Sweet Smell of Success by James Namore is part of the BFI Film Classics Series. This compact and comprehensive volume full of high quality photo stills from the film is brim full of facts and background about the movie. It starts with background information on the novella by Ernest Lehman that led to the creation of the screenplay and movie. An overview of the main players involved in the production of this film is given allowing you to sense the motivations and some of the human drama between the various personalities.

Namore informs us that the film was a product of the Hecht-Hill-Lancaster production company, formed by Burt Lancaster and his agent with the addition of a third partner. HHL was responsible for a number of notable American films during the 50’s. The film is undoubtedly dark, through and through—from the classic film noir atmosphere to the conflicts between those involved in the making of the movie. It depicts the cynical world of the “entertainment” industry and foreshadows the “reality shows” of our own time. There was extensive rewriting of the script (based on Lehman’s novella, which it generally stayed true to) by the talented Clifford Odets, the stunningly artistic black and white photography and camera work of James Wong Howe, and the professionalism of director Alexander Mackendrick. Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis were naturals in their leading roles.

The book actually gives us nearly a scene-by-scene breakdown of the filming of the movie and the action sequences taking place. It was not a box office success and received mixed results from critics. It was one of the last major films done by HHL. However, it has become appreciated and an arthouse favorite in recent years.

After reading Sweet Smell of Success I honestly feel like I have seen the movie, though I have not. It’s a very thorough compendium! ( )

Everybody talks about the curse of The Misfits, but nobody talks about the curse of Sweet Smell of Success, probably because for most people career death is not as spooky as actual death.

Ernest Lehman sold his original story to Lancaster with the understanding that he would write the screenplay and direct. Lancaster never really had any intention of letting Lehman direct (well, that's Hollywood!), and eventually forced him off the project and hired Mackendrick to direct and Odets to rewrite the script. Lehman went on to write the screenplays for North by Northwest, on of Hitchcock's best movies, and Family Plot, one of his worst. He finally got his first (and only) chance to direct in 1972. I haven't seen Portnoy's Complaint myself, but Roger Ebert called it "a true fiasco."

When Lehman's story was first published in Cosmopolitan in 1950, his Hunsecker was apolitical--the McCarthyite angle that gives the film its enduring relevance was added by Clifford Odets. The editor, uneasy about the word "smell," had the title changed to "Tell Me About It Tomorrow," which tells you something today about the intelligence of Cosmo editors.

Odets of course was the quintessential social-consciousness playwright of the Thirties, on whom the Coen Brothers based Barton Fink. (Barton Fink's Bare Ruined Choirs: "We'll be hearing from that kid, and I don't mean a postcard." Odets's Sweet Smell of Success: "My experience I can tell you in a nutshell, and I didn't dream it in a dream; dog eat dog!") Many people considered him to be washed up by the time he was hired for this film, and he was certainly washed up afterwards. His last produced screenplay was Wild in the Country, in which Elvis Presley plays a talented young novelist (!?).

Before Sweet Smell of Success, Alexander Mackendrick directed some of the best-known comedies to come out of Ealing Studios, including The Man in the White Suit and The Ladykillers. Afterwards, he directed a few mediocre films before taking refuge in academia as director of the filmmaking program at CalArts.

I was never sure whether Susan Harrison's deer-in-the-headlights look was intentional, or the result of being scared to death of working with Lancaster and Curtis. Judging by the brevity of her subsequent career, most of it in television, I suspect the latter, but if so, Mackendrick did a brilliant job of making the best of her nervousness and limited range (he underlines Susie's subservience to the domineering men in the film by having her never once make eye contact with another character). It's a shame, since Harrison's understated beauty was a welcome change from all the over-made-up divas of the time.

Naremore's little book provides concise analysis of the film, background information on the cast and crew, and information about Walter Winchell, the model for J. J. Hunsecker, including his feud with Ed Sullivan and his use of his column to hound his daughter's suitor, a situation that parallels the story of J. J. Hunsecker, his sister Susan, and Steve Dallas. ( )

Reading James Naremore is a bit like eating a pizza delivered the day after you ordered it - you know it's supposed to be tasty, but somehow it isn't very satisfying. Read this book for the history of Burt Lancaster, Clifford Odetts, and Tony Curtis. That, and maybe you'll look more interesting at your local Starbuck's.

On the plus side, it's a well-made book, with heavy stock and lots of interesting photos.

James Naremore, via BFI Film Classics, presents a synopsis of the 1957 film, Sweet Smell of Success in a nicely bound, soft cover edition. In its one hundred and ten pages (publication data, table of contents and bibliography included), Naremore gives us a smoothly narrated overview of the film, from initial concept to fade out.

The movie stills used in this book, some of them shot on location in New York, greatly enhance Naremore's narrative, but aside from a couple of quick mentions, the cinematography is largely ignored. Volumes could be written about the cinematographer, James Wong "low-key" Howe, but Naremore opts instead to focus on the talent and abilities of the co-stars, Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.

James Naremore quickly and aptly covers the film in front of and behind the camera with nasty bits included. As Naremore points out, the film was made more than fifty years ago, but if one freshened the stars and costumes, Sweet Smell of Success would be just as pertinent today as it was when it was first released. The McCarthy era is over and we don't have the censorship of the Breen office, but when you get down to it, the pimping of celebrities really hasn't changed.

This volume would be an asset to anyone interested in gaining knowledge of cinema, especially the great films of the 1950's. ( )

James Naremore has written a companion book to the film "Sweet Smell of Success" which is an essential purchase for those interested in the film. He gives the genesis of the project from Ernest Lehman's novella through various screenplay versions and ending with Clifford Odets' final version. The illustrations are numerous and give a good feel for the stunning cinematography of James Wong Howe. About half of the book is taken up with scene by scene descriptions and dialog. This is important because the dialog is fast and nasty, necessitating frequent viewing of the film to appreciate it all.

Some caveats, however. The book is quite pricey given the 110 short pages of content. Why no index? For specific actors and writers you have to scan through the entire book. Also, the musical score is given scant attention, which is remarkable. Music is omnipresent in the film, there actually being two scores. One is the jazz played by the Chico Hamilton Quintet in the nightclub scenes which gives a good feeling for the vibrant New York jazz scene of the fifties. The second is Elmer Bernstein's poignant and edgy score that enriches the scenes and characters. This film deserve a place on Bernstein's ten best list. ( )