Sweet Smell of SuccessPG

Directed Alexander Mackendrick | USA | 1957 | 1h 36m | Starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner, Jeff Donnell

Powerful New York columnist J.J. Hunsecker shapes public opinion with his influential Broadway column, but he can’t control his younger sister. Disapproving of her romance with an aspiring jazz musician, Hunsecker enlists ruthless press agent Sidney Falco to destroy the relationship by any means. Alexander Mackendrick’s classic noir is a biting critique of newspaper gossip and a dark portrait of human nature at its worst – one of the sharpest films of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Classic Season: Manhattan Melodies

Reviews

‘One of the sharpest and corrosively perceptive films to emerge from Hollywood.’
★★★★★
Jason Wood, BBC

‘New York never looked as thrillingly sordid as it does in this scabrous masterpiece.’
★★★★★
Wendy Ide, The Observer

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Sweet Smell of Success between February 16, 2025 and February 17, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Sunday 26th July)
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12:30

Freaky Friday PG
Kino Kids Cinema Club
1h 37m
Kino Kids Cinema Club
When a mother and her teenage daughter mysteriously swap bodies, everyday life becomes chaos. Forced to experience each other’s worlds, they stumble through school disasters, family tensions, and embarrassing misunderstandings.

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15:00

The Invite 15
1h 47m
Joe and Angela's shaky marriage faces its biggest test yet when dinner with their enigmatic upstairs neighbours takes a wild turn. Rashida Jones's razor-sharp script and Olivia Wilde's direction fuel this riotous relationship comedy, with Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton on scene-stealing form.

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17:30

A Private Life 15
1h 43m | French w/ English subtitles
A patient's sudden death sends a renowned psychiatrist chasing murder, secrets and lies, with her charming ex-husband along for the investigation. Jodie Foster dazzles in fluent French and comic form in this stylish mystery thriller from director Rebecca Zlotowski (Other People's Children).

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20:00

R.E.M x Sherlock Jr 12A
+ Introduction
1h 13m
Oxford Comedy Festival 2026
From the team behind Silents Synced, Buster Keaton's dreamlike 1924 masterpiece gets an electrifying makeover, scored to R.E.M.'s Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Part of the Oxford Comedy Festival 2026.

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Tomorrow (Monday 27th July)
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18:15

R.E.M x Sherlock Jr 12A
+ Introduction
1h 13m
Oxford Comedy Festival 2026
From the team behind Silents Synced, Buster Keaton's dreamlike 1924 masterpiece gets an electrifying makeover, scored to R.E.M.'s Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Part of the Oxford Comedy Festival 2026.

Book here

Find out more

20:15

The Invite 15
1h 47m
Joe and Angela's shaky marriage faces its biggest test yet when dinner with their enigmatic upstairs neighbours takes a wild turn. Rashida Jones's razor-sharp script and Olivia Wilde's direction fuel this riotous relationship comedy, with Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton on scene-stealing form.

Book here


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Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

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