Although the life cycle is less than 20 years (starting in 1940 and ending with Orson Welles' "Gone with the Wind" in 1958), its unique image style and profound characterization still deeply influence the latecomers. So going back to the contemporary era, any film that involves a darker theme and characters who are on the edge of morality will be called film noir.
Film noir is a category of films where you can't define it in simple words or labels, but when watching it can clearly indicate whether a film is a film noir or not. From this perspective, the best way to understand film noir is to see and feel it directly. Today's "The Taste of Success" is full of highlights in performance, lines, photography, soundtrack, etc. It has all the characteristics that can stand the test of time, and is the best choice for entry-level noir films.
"Sweet Smell of Success" (Sweet Smell of Success) is adapted from the short story of the same name. The story itself is not complicated. Here is a direct quote from Time Network: J.J. Hensek is the most influential newspaper columnist in New York, He decided to prevent his sister from marrying Steve Dallas, a jazz musician. And Sidney Falco, a second-rate newspaper column manager, was trying to cling to J.J. Hensek, so the two hit it off, and Sidney took advantage of his position to create various incidents Come help J.J. stop this marriage.
Orson Welles once put forward an interesting theory of "Mr. Wu's Principle", which refers to the purpose of creating the core character "Mr. Wu" in the film, deliberately making the character itself late to appear, but at the same time everyone in the film is Everyone is talking about him to push the audience's expectations for the role higher and higher.
J.J. Hensek's first appearance in the film is 20 minutes after the film, and in the blockbuster time before this, I believe no one will ignore his powerful presence. Newspaper columns with his profile picture on them, as well as the different reactions of various people when they mention the name, remind us repeatedly that this upcoming character is anything but ordinary.
In every age, the place where people's attention gathers is the place where power rises. JJ Hensek, created by Burt Lancaster, is the uncrowned king of the city. In the era of print media, limited information channels make ace columnists like Hensek an absolute opinion leader. Although he is not a political leader or a business elite, he has the high-level power to mobilize various resources and control the fate of others. Hensek is ruthless, arrogant, paranoid, acerbic, and mean. Most of the time, he does not have an exaggerated expression, but every subtle change in his demeanor clearly conveys a sense of oppression and fear that is not angry and arrogant.
At the same time, his morbid love for his sister shows the extremely gentle side of this "tyrant". (The prototype of Hensek is Water Winchell, the most famous lace columnist in Hollywood, who also had a morbid infatuation with his daughter. He used the then FBI Director Edgar Hoover to deport his daughter's suitors.) Two diametrically opposed character traits, coupled with Burt Lancaster's similar personal traits to the character, give this character a uniquely strong charm.
But even more surprising is Tony Curtis's performance of another actor, Sidney Falco. Before starring in this film, Tony Curtis was the cream of the Hollywood rom-com (he is rumored to be the source of Elvis' airplane nose), and when he realized this film might be a rare opportunity for him to break out of his own frame, he finally squeezed. Broken head won the role. However, his fans did not pay for it, believing that the film destroyed the handsome image of the idol, and collectively expressed their disgust for the film after its release. However, it is precisely because of this role that angered fans that it became another springboard for Curtis' career.
Compared to Hensek's ruthlessness, Sidney doesn't seem to be "broken" yet. Like many young people who come to the city to seek success, they not only feel the struggles of life at the bottom and the difficulty of getting ahead, but also dress up with hope, ensuring that every time they are presented to the outside world, they are full of energy and always giving themselves. Is this feeling familiar to everyone who struggles? Because of the difficulty of success, he could not tolerate missing any opportunity. For him, those embarrassment, shame, and hard work were more like the inevitable price to be paid on the road to success.
Watching Sidney on-screen, we grit our teeth at his filth while we can't help but feel pity and sympathy on the other.
For example, shortly after the opening, when Sidney described his ideal to the secretary, he looked up while sorting his tie and said, "I must climb to the upper floor, only there is fragrance everywhere" (way up high, where it's always balmy, balmy represents Fragrant and pleasant, which also corresponds to the film's sweet smell), like many low-level people in the workplace, despite the humiliation and embarrassment at work, when thinking of a successful life, the vision in his eyes is so simple. When he yearns for the future, he speaks boldly, but when his conscience is condemned, he is not firm enough. To a certain extent, Sidney, who is rich in layers, is more like the first male protagonist of this film.
In addition to the actors' performances, another highlight of the film is the excellent lines.
Critic Andrew Sarris wrote of the film: "The biggest motivator for watching this movie is the witty, poignant and authentic dialogue, which you'll never be able to do again in this age of stunt illiterate. Heard it on screen." The lines full of inspiration in the film are readily available, and several group scenes are hailed as models of verbal violence. However, due to the strong American style of the lines and the rich cultural references, the current Chinese translation version rarely fully grasps the spirit of the original film, which also affects the expansion of the film's influence in China. Not much to say, just take a look at the picture above.
Of course, photography and music are the last two pieces of the puzzle that make The Taste of Success. Legendary Chinese photographer Huang Zongzhan still maintains a high standard. Under his lens, New York City in winter is humid, charming and brutal. The soundtrack comes from master Elmer Bernstein. Jazz is the standard for film noir. If you continue to subdivide by music style, the soundtrack of this film belongs to the "Crime Jazz" in jazz. The orchestral music is more prominent to enhance the dark style of the film.
"The Taste of Success" is the late glory of classic film noir, and as I said at the beginning of this article, it has all the qualities to stand the test of time, and it deserves fans' precious time to savor and appreciate.
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