Sweet Smell of success (1957)

When thinking of the “film Noir” Cinema style, one tends to think in terms of gangsters, private detectives, femme fetal and crime in general.   The noir (or black) style, in effect means the dark side of life and the Noir films are always located in the big city and full of dark shadows, seeping with evil intent.   It is rare that this style is used to showcase an expose on corruption of a legitimate profession.   It took a British director of dark comedies, “Alexander Mackendrick” (whisky Galore!, The Lady Killers), to take a straight forward pulp fiction about the New York publicity press business and infuse it with the sinister sleaziness that is found in the Noir gangster films.     The result is startling and results in an original, explosive film about the dark side of United States, freedom of Press, or manipulation of truth.    The film reminds me that the slogan, “Fake News” that is bandied about so much today was a real product or side effect of the press and its perceived power to shape public opinion.   

The main star of the film is New York City and the entire story resides around the night city streets and nightclubs.     When Mackendrick was hired to make the movie he had a straight forward script written by the author of the novel it was based on.   Along with his handpicked screenwriter, “Clifford Odets” he went about in re-writing each scene while in the middle of filming the movie.   The result became Noir that reeked with the feel of the City.   

The movie has a lot of things going for it.  Powerhouse acting, a great jazz score, and splendid dark, black and white photography. What makes it truly special is the sharp biting and quotable script that resulted from the panicked re-writes.     

Burt Lancaster has starred in many great roles, but as the evil and powerful J.J. Hunsecker he created his greatest work.    Hunsecker is the most powerful newspaper columnist in New York and his column about the famous, rich and powerful is read by everyone.     Lancaster the actor was a larger than life specimen.  Tall broad shoulders and muscular.    Physically he was an imposing human being.    Here he stays tall, broad-shouldered and imposing, but he wears glasses stuck to the bridge of his nose causing his eyes to constantly look like they are in a glaze.   Watching him I felt I was looking at a person who was the class nerd in high school, getting bullied and who grew up through intelligence and wit to become powerful.    He now used his power to get even at the world.     

He is followed around by the fast talking and smarmy Sidney Flaco (The hyper handsome Tony Curtis in by far his best work).    Curtis could never conquer his deep Brooklyn accent even when he was playing a Roman, but here it fits his character like a glove.     Flaco is a press agent, and he desperately needs Hunsecker to mention his clients in his column, which is why he follows him like a lap dog and pitifully grovels to his every whim.    Hunsecker knows this and treats him like dirt without an ounce of respect in his demeaning actions.    This however is a man who does not treat anyone with respect and only has love for his kid sister.   That too is a love that lacks respect of any kind and hints at an ulterior incestuous motive.    In fact he tries to use Flaco’s complete lack of self-respect to help him ruin an up and coming jazz musician who has fallen in love with the sister.   

Here we have the big city night life, violence, betrayal, jealousy and incense which places the story straight into the realm of film noir.    There just isn’t any gangsters here.   

Mackendrick, who shone when emphasizing the dark side of his British Ealing comedies, films the entire movie with an emphasis on darkness and sinister intent.    An example is when Hunsecker straight out tells a politician acquaintance (who also needs the publicity), that hanging out publically with a press agent, who brings a good looking blond with him, is bad for his image, if he wants to be President one day.   The camera follows Hunsecker’s straight out and merciless in the unmasking of this charade showing the faces of the people he is talking about, not caring if they hear how he humiliate them.    The sinister intent of his short speech leaves his victims shocked and emotionally brutalized, as he forcefully states “everyone knows that this one (camera zeroes in on the press agent), is toting that one (camera now focuses on the blond) for you (camera now returns for a split second to Hunsecker before resting on the politician).    His weapon of choice is words but the camera work makes it clear that his words have a sharp edge.     

The dialogue if full of quotable blurbs, such as, “match me Sydney” (Husecker says when he want Flaco to light his cigarette).  “I want that boy destroyed, preferably tonight” snarls Hunsecker as Flaco responds, “What’s tomorrow, a Holiday?”     When talking to his politician friend at the nightclub about Flaco, while Flaco listens on without hesitation states, “I wish you were deaf and had a hearing aid, so with the flick of a switch I can turn off the greedy murmur of little men”.    Who speaks like that?   Real people probably do not, but when combined with the outstanding acting of Lancaster and the insightful camera of Mackendrick, it not only sounds believable, but also fiendishly philosophic.   

The New York City shown here is merciless and was an inspiration to countless later films about the cities underbelly, such as “Midnight Cowboy” and “Taxi Driver”.    Not to be missed, “Sweet Smell of Success”, is noir par excellence.