Sweet Smell of Success
1957 film by Alexander Mackendrick / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Sweet Smell of Success?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Sweet Smell of Success is a 1957 American film noir drama film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner, and written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and Mackendrick from the novelette by Lehman. The shadowy noir cinematography filmed on location in New York City was shot by James Wong Howe. The picture was produced by James Hill of Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists. The supporting cast features Sam Levene, Barbara Nichols, Joe Frisco, Edith Atwater, David White, and Emile Meyer. The musical score was arranged and conducted by Elmer Bernstein and the film also features jazz performances by the Chico Hamilton Quintet. Mary Grant designed the costumes.
Sweet Smell of Success | |
---|---|
Directed by | Alexander Mackendrick |
Screenplay by | Clifford Odets Ernest Lehman Alexander Mackendrick (uncredited) |
Based on | Tell Me About It Tomorrow! 1950 novelette in Cosmopolitan by Ernest Lehman |
Produced by | James Hill |
Starring | Burt Lancaster Tony Curtis Susan Harrison Martin Milner Sam Levene Barbara Nichols Jeff Donnell Chico Hamilton |
Cinematography | James Wong Howe |
Edited by | Alan Crosland Jr. |
Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $3.4 million[1] or $2 million[2] |
Box office | $2.25 million (US)[3] |
The film tells the story of powerful and sleazy newspaper columnist J.J. Hunsecker (portrayed by Lancaster and based on Walter Winchell) who uses his connections to ruin his sister's relationship with a man he deems unworthy of her.
Despite a poorly received preview screening, Sweet Smell of Success has greatly improved in stature over the years. It grew to become highly acclaimed by film critics, particularly for its cinematography and screenplay. In 1993, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[4]
Sweet Smell of Success: The Musical was created by Marvin Hamlisch, Craig Carnelia, and John Guare in 2002.