The Sweet Smell of Success

The Sweet Smell of Success is a 1957 film noir directed by Alexander Mackendrick and produced by James Hill. Tony Curtis plays Sidney Falco, a manipulative PR man, who will do anything to get publicity for his clients. The main plot takes place when Falco sees the opportunity to ruin a career the career of a jazz musician who wants to marry Susan Hunsecker the sister of New York newspaper columnist, J.J. Hunsecker. There a few characteristics of this film nior that need to be recognized. I think that the themes of the film show the dark side of New York City's glamorous night life. This intense film shows the sides of greed, betrayal, and revealing brutality of what the media is really like and what any one will do to win a successful image.

The black and white cinematography shows the harsh and dark shadows of a corrupt city, which also emphasizes the corrupt environment of wheeling and dealing among wrongdoers. I believe that realism was capture through a on location shot of mid-Manhattan, which captures the restlessness "the city that never sleeps" and the hustle and bustle of big city life.