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September 25, 2005
Sweet Smell of Success
Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Alexander Mackendrick:
I have no idea why, but I had always thought this movie was a screen adaptation of a broadway musical/comedy. Yeah, so it's a pleasant surprise when it turns out to be a fairly dark film noir. It only took me fifteen minutes to catch on.
So I can watch Burt Lancaster. Of course, it's easy when he plays the Man with such relish. Tony Curtis is delightfully sleezy as the publicity agent trying to make it big. (I wonder if all his roles have homosexual undertones).
The setting seems odd at first, but the genre fits nicely over it. As Tony Curtis tries to hustle his way to the top, he also must stay one step ahead of his quickly collapsing plans.
I also love movies that wallow in New York. I loved Mirage for the fleeting glance of that ugly, ugly building at Columbus Circle. Unlike something like The Apartment which just seems to be set in New York, Sweet Smell Success explores the depths of the city the deeper the characters get in their dealings.
14/15
Posted by bing at September 25, 2005 11:38 AM