Sweet Smell of Success
1957
***½
Director: Alexander Mackendrick
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner, Sam Levene, Barbara Nichols, Jeff Donnell, Joe Frisco, Emile Meyer, Edith Atwater
Powerful newspaper columnist J.J. Hunsecker and ambitious press agent Sidney Falco are both adept at manipulating the truth for their own ends. Together, they conspire to sabotage Hunsecker's sister's budding relationship with a jazz musician. This highly rated drama was adapted from Ernest Lehman's 1950 novelette Tell Me About It Tomorrow!. The screenplay is smart, the dialogue is razor-sharp, and the performances are all strong. However, the story is incredibly cynical and the main characters remain cold and unpleasant. James Wong Howe's striking black and white cinematography and Elmer Bernstein's groovy score ensure that the film at least looks and sounds great.
