This article is about the film. For the stage musical, see Sweet Smell of Success (musical). For the Stranglers album, see Sweet Smell of Success – Best of the Epic Years.
Sweet Smell of Success
Sweetsmell.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Produced by James Hill
Written by Ernest Lehman (novelette)
Clifford Odets
Ernest Lehman
Starring Burt Lancaster
Tony Curtis
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Cinematography James Wong Howe
Edited by Alan Crosland Jr.
Production
company
Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release dates
June 27, 1957
Running time
96 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $3.4 million[1]
Box office $2.25 million (US)[2]
Sweet Smell of Success is a 1957 American film noir/drama film made by Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists. It was directed by Alexander Mackendrick and stars Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison and Martin Milner. The screenplay was written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman and Mackendrick from the novelette by Lehman. Mary Grant designed the film's costumes.
The film tells the story of powerful 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 is now 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.