Sweet Smell of Success (1957) Retrospective

George opines on Alexander Macendrick's Sweet Smell of Success from 1957, starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. A wonderful dark drama with a great script and spectacular cinematography. Using the book On Filmmaking: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director- a collection of Mackendrick's teaching notes and drawings, edited by Paul Cronin- as a window into understanding the film's brilliance- hopefully you will all come away with knowledge of some of Mackendrick's basic tenants on dialogue, conversational scenes, blocking, and narrative construction in film.
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[@JV-vy8ke]

Fantastic writing, dialogue and unforgettable performances.

[@shazid1891]

My favorite film of all time, it’s an absolute masterpiece of cinema, In every aspect, love it. Great video that shows it, masterclass in filmmaking.

[@FilmJournal]

Really appreciate that! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@randywhite3947]

It’s in my top five

[@anrun]

This was very interesting, thank you. Lancaster was great but Curtis was even better; a role he was born to play. Whenever I watch or think about SSoS, Barry Levinson's Diner comes to mind too. It has a minor character who is obsessed with the film, has memorized it and goes around annoying others by randomly quoting lines from it.

[@michaelstewart3112]

So glad to find an articulate review of this film. Been dying to find one since watching this

[@cathyf.2672]

This is one of those movies that kept me thinking about it for days after. It was brutal, yet thought provoking. My immediate impression was "yeck", but later certain details started to fit together. I was mostly haunted by the Walter Winchell connection after learning of the tragedy of his 3 children and Hunsecker's prophetic line. Was it "Every rat has his day." ? My two favorite lines: "I'd hate to take a bite out of you, you're a cookie full of arsenic." and "The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river." A great compliment to the movie, that the cat line was borrowed from Vince Gilligan for the title of 2 of this Breaking Bad episodes. Great review. Thanks for posting.

[@FilmJournal]

Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it! Bag’s in the River line is an all timer

[@newguy5672]

Amazing retrospective for a great film

[@FilmJournal]

Thanks very much!

[@torbjornkvist]

Wait now, Alexander Mackendrick was an American from Boston. He had Scottish ancestry. In the UK he made milestones like WHISKY GALORE!, THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT, THE MAGGIE, and the classical THE LADYKILLERS. He worked well with actor Sir Alec Guinness. SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS was his first American movie.

[@photo161]

How could you believe that filmmaking is anything other than a craft?

[@FilmJournal]

I think there are some filmmakers who might approach filmmaking as an expressionistic endeavor, poetry on film etc. who wouldn’t want to think of it in a sort of workmanlike way. I agree with you though

[@lennonlikejohn5549]

Hey thanks for this man. You did really well breaking this down. Man what a movie…

[@FilmJournal]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@godsdaughter3158]

You've an amazing channel, George. Great insight... simply quality. I hope you keep it up and NEVER quit. You're among the top tier.

[@FilmJournal]

So nice of you to say that and thank you 😊 glad you enjoyed! No plans to quit anytime soon!

[@nycsp]

Burt Lancaster perfect in every sense: the mannerism, the voice , the body language. I just watched again at the Film Forum here in NYC a festival abput NYC in movies , perfection. You should do "Naked City" a movie ive watched more than 30 times and 8 times at the same festival❤

[@FilmJournal]

Wish I could have been there! Sounds like a blast. Last time I was in New York I saw Jaws in 35mm at the MOMA- very memorable experience. I have seen Naked City- that'd be a cool review. If I do another Noir though- it'd probably be Niagara, The Lady from Shanghai, or Kiss Me Deadly.

[@whenthepicturesgotbigger]

Love this film and I am working on my very own video essay for it. Thanks for reminding me of just how great it is!

[@FilmJournal]

What a great compliment! Excited to see your essay!

[@afonsolucas2219]

Ah! Perfect video for the right occasion. Yesterday I was obsessing over this film's cinematography to copy it for a project. Just thinking how they got such a clean beautiful image. Anyways, besides that, it's a great film. I'll have to watch it again soon!

[@FilmJournal]

I didn’t touch on the cinematography in the film- that’s a whole video unto itself- it’s really amazing. Especially the street photography of New York. This video is mostly about writing. But- I hope you like it!

[@afonsolucas2219]

@@FilmJournal I really did. It's a funny thing when it comes to great writing. You never quite notice it's as intricate as it is but it stays with you. I haven't seen the film in a very long time but I remembered every characters beat, their expressions and blocking. Makes a guy think of himself as an amateur haha. But as always, great job. I sincerely hope you never stop making these videos. One of my favorite channels.

[@panainvisible]

This video deserves a million views, such a perfect essay for a perfect film and script.

[@FilmJournal]

Thanks so much, very kind of yo to say- share with your friends!

[@Aryan_Sharma_07]

Great video

[@FilmJournal]

Thank you!

[@susanb2015]

No mention of JJs relationship with his "beloved" sister.

[@FilmJournal]

It was a completely normal and healthy relationship

[@susanb2015]

@@FilmJournal If you're a psycho.

[@user-nq4ry2be1s]

Some one once said ,i think it was a topa movie critic ,he said acting together with burt lancaster u have to b in your best ,couse burt out act u on this case i think tony was yest as equal matching ,burt lancaster

[@colinglass1342]

Any chance of seeing the full movie

[@FilmJournal]

?

[@IvoPoblete]

Movie's available for purchase on KZbin.

[@maryvance8149]

Pardon me but CalArtsis in Santa Clarita (Newhall) not Santa Clara. Love your work!

[@FilmJournal]

Oh no! That's a bad mistake- thanks for catching that, my apologies.

[@keithwest2148]

I've always liked this film and I've seen it several times. I first heard about The Sweet Smell of Success while watching Frank Gorshin do an excellent Burt Lancaster impersonation during a parody skit (with Tony Curtis!). The one problem I have with it is kind of ironic since you began by describing Macendrick's emphasis on writing. I see a big weakness in the script in that it makes the sister's relationship the central drama. I think it would have worked as an illustration of how Hunsecker and Falco operated, but it really shouldn't have been stretched out over the entire movie. Part of the problem is the acting. I find any scenes between the couple to be almost unwatchable and if I'm viewing a recording, I fast-forward through them. Marty Milner is, well, Marty Milner and the woman playing Susie is totally forgettable. There is no reason for the unquenchable attraction between them. Please understand that I think the rest of the movie is golden - it might be Lancaster's best role. It definitely is Tony Curtis' - it is at least my favorite. Your review points out some things about the direction that make me want to see it again soon. For those reasons, it deserves its status as a classic.

[@FilmJournal]

I might happen to have to agree with you- the couple are almost blandly appealing and gentle- I guess to heighten the audience sense of Curtis and Lancaster villainy. Thanks for watching!

[@randywhite3947]

I actually thought they had Greta romantic chemistry and both performers were excellent but to each their own

[@randywhite3947]

What does “I'd hate to take a bite outta you. You're a cookie full of arsenic” mean?

[@susanb2015]

He's poison?

[@randywhite3947]

@@susanb2015 thanks

[@susanb2015]

@@randywhite3947 YW.