Sweet Smell of Success
- Burt Lancaster: J. J. Hunsecker
- Tony Curtis: Sidney Falco
- Susan Harrison Susan Hunsecker
- Martin Milner: Steve Dallas
- Sam Levene: Frank D ' Angelo
- Barbara Nichols: Rita
- Robert Carson: Lou
Your fate in my hand is an American film drama directed by Alexander Mackendrick from the year 1957.
Action
JJ Hunsecker is a megalomaniac New York gossip columnists who exercises great influence on public opinion through his columns. When his younger sister Susan falls in love with the penniless jazz musician Dallas, Hunsecker does everything it can to destroy the relationship. He launches an unprecedented campaign of defamation against Dallas and instructed the unscrupulous journalist Sidney Falco, a pair to watch around the clock. Hunseckers goal is to present the musician as communists and so to ruin his reputation.
Background
Your fate in my hand is based on Ernest Lehman's novella Sweet Smell of Success, 1950 under the title Tell Me About It Tomorrow! was published in Cosmopolitan magazine. As a model for the figure of the well-known newspaper columnist Hunsecker was Walter Winchell.
On behalf of the production company, Hecht -Hill - Lancaster Lehman also wrote the screenplay for the film version and was at times as a director in conversation. However, since the film distributor United Artists had concerns entrusting a debutant director, the project, Alexander Mackendrick was awarded the contract.
One of the main roles took over Tony Curtis, who represented in your fate in my hands for the first time an unsympathetic character. For the role of JJ Hunsecker have included Orson Welles and Hume Cronyn in conversation. However, United Artists insisted on the viewer magnets Burt Lancaster, who had already played successfully in Keystone next to Tony Curtis and was also involved as a producer on the film.
As Ernest Lehman, the work on the script was unable to continue because of an illness, the playwright Clifford Odets stood in for him. Since this undertook a complete revision of the substance in a months-long process that started shooting without a finished script, since the start of production could not be moved.
Your fate in my hand had its premiere on June 27, 1957, came on 25 April 1958 in the West German cinemas. While the reviews were positive mostly, the film turned out to be a commercial failure. Today he is considered a classic of film noir.
The musical adaptation of the film by Marvin Hamlisch, Craig Carnelia and John Guare was premiered in 2002 on Broadway and was nominated for seven Tony Awards. John Lithgow won the award for his portrayal of JJ Hunsecker.
Criticism
- Lexicon of international film: A film with strong psychologically accentuated dramatic plot, with cynical undertones and bitter criticism of the corruption of power and money greedy mass press. Noteworthy because of the intelligent direction, exact representation and the striking black and white photography.
Awards
British Film Academy Awards 1958
- Nomination in the category Best Foreign Actor for Tony Curtis
Laurel Awards 1958
- Nomination in the category Best Supporting Actress for Barbara Nichols
- Nomination for Best Actor in a Drama for Tony Curtis
National Film Preservation Board