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DVD Nightmare Alley
The long-awaited emergence of Nightmare Alley into the light of DVD should achieve two things: make a legendary film noir available to a new generation, and restore the horrific charge to the lately watered-down term geek, a concept that once had the power to give people very bad dreams indeed.
To his lasting credit, Tyrone Power--20th Century Fox's extraordinarily handsome but not terribly interesting star of the '30s and '40s--begged for the chance to play Stan Carlisle, the predatory charmer who snakes his way through this bracingly unwholesome story. A spieler for--and lover of--carnival mind reader Zeena (Joan Blondell), he displays uncanny skill at "reading" the susceptible rubes, including a tough sheriff who turns to jelly after Stan psychs him out. Once Stan's mastered the intricate code used in Zeena's act, he's set to dump her for the younger, sexier Molly (Coleen Gray) and go bigtime as nightclub psychic "Stanton the Great." After that, it's only a blasphemous bank shot to superstardom as a miracle worker with his own tabernacle and radio show.
Few '40s films ventured as deeply into cynicism as Nightmare Alley, or dealt so frankly with sexuality (with ripplings of polymorphous perversity yet) and power-tripping. The movie's rhythm is uncertain and Jules Furthman's screenplay telegraphs things, but the overall tone is remarkable, as are individual sequences: the freaky forced marriage of Stan and Molly in accordance with carny morality, and a creepy night scene in a park when Stanton the Great raises a ghost for a high-society client. Cinematographer Lee Garmes's chiaroscuro creates a relief map of the carnival world and what passes for life there. As for the geek... well, you'll find out what geek means. Stan does. --Richard T. Jameson
"Nightmare Alley" was adapted for the screen from the novel by William Lindsay Gresham. Gresham was fascinated by the lifestyle of traveling carnival troupes, which he researched on Coney Island to write a non-fiction book on the subject. He also set "Nightmare Alley" in the carny world and incorporated his insider knowledge on the culture and tricks of the trade. Stanton Carlisle (Tyrone Power) is a born con artist, a handsome, ambitious schemer, who is never without a plan. He works in a traveling carnival show, where he meets Mademoiselle Zeena (Joan Blondell), whose mentalist act used to be a big vaudeville draw. Now she's on the carny circuit with her worn-out, alcoholic husband Pete (Ian Keith). Stan convinces Zeena to teach him the complex word/number code that she and Pete used to deceive audiences and to make him part of her act. But Stan cleverly ensures that a pretty young performer named Molly (Colleen Gray), with whom he is having an affair, has the opportunity to learn the code. When Stan is forced to marry Molly and leave the carnival, he sees his chance to use the code to make the big time.
"Nightmare Alley" benefits from being set in a very specific environment -that of the carny- and the film retains the insider perspective of the book. The carny is a perfect setting for a "noir" tale, since fantasy and reality are indistinct and scams are the name of the game. In true noir fashion, when the outside world is compared to the carny, it turns out to be the same. This was one of Tyrone Powers' brief attempts to get away from romantic leading roles and take on characters with more depth. He's terrific as Stanton Carlisle, but audiences preferred him in heroic roles, which hurt "Nightmare Alley" at the box office. Helen Walker is chilling as psychologist Lilith Ritter, whose desire to make a buck outweighs her commitment to doctor-patient confidentiality, to say the least. Lilith Ritter is the embodiment of the 1940s femme fatale: a shrewd, ruthless, sexually aggressive, professional woman without a scrap of scruples. Her big scene is really quite frightening. Colleen Gray's Molly is bright too, but of the opposite temperament. Her friendly, optimistic manner sometimes hide her savvy.
"Nightmare Alley"'s attitude toward clairvoyance is ambiguous. On one hand, it explicitly demonstrates that mentalists and spiritualists are shams. On the other hand, it imbues tarot cards with real wisdom, and some critics argue that Stanton has real gifts underneath the fakery. Stanton Carlisle dismisses the tarot cards as nonsense, but at the same time he seems to believe them and to consciously challenge fate. Lee Garmes' cinematography and low-key lighting are beautiful. It's surprising how often the actors' faces are in shadow. "Nightmare Alley" has a measured, slow pace, with dialogue that is delivered more slowly than was common in films of the 1940s. That grated on my nerves a bit, as did the neatly circular structure of the story, which seems contrived. But "Nightmare Alley" is a beautiful, dark film with a talented cast, including striking performances from Tyrone Power and Helen Walker.
The DVD (Fox Home Entertainment 2005): This print is not restored and suffers from small specks and lines, but no major flaws. The tonality looks good. Bonus features include a theatrical trailer (2 ½ minutes) and an audio commentary by film noir historians Alain Silver and James Ursini. It's a good commentary, without many lulls, that focuses primarily on characters and themes. Subtitles for the film are available in English and Spanish.
The rise and fall of a slick grifter
Tyrone Power is mesmerizing as Stanton Carlisle, a glib con man in the dark film noir classsic "Nightmare Alley". Using effective cinematography and a well guided cast, director Edmund Golding highlights the seedy, disreputable world of the travelling carnival.
Power is a carny worker with loft aspirations. While working with fortune teller and mind reader Zeena played by Joan Blondell, using his sexuality, he charms her into revealing a valuable secret code she uses in her act. This code enables the mind reader's assistant to communicate information to the performer to successfully complete the act.
Power soon dumps Blondell and in a carny-style wedding marries the virginal Molly, another performer played by the wholesome Coleen Gray. With code in hand and Molly as his assistant he hits the big time performing as impressive mind reader Stanton the Great in the nightclub circuit. He eventually hooks up with Chicago psychologist Lilith Ritter played by the alluring Helen Walker. She counsels many in Chicago's high society and has extensive records of her clients. They decide to use this information to scam and bilk the hoi polloi.
The venture is productive but suddenly Power's fortune turns as a scam involving a reincarnation goes bad. Walker using psychological ploys double crosses Power and he's forced to flee the city, sending Molly away before the trouble started.
Power ultimately receives his just desserts wandering aimlessly as a drunken vagabond, his precipitous fall from the top complete.
Tyrone Power in the role of his lifetime
Tyrone Power was so gorgeous that his looks got in the way of many of his roles - either he was cast in parts that emphasized his dazzling appearance or he was dismissed as a pretty boy and not taken seriously when he did a good job. With "Nightmare Alley," it's obvious that he could act and that his looks could be used to his advantage. But of course, anyone who followed his entire career would know that. In the last few years of his life, he played his best roles in "The Long Gray Line," "The Eddy Duchin Story," "Abandon Ship," "The Sun Also Rises" and "Witness for the Prosecution." He always got wonderful reviews when he appeared on stage, including as Mr. Roberts in London, and his recording of "John Brown's Body" and the Lord Byron poems are unequalled.
"Nightmare Alley" was a huge disappointment for Power because his own studio did not stand behind him. They allowed him to make it, all right, but then they did not publicize it and actually released it as a second feature. This is low behavior for the studio he kept solvent for so many years.
I'm glad to see that "Nightmare Alley" has achieved a sort of cult status. I'm sure Power is having a chuckle over that somewhere in the great beyond. It's a wonderful, dark, gritty film with marvelous performances, well directed, and always worth seeing. Once you've seen it, give the commentary a listen, as it's very interesting.
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