sidney Falco
Susan Harrison	...	Susan Hunsecker
Martin Milner	...	Steve Dallas (as Marty Milner)
Jeff Donnell	...	Sally
Sam Levene	...	Frank D' Angelo
Joe Frisco	...	Herbie Temple
Barbara Nichols	...	Rita
Emile Meyer	...	Lt. Harry Kello
Edith Atwater	...	Mary
The Chico Hamilton Quintet	...	The Chico Hamilton Quintet

Storyline

J.J. Hunsecker, the most powerful newspaper columnist in New York, is determined to prevent his sister from marrying Steve Dallas, a jazz musician. He therefore covertly employs Sidney Falco, a sleazy and unscrupulous press agent, to break up the affair by any means possible.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | musician | press agent | power | newspaper columnist | 

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Taglines:

The almighty J.J. ...the columnist with sixty million believers ...his wrath is feared by the great and near great who worship the sweet smell of success!

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 July 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dein Schicksal in meiner Hand

Filming Locations:

Soundstage 6, Goldwyn Studios, Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Norma Productions, Curtleigh Productions, Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the musical refrains that is repeated throughout the film was used nearly note for note in Boogie Nights (1997).

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Goofs

During the theater confrontation scene, Hunsucker is writing on a small note pad, but the pad and pen suddenly vanish from his hands as he and Falco move up onto the stage.

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Quotes

Sidney Falco: A press agent eats a columnist's dirt and is expected to call it manna.

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Connections

Featured in Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away (1986)

User Reviews

Classic

This is the kind of film that could coin an expression like "They don't make 'em like that anymore," except that people have been using that line for every piece of crap that was made more than two years ago. Go ahead and say it to yourself, and I'll say that David Mamet's Glengarry, Glen Ross comes close. Both feature snarling, biting dialog. Both have irredeemable characters that will do anything for success. Mamet's characters are mostly down-and-outers who are scrapping at each other to find some sampling of their former successes. In Sweet Smell of Success there are successful characters and losers, both of which need each other to survive. It is a tale of a successful columnist and his need for a low life press agent. It is a bitter, bleak story of power, success and the desire to have more. Burt Lancaster plays JJ Hunsecker, a powerful, successful columnist who is at the top of his game. He gets what he wants, when he wants it with no questions asked. He can make or break celebrities with a quick blurb in his column. He dines with politicians and gets any girl he wants. Tony Curtis is Sidney Falco, a low rent press agent who needs Lancaster's blurbs for his clients to keep in business. Problem is, Hunsecker has cut Falco out of his columns because Falco hasn't delivered on a deal they made. Though Hunsecker can garner the love and admiration of anyone he chooses, the one woman he cannot win over is his own sister. As he repeatedly says throughout the film, she's all he has. Problem is she is in love with a jazz singer, and they plan to marry. Hunsecker can't bear the thought of losing his sister, so he forces Falco to get rid of the boy by any means necessary. The film is relentless. From beginning to end it never stops its pounding. There is never a breath of kindness. The two characters with some redeeming characteristics Hunsecker's sister, Susan (Susan Harrison) and her boyfriend, Steve Dallas (Martin Milner), are so overshadowed by the continual foul play by Hunsecker and Falco that they come away with a foul stench. Tony Curtis pulls a performance that reminded me of his turn as the Boston Strangler. It is not difficult to see his Falco turning to murder if it helped him succeed. Though as the strangler, he seems to have found some remorse for his actions, where Falco is irredeemable to the very end. There is a seen in the middle of the picture where Falco pulls a trick to convince a mid level performer to make Falco his press agent. At this point Falco needs all the clients he can get. Later the performer comes to Falco, ready to sign him as his agent. Falco, now feeling some signs of success brushes the performer off without a second thought. It is a telling scene of just how heartless and uncaring Falco has become. Where has Burt Lancaster been all my life? Sadly enough, the only film I can remember watching him in is the 1986 toss-off comedy Tough Guys. His performance here is nothing short of astonishing. He is the king of his castle, never stepping off his high throne, treating everyone as servants. Even his shows of affection for Susan are grotesque and menacing. This is a story that his hard to watch. It is brutal, and menacing with nary a redeeming aspect. But it is a film that must be watched. The craftsmanship of the filmmakers and the performances of the actors elevate it above so many others. It is nearly a morality tale of the horrors that befall humanities greed.