THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS

US, 1957, 96 minutes, Black and white.
Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner, Sam Levine, Barbara Nichols, Jeff Donnell.
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick.

Sweet Smell of Success is a classic film noir drama from the mid-1950s. Burt Lancaster is at his best as a New York columnist with a wide readership, a talent for gossip, as well as a malevolent influence on people as well as malevolent reporting on them. He wants to break up a marriage (between Susan Harrison and Martin Milner) and employs a seedy press agent, played by Tony Curtis, to rake up scandals and break up the relationship.

Burt Lancaster was to go on to win an Oscar in 1960 as Elmer Gantry. Tony Curtis was at the beginning of his career in more serious films ranging from Trapeze (made with Lancaster the same year) and Spartacus.

The film was written by celebrated screenwriter Ernest Lehman and collaborated with playwright Clifford Odets (The Golden Boy, None But The Lonely Heart). Music is by Elmer Bernstein with the Chico Hamilton Quintet playing themselves.

The film uses its New York locations very strongly, giving an authentic atmosphere to this media world and its destructive element.

1. The irony and tone of the title? The values and criticism implied? Did this sum up the film?

2. How did the film draw audience fascination and disgust with the world it presented and its characters? How much insight into such a world and characters did the film offer? How much was shock value on the audience? Was this a good thing for this film? What was the audiences' basic response?

3. How effective were the black and white photography, the music and the musical background, the sharp words and literate dialogue, the ugly atmosphere of night and the gossip worlds the city of New York itself? Was the world too ugly, sinister, decadent? Was it just right for this film?

4. What were the implications in the film about human nature? Its good and bad, the jungle atmosphere of living, the need for survival and the ends justifying the means? What moral comment did the film make on this?

5. How was it easy to identify good and bad in this film? Was it too obvious? Too cut and dried? Did this indicate a type of morality play?

6. How central was Sydney Falco (falcon overtones of his name?) The effectiveness of Tony Curtis's portrayal, the ugliness of the character, his drives and ambitions, his con-man style of agency? the superficiality of his style of life, the evil, the lies, the ruining of people's lives? why did he change his mind about Susan? His hatred for JJ, a sneering man, finally outwitted? Where was his character most effectively presented? His future?

7. How effective was Burt Lancaster's portrayal of JJ? How could he belong to such a glossy gossip world, a world of power and corruption? How evil a man was he? Was his protection of his family motivated by any good? His sneering? attitude to people, the quality of his colouring truth and falsity, people fawning on him? His hold over Falco? His using of Falco? His cruelty in turning on him? The fact that he always won? What comment on human nature did this characterization make?

8. How were Susan and Steve obviously good characters? Were they portrayed strongly enough to get the good across? How were they portrayed as victims of evil? The nature of the sneers? The effectiveness of the musical background? The drug background and its turning against Falco?

9. How vividly drawn were the hangers-on in this world of gossip? The agents, the restaurant owners in need of publicity etc? The seekers of JJ's support?

10. Was this a film of character or harsh caricature presenting the world of ugliness in order to shock audiences and to give them a message?

11. How enjoyable a film? How valuable?