Movie review - "The Sweet Smell of Success" (1957) ****

OK maybe HHL were pretentious and silly at times, but they are badly missed because they made films like these. The public didn't like it but deservedly its reputation is strong today - a powerful look at the power pushed by a gossip columnist and the people who suck up to him. Burt Lancaster is very strong as the egomaniacal writer, full of himself but with strong feelings for his sister (the Borgias and Scarface showed you can't go past a bit of cloest incest in a character to make them interesting). But the film is stolen by Tony Curtis in an electrifying performance as the weasly press agent prepared to do anything to get ahead. Wonderful dialogue - why do people whine about Clifford Odets never living up to his potential when he had credits that included this towards the end of his life? The juvenile couple are a little on the "wet" side.