FILM

Sweet Smell of Success
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick
MGM, 1957

A commercial flop when it was first released, Sweet Smell of Success is now hailed as one of the greatest New York movies ever made. Shot in black and white, mainly at night, the film dives headlong into the seedy world of 1950s gossip journalism. Though it was meant as a cautionary tale about ethics and greed, the movie's energy is exhilarating and, half a century later, it maintains its dark allure.

JJ Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) is an ogreish newspaper columnist who makes and breaks careers on a whim, while his flunky Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis), an ambitious and unscrupulous publicist, scours the town planting items and digging up dirt. As the two men get caught up in a complicated web of deceit — and hapless victims fall by the wayside — the city of Gotham pulsates in the background. Neon lights flash and wet streets glisten as the ferrety Falco hustles from nightclub to taxi to penthouse, an Elmer Bernstein jazz score backing his every sleazy move.

The movie was directed by Alexander Mackendrick, a Brit who had previously specialized in such comedies as The Ladykillers and The Man in the White Suit. Sweet Smell of Success was written by Ernest Lehman, who based it on his real-life dealings with the tyrannical columnist Walter Winchell. Watch it and see if you agree with Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, who has said that the film's depiction of NYC nightlife was one of his main inspirations for leaving Canada to seek fame and fortune in Manhattan.
— Alastair Sutherland

CLASSICAL

Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 'Choral'
Ludwing van Beethoven
Orchestra: Zagreb Philharmonic
Conductor: Richard Edlinger
NAXOS, 1988

In a life plagued by misery and filled with despair, Ludwig van Beethoven succumbed to neither and went on to create what many have hailed to be one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed. Although Beethoven's Ninth has been reproduced countless times, many renditions lack the fierce energy and excitement that's essential to all of Beethoven's works — particularly the Ninth. And for a work that's based on joy, freedom and happiness, many renditions do not meet one's expectations. One of the few that does capture the true essence of the Ninth is the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra's performance in D Minor, Op. 125 'Choral,' conducted by Richard Edlinger. Here, the musicians are high-spirited and full of passion, something Beethoven would no doubt have been pleased to see. Other renditions, such as the European Festival Chorus and Orchestra, pale in comparison — especially where the lead vocalists are concerned. The latter focuses on a more sombre interpretation of how the words should be sung, which makes the singers appear too rigid and unenthusiastic. But in Maestro Edlinger's rendition, the tenor Michael Pabst sings with conviction. The listener can't help but imagine the singer with his fists in the air — breathing life and meaning into every word. Diane Elias, a soprano who accompanies Mr Lechner, has an angelic quality to her voice, which makes this work stand out even further. Although there are many who have the Ninth sitting on their shelves, it would serve them well to have a copy of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra's performance.
— Marcello Palmieri

BOOKS

SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr
Delta, 1969
(Reissued, Laurel, $10.95)

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr, as a young American prisoner of war, had the misfortune of being caught in the catastrophic fire-bombing of Dresden during World War II. He was later blessed with the good fortune of writing a remarkable novel based in part on the experience.

By the end of the book, Billy Pilgrim, the hero of Slaughter House-Five, is somewhat reconciled to life the way he's lived on earth. Mr Vonnegut remains one of the most outspoken critics of war on the planet. The simplicity of the words and the depths of feeling they express is one of the great charms of all of the author's considerable work.

The phrase, " So it goes," is repeated throughout the book, as a weary shrug to humankind's unrelenting cruelty and stupidity. SlaughterHouse-Five and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller are considered the two greatest anti-war masterpieces to come out of the war. The only downside: In 1969 when it was first published Richard Nixon said he liked the book.
— Theo Sands