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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Black & White, Theatrical Version
A powerful film about a ruthless journalist and an unscrupulous press agent who'll do anything to achieve success, this "fascinating, compelling story" (The Hollywood Reporter) crackles with "taut direction and whiplash dialogue" (Time Magazine). Bristling with "vivid performances" by Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster, this gutsy exposŽ of big-city corruption is a timeless classic that cuts deep and sends a chilling message. It's late at night in the steamy, neon-lit streets of New York's Times Square, and everything's buzzing with nervous energy. But press agent Sidney Falco (Curtis) is oblivious to the whirlwind of street vendors, call girls and con men bustling around him as he nervously waits for the early edition of The Globe. Whose career did gossip columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Lancaster) launch today...and whose did he destroy?
"Sharp-edged [and] merciless. One extraordinary American noir!" Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Editor's Note
Director Alexander Mackendrick breaks away from black comedy (THE LADYKILLERS) and goes for full-fledged noir in this spectacular hard-boiled tale of greed, corruption, and brutality. In the flashing neon nighttime of NYC, grasping press agent Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) trawls the city's toniest nightspots--21,the Elysian--searching for the king of celebrity columnists, J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster). Falco is on the outs with Hunsecker because he hasn't successfully broken up the romance between Hunsecker's sister, Susie (Susan Harrison), and straitlaced jazz guitarist Steve Dallas (Martin Milner). The all-powerful Hunsecker is punishing Falco's failure by not printing any of the publicist's items. Desperate to make a living, Falco reveals a dirty plan to separate weak-willed Susie from her beau. While disgusted by Falco's slimy trade, the threatening, malicious columnist is determined to keep Susie for himself, so he agrees. In this jazzily scored, seamy nocturnal world, everyone is expendable as Hunsecker pushes for his twisted desires and Falco grasps for success. With their machine-gun dialogue and despicable behavior, Hunsecker and Falco are as dangerous as gangsters. The person who comes out on top when the sun rises, however, is a true surprise.
Plot Summary
In SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, an all-powerful columnist and an opportunistic press agent clash in a struggle for power.
| Features | French Subtitles | | Spanish Subtitles | | Original Theatrical Trailer | | English Mono | | French Mono |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: MGM |
| Release Date: 8/20/2002 |
| Running Time: 96 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1957 | | Catalog ID: 1002066 | | UPC: 00027616862969 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: French, Spanish | | Video: B&W |
Aspect Ratio | | 4:3 |
| Cast & Crew
| Memorable Quotes| "I love this dirty town."----Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) to Falco (Tony Curtis) | | "Sidney, conjugate me a verb; for instance----to promise. You promised to break up that romance."----Hunsecker to Falco | | "The cat's in the bag, and the bag's in the river."----Falco to Hunsecker | | "What does this mean, integrity?"----Hunsecker to Falco|"A pocketful of firecrackers waiting for a match."----Falco | | "I'd hate to take a bite out of you. You're a cookie full of arsenic."----Hunsecker to Falco | | "Maybe I left my sense of humor in my other suit."----Falco |
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| | Professional Reviews | Chicago Sun-Times
"...The film lives on -- sharp-edged, merciless. The performances of Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis have not dated or grown soft..." 10/12/1997 p.5Premiere
"[T]he movie gave off a new, cynical metropolitan attitude, with more twists than a barrel of pretzels." 12/01/2003 p.9 |
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