Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
95%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award
3 wins & 4 nominations total
Sweet Smell of Success boasts a top-notch cast, sharp direction, atmospheric cinematography, and an appropriately jazzy score, making it one of the best noir crime thrillers ever made.
The Sweet Smell of Success is a classic film that proves that words can be just as deadly as any weapon. With a sharp script and engaging performances, this movie is a must-see for anyone who loves a good satire. And even though it was made over 60 years ago, the themes of corruption and power still ring true today. So grab some popcorn and settle in for a wild ride through the seedy underbelly of New York City. Just be careful not to get caught in the crossfire of these verbal ricochets!
Production Company(ies)
Norma Productions, Curtleigh Productions, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions,
Distributor
United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Brill Building – 1619 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
Year of Release
1957
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.66 : 1 (original ratio)
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Runtime:1h 36m
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Language(s):English, Italian, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 27, 1957 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 19, 2001
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Martin Milner, Barbara Nichols, Susan Harrison, Sam Levene, Frank D’ Angelo, directed by Alexander Mackendrick, written by Ernest Lehman, Clifford Odets, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by New York Daily News Staff, Brandon Judell, Mae Tinee, Wendy Ide, Hank Sartin, Carol Rittgers, Brian Eggert, Ernesto Diezmartinez, Mike Massie, Jim Ross, Sean Axmaker, produced by James Hill, MPAA rating, United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Mono, New York City, J.J Hunsecker, Broadway column, Susan Hunsecker, Steve Dallas, Sidney Falco, jazz, cinematography, noir crime thriller, corrupt, power, manipulation, betrayal, love, relationships, public opinion, publicist, ruthless, method, top-notch cast, sharp direction, atmospheric cinematography, jazzy score, best noir crime thrillers ever made
Worldwide gross: $7,704
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $92,382
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,034
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 10,074
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Tony Curtis – Sidney Falco
Martin Milner – Steve Dallas
Barbara Nichols – Rita
Susan Harrison – Susan Hunsecker
Sam Levene – Frank D’ Angelo
Director(s)
Alexander Mackendrick
Writer(s)
Ernest Lehman, Clifford Odets
Producer(s)
James Hill
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award
3 wins & 4 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (56) | Rotten (1)
Despite some shrill overstatements that remind one that Clifford Odets had a hand in the screenplay, the film is a highly successful product of what might be called the “New York School” of filmmaking.
November 17, 2021
New York Daily News Staff
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
That Clifford Odets co-wrote the screenplay explains the film’s continued ability to fascinate, but not why it was made into a current musical.
June 15, 2021
Brandon Judell
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
It’s a tough tale about utterly amoral people. I thought the ending rather weak bet for most of the footage the film packs plenty of punch.
August 10, 2020
Mae Tinee
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
It is beautifully shot in gleaming black and white (James Wong Howe) and written in a lucid, over-exposed one o’clock in the morning style by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman.
March 31, 2020
Derek Prouse
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
New York never looked as thrillingly sordid as it does in this scabrous masterpiece.
April 9, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Wendy Ide
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Hank Sartin
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Its sophistication, underscored by the subtle rhythms of progressive jazz, its frank acceptance of immoral motivations, and its sheer melodramatic excitement give it a fascinating surface that far nobler films lack.
March 30, 2022
Carol Rittgers
Film Culture
Sweet Smell of Success replaces shootouts with verbal ricochets, affirming, both on and offscreen, that when the words are dagger-sharp, the pen remains mightier than the sword.
March 18, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
A movie that could have been made yesterday. The corruption that he portrays is still so rampant and perhaps it is worse because now these types of characters do not have the power they had.
October 18, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Ernesto Diezmartinez
Cine Vértigo
The subject matter is incredibly mature, despite being shrouded by 1957-appropriate insinuation rather than graphic depiction.
August 23, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
… the razor-sharp wit of the script and the engaging lead performances will keep audiences coming back to Mackendrick’s classic satire.
February 13, 2020
Jim Ross
TAKE ONE Magazine
… one of the most lacerating and vicious visions of the predatory urban world in the American cinema, and one accomplished without a single murder, gunshot or pulled knife.
March 2, 2018
Sean Axmaker
Stream on Demand…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Tony Curtis’ performance in Sweet Smell of Success is considered one of the best of his career.
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