{"id":4467,"date":"2007-10-25T16:00:48","date_gmt":"2007-10-25T23:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4467"},"modified":"2020-12-11T17:59:48","modified_gmt":"2020-12-12T00:59:48","slug":"nightmare-alley-1947","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4467","title":{"rendered":"Nightmare Alley (1947)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;It gives you a sort of superior feeling &#8212; it&#8217;s as if you were in the know, and they were on the outside, looking in&#8230;&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Nightmare-Alley-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Nightmare-Alley-Poster-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-22671\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Nightmare-Alley-Poster-193x300.jpg 193w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Nightmare-Alley-Poster-82x128.jpg 82w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Nightmare-Alley-Poster.jpg 488w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn ambitious carnival worker (Tyrone Power) uses trickery and psychology to convince audiences he&#8217;s telepathic, and soon he and his beautiful young wife (Coleen Gray) have a successful nightclub act together. But when Power collaborates with an immoral psychiatrist (Helen Walker) in convincing wealthy citizens he can talk with the dead, his thirst for power comes to a head.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carnivals and Circuses<\/li>\n<li>Coleen Gray Films<\/li>\n<li>Con-Artists<\/li>\n<li>Edmund Goulding Films<\/li>\n<li>Femmes Fatales<\/li>\n<li>Joan Blondell Films<\/li>\n<li>Psychic Powers<\/li>\n<li>Rise-and-Fall<\/li>\n<li>Social Climbers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nTyrone Power gave what is widely regarded as his best performance in this memorable, well-acted tale of greed and betrayal in the carnival racket. As noted by Peary, &#8220;No [&#8216;A&#8217;] picture of the forties projected a more corrosive atmosphere. &#8230; What other picture of the time &#8230; had geeks, dipsomaniacs, premarital sex in which the woman doesn&#8217;t become pregnant, and discussion of God?&#8221; Director Edmund Goulding portrays a truly &#8220;miserable world&#8221;, one &#8220;which mirrors the country&#8217;s post-war malaise,&#8221; and depicts &#8220;sorry people&#8230; who are deeply depressed, lonely, [and] devoid of spirit.&#8221; Despite its unconventional setting, <em>Alley<\/em> is in many ways classic <em>noir<\/em> cinema, given the presence of a love triangle (Powers, Blondell, Gray), a cagey <em>femme fatale<\/em> (Walker), and highly atmospheric b&#038;w cinematography; indeed, Powers&#8217; downward spiral is similar to those of every male <em>noir<\/em> protagonist who aims too high and (wrongly) thinks he can have it all. Balance is eventually restored, but not without plenty of devastation along the way. Dark, gritty, and compulsively watchable, <em>Nightmare Alley<\/em> remains must-see viewing for all film fanatics.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tyrone Powers as Stan<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-power.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-power.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4468\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Joan Blondell as Zeena<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-blondell.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-blondell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4466\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Colleen Gray as Molly<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-gray.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-gray.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4469\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Helen Walker as Lilith<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-walker.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-walker.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4470\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>An effectively harsh portrait of big dreams turned sour<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-dreams.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-dreams.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4471\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gray demonstrating her act as &#8220;Lightning Woman&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-lightning.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/nightmare-alley-lightning.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4473\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lee Garmes&#8217; haunting b&#038;w cinematography\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes. This film is widely regarded as a classic <em>noir<\/em> thriller, and should be seen by all film fanatics. Peary nominates it for an <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=2606\">Alternate Oscar<\/a> as one of the best pictures of the year. Discussed at length in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=5986\">Peary&#8217;s <em>Cult Movies 2<\/em> (1983)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0039661\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1947\/10\/10\/archives\/at-the-mayfair.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/cgi-bin\/article.cgi?f=\/c\/a\/1999\/10\/08\/DD17057.DTL\">SF Gate Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/reviews\/read.php?id=16205\">DVD Talk Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1644alle.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/85008\/nightmare-alley#articles-reviews?articleId=650428\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/nightmare-alley\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;It gives you a sort of superior feeling &#8212; it&#8217;s as if you were in the know, and they were on the outside, looking in&#8230;&#8221; Synopsis: An ambitious carnival worker (Tyrone Power) uses trickery and psychology to convince audiences he&#8217;s telepathic, and soon he and his beautiful young wife (Coleen Gray) have a successful nightclub act together. But when Power collaborates with an immoral psychiatrist (Helen Walker) in convincing wealthy citizens he can talk with the dead, his thirst for&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4467\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4467"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57129,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4467\/revisions\/57129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}