Dirty Movie Club: Sweet Smell of Success

[kid cue]

i watched this last night while a horrible storm was raging in Brooklyn. sort of SPOILERS below obv.

"brutal" is an apt word -- i know the Hunsecker character was based on a real journalist, but the whole situation with the kid sister was really dark and did seem like a bit of a stretch at times. that said, i'm glad the writers had that sort of ambition, and the dialogue certainly rose up to the occasion. it's so literary that it obviously merits plenty of rewatching. i might buy it, especially since the DVD is so cheap.

the comments about the camera techniques being "dated" seem ironic, given that the film is visually quite modern. i was actually surprised by how lush it looked. i'm thinking especially of the intricate cutting between different perspectives in early scenes (whose only purpose seemed to be to trace out a more immersive sense of space for the viewer), the intense light and shadow (particularly with Hunsecker), the very conscious framing of Falco trailing behind Hunsecker's shadow in most of their scenes together. i especially loved their first scene together, at the dinner table, with Hunsecker describing Falco's many faces and the camera isolating said faces, JJ's various descriptions modulating our understanding of Falco's psychology. it was a really smart use of the medium. then again, maybe this is typical of films from this era, in which case i'll just say that visually, the film seems fairly timeless.

there actually wasn't as much jazz as i was expecting. i wanted a sort of rollicking period film, steeped in 1950's New York City, and while that was basically there, the film was essentially a character piece with the setting as more of a given. bonus points for the sexy & dirty portrayal of journalism though. you (well, i) don't see interesting journalists in movies anymore.

sorry i've been slow with the movie watching. but i'm really enjoying it!