The Sweet Smell of Success (Widescreen)

 

 

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The Criterion Collection presents "SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS" (27 June 1957) (96 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Burt Lancaster stars as J. J. Hunsecker, a Walter Winchell-style columnist who wields his power like a club, steamrolling friends and enemies alike --- Tony Curtis co-stars as Sidney Falco, a sycophantic press agent who'd sell his grandmother to get an item into Hunsecker's popular newspaper column --- Hunsecker enlists Falco's aid in ruining the reputation of jazz guitarist Steve Dallas (Martin Milner), who has had the temerity to court Hunsecker's sister Susan (Susan Harrison) --- Falco contrives to plant marijuana on Dallas, then summons corrupt, sadistic NYPD officer Harry Kello (Emile Meyer), who owes Hunsecker several favors, to arrest the innocent singer.
A sharp-edged, penetrating film, Sweet Smell of Success is now regarded as a model of street-smart cinematic cynicism --- The electric performances of the stars are matched by the taut direction of Alex MacKendrick, the driving jazz score of Elmer Bernstein, and the evocative nocturnal camera work of James Wong Howe.

Under the production staff of:
Alexander Mackendrick [Director]
Writers:Clifford Odets [Screenwriter]
Ernest Lehman [Screenwriter]
James Hill [Producer]
Elmer Bernstein [Original Film Score]
James Wong Howe [Cinematographer]
Edward Carrere [Art Director]

BIOS:
1. Alexander Mackendrick [Director]
Date of Birth: 8 September 1912 - Boston, Massachusetts
Date of Death: 22 December 1993 - Los Angeles, California

2. Burt Lancaster
Date of Birth: 2 November 1913 - New York City, New York
Date of Death: 20 October 1994 - Century City, California

3. Tony Curtis [aka: Bernard Herschel Schwartz]
Date of Birth: 3 June 1925 - The Bronx, New York
Date of Death: 29 September 2010 - Henderson, Las Vegas, Nevada

the cast includes:
Burt Lancaster ... [J.J. Hunsecker]
Tony Curtis ... [Sidney Falco]
Susan Harrison ... [Susan Hunsecker
Martin Milner ... [Steve Dallas]
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 ... [Themselves]

SPECIAL FEATURES [BONUS]:
1. Exclusive new digital restoration from the original 35 mm camera negative (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
2. New audio commentary featuring film scholar James Naremore
3. Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away, a 1986 documentary featuring interviews with director Alexander Mackendrick, actor Burt Lancaster, producer James Hill, and others
4. James Wong Howe: Cinematographer, a 1973 documentary about the Oscar-winning director of photography, featuring lighting tutorials with Howe
5. New video interview with film critic and historian Neal Gabler (Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity) about legendary columnist Walter Winchell, inspiration for the character J. J. Hunsecker
6. New video interview with filmmaker James Mangold about Mackendrick, his instructor and mentor
7.. Original theatrical trailer
8. PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Gary Giddins, notes about the film and two short stories introducing its characters by screenwriter Ernest Lehman, and an excerpt about Clifford Odets from Mackendrick's book On Film-making, introduced by the book's editor, Paul Cronin

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 96 min on DVD ~ Criterion ~ (02/22/2011)

Sweet Smell of Success is one of my personal favorites, and in my opinion, this is one of the best Blu-Rays I have purchased. For a great review of the film himself, I would direct prospective buyers to Roger Ebert's review, on his Chicago Sun-Times website.

This Blu-Ray features the film itself with a beautiful high-def transfer, cleaned audio, a wealth of extras, and a hefty 56-page booklet. The cardboard packaging is very nice as well. This release upholds the Criterion Collection's very high standards admirably.

Highly recommended.

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.

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5.0 out of 5 stars "AN APPLE MADE OF ARSENIC."
One of the problems with studying in film school, being a movie buff and getting older is that at some point in ones' life a man ventures into the video store, peruses the shelves... Read more

Published on July 16 2004 by Steven Travers

2.0 out of 5 stars HARD TO TELL WHAT'S GOING ON.
The dialogue moves along so fast, and the plot is so sketchy, that I had a difficult time understanding it. Read more

Published on Jun 22 2004 by R. A POKATILOFF

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Since I really despise long-winded, puffed up pseudo-intellectual reviews, I'll keep this simple. This flick is INTENSE! Read more

Published on Jan 24 2004 by The Raven

4.0 out of 5 stars "You're a cookie filled with arsenic."
Sweet Smell of Success is not only an example of a quintessential film noir, it is also a quintessential movie about New York City. As J.J. Read more

Published on Jan 13 2004 by Cubist

5.0 out of 5 stars The pen is deadlier than the sword
J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) writes a newspaper column that 42 million people read. He deals mainly with two kinds of persons: those who would give anything to be mentioned in... Read more

Published on Nov 28 2003 by Eva25at

4.0 out of 5 stars Two Great Shows of Ruthlessness
Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) is a ruthlessly ambitious publicist in New York City of 1957. He relies upon the city's most powerful gossip columnist, J.J. Read more

Published on Nov 10 2003 by mirasreviews

2.0 out of 5 stars a grossly overpraised dud
I'd heard a lot of positive things about this picture for a long time from people whose opinions I value, and as a consequence I looked forward to finally seeing "Sweet Smell of... Read more

Published on Nov 1 2003 by Hugo 77

5.0 out of 5 stars Chomp chomp chew chew spit
Chewing up and spitting out the reputations of those he doesn't favour, the columnist extraordinaire JJ Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) is one of the greatest portraits of the use and... Read more

Published on Nov 1 2003 by Ian Muldoon

1.0 out of 5 stars Movie is in the wrong aspect ratio !
I saw a newly restored print of "The Sweet Smell of Success" (1957) at the Chauvel Cinemas in Sydney on the weekend. Read more

Published on Sep 30 2003 by P. Longworth

5.0 out of 5 stars You Wont Believe It . . .
There's no profanity. No blood. No guns, knives, or bombs. But the lack of these things doesn't keep 'Sweet Smell of Success' from being one of the most wicked, hateful,... Read more

Published on Aug 12 2003 by A. Wolverton

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