Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Sweet Smell of Success Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 22, 2015

Alexander Mackendrick's "Sweet Smell of Success" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; the documentary film "Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away"; and filmed appreciation and selected scene commentary by writer Philip Kemp. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Michael Brooke and Alexander Mackendrick’s own analysis of various script drafts, illustrated with original stills and posters. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

J.J. Hunsecker

Alexander Mackendrick’s Sweet Smell of Success is about scratching (the "you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours" type) and two men without morals. One of them is J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster, The Leopard), a powerful newspaper columnist in New York City, who could create stars in a manner of hours, and then just as easily destroy them. His writings are followed by millions of people who are literally addicted to his street-smart and confident style. The other man is Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis, The Defiant Ones), a young, handsome, ambitious and manipulative press agent lackey who admires everything J.J. does. He also fears the man, which is why he tries hard to be his friend.

The plot of the film revolves around J.J.’s beautiful sister, Susan (Susan Harrison, Key Witness), who is in a relationship with a free-spirited jazz musician (Martin Milner, Zebra in the Kitchen). J.J does not like him because he is too emotional, too straightforward and financially insecure. In other words, he is a disaster waiting to happen, which is not what Susan deserves.

Susan has a great deal of respect for her brother but does not want him arranging her private life -- the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with does not have to be approved by J.J. But her brother disagrees, and promptly asks Sidney to do him a favor and make sure that the jazz musician walks away from her.

Lancaster and Curtis are fascinating to behold in this incredibly smart, stylish and illuminating film. Their characters' careers represent the high and low points of a dangerous business where backstabbing is not only expected but encouraged. There are no rules and limits in it -- to be the best, one constantly has to be in attacking mode, be the first to deliver a demoralizing punch; switching in defensive mode means capitulation.

As intriguing as it may sound, the plot is practically irrelevant. It is the unique dialog, the ingenious one-liners and colorful expressions that fascinate. When Lancaster and Curtis’s characters unleash their attack on the jazz musician, one can literally feel the electricity in the air. Indeed, the film is a masterclass in demagogy and manipulation.

The atmosphere is also fascinating. The chic night clubs, the smoky bars and elegant hotels; the motley crew of wealthy businessmen, powerful politicians, corrupt cops, beautiful women on a mission, and small-timers looking for the right lead or friend to help them move up the social ladder -- this is undoubtedly New York City during the 1950s.

Sweet Smell of Success was inspired by Ernest Lehman's 1952 novella, which was initially published in Cosmopolitan as Tell Me About It Tomorrow, and based on a script by Clifford Odets (The Country Girl). Lancaster’s character was inspired by Walter Winchell, the famous newspaper and radio commentator who was a syndicated columnist for the New York Daily Mirror during the early 1930s, and was amongst the first high-profile public figures in America to openly criticize Adolf Hitler. Later on, Winchell was also amongst the first to openly embrace the controversial Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Note: In 1958, Sweet Smell of Success was nominated for Best Foreign Actor Award (Tony Curtis) at the BAFTA Awards.

Sweet Smell of Success Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alexander Mackendrick's Sweet Smell of Success arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video.

The release uses as a foundation the recent 4K restoration of the film, which Criterion released on Blu-ray in 2011 (you can see our review of this release here). Detail, clarity and image depth are outstanding. When one compares the old R1 DVD release and the 4K restoration, the are dramatic improvements everywhere, even in areas of the film where light is severely restricted. Obviously, the well-lit close-ups look fantastic, but there are a lot of wider shots that also boast tremendous depth (see screencapture #3). There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, but there are a few sequences with minor fluctuations. It is very easy to tell, however, that they are inherited (see screencaptures #2 and 15). Edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern. There are no large damage marks, debris, cuts, or stains, but occasionally a few tiny vertical lines can be spotted (see screencapture #5). Overall image stability is very good. Finally, there are no encoding anomalies to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Sweet Smell of Success Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Arrow Video have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless track is very good. When the Criterion release came out, I specifically pointed out the improvements in terms of stability and dynamics because on the R1 DVD release of Sweet Smell of Success the audio was quite uneven. Some extremely light hiss occasionally sneaks in, but it never becomes distracting. (It is also present on the Criterion release; it can be noticed around the 01:25:40 mark). The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow, and there are no balance issues with Elmer Bernstein's score. Lastly, there are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions.

Sweet Smell of Success Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Theatrical Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Sweet Smell of Success. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Appreciation by Philip Kemp - Philip Kemp, author of Lethal Innocence: The Cinema of Alexander Mackendrick, discusses the life and work of director Alexander Mackendrick (and specifically his work at Ealing Studios and later on in Hollywood), the production history of Sweet Smell of Success, the film's visual style, the casting choices, the key relationships and conflicts, the film's one and only weakness (the disparity between the two leads and the supporting actors), etc. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Selected Scene Commentary by Philip Kemp - in English, not subtitled. (32 min).
  
  1. Sidney's Office
  2. J.J. Hunsecker
  3. Sidney and Rita
  4. Hunsecker's Trap
  5. Harry Kello
  6. The Showdown
  7. Mackendrick vs Posterity

• Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away (1986) - this documentary film about director Alexander Mackendrick features clips from archival interviews with the director, Gordon Jackson, James Coburn, Burt Lancaster, Diana Morgan (writer, Ealing Studios), director Michael Relph (Saraband for Dead Lovers), and producer James Hill, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (55 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Michael Brooke and Alexander Mackendrick's own analysis of various script drafts, illustrated with original stills and posters.

• Cover - reversible sleeve featuring an original poster and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Walker.

Sweet Smell of Success Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Alexander Mackendrick's cynical but very entertaining Sweet Smell of Success was restored in 4K and Criterion released it on Blu-ray in 2011. Now Arrow Video are bringing the same 4K restoration to the United Kingdom. I think that we have the definitive presentation of Sweet Smell of Success, so if you are interested in film noir, consider adding it to your collection. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.