Nightmare Alley

 

Picture: B     Sound: B     Extras: B     Film: B+

 

 

Nightmare Alley is a film that you have to see in order to believe.  Upon reading the stories plotline you will simply know why.  The film is considering being two things: a B-picture and also a dark Film Noir, to which it has elements of both and also much more.  The film stars Tyrone Power, who almost anyone will agree that this film allowed him to venture into darker, more serious material rather than just be a handsome piece of eye candy.  Power is also fueled by alcohol and ends up being a con man inside the works of a carnival where Tarot cards and the crystal ball seem to tell the fate of the people fascinated enough to come to the carnival.  Perhaps their routine lives whether they are rich or poor are too mundane and the carnival is at least one place where they can have some sense of hope even if that hope is false.

 

The material here is way ahead of its time and the dark nature of it and the way it uses the carnival is a very exploitive way will remind most people of Tod Browning’s 1933 film Freaks.  Even the director of the film Edmund Goulding and the novelist from which this is based William Lyndsay Gresham would both commit suicide within about 3-years of each other, which is pretty creepy.  What really helps the film work well is the fact that it keeps the momentum going throughout with intrigue and amazement at where the material ends up going.  There is never a dull moment and the energy level is just fantastic. 

 

Oddly enough the film has become a minor classic in the past 60 or so years and those that have seen the film understand why it translates so well even by today’s standards.  You hardly see subject matter such as this or even something with bravura come forth.  It also serves as a really tight Film Noir that is worthy of the recognition that Fox has given it here as part of their Film Noir collection, which started off with Laura (reviewed on this site) and keeps on going.  I have really enjoyed these titles thus far and look forward to more and more. 

 

One reason that these DVD’s are so critical to collect is the fact that Fox has given them good recognition in the quality department and also fit some extras on as well in order to make the overall package quite appealing.  Nightmare Alley was shot in full-frame and that ratio has been kept for this DVD issue with a very pleasing transfer with a really sharp grayscale that contains deep blacks and bright whites that are not burned out.  This is the mark of excellence we love to see at this site, which we are rarely treated to, but Fox has been doing a great job with their transfers as of late.  The film has two audio options, 2.0 Dolby Stereo and 2.0 Mono for purists.  I prefer the stereo mix to give more separation and depth, while the mono works ok, it does not have the definition that the stereo mix offers, especially when it comes to the music.  It is exceptional.

 

Part of the films strength rests in the camerawork by Lee Garmes, who has worked on quite a few key films in his career probably more than most people realize.  He was uncredited for working on Gone With the Wind, but aside from that he ended up going on to work with some of cinema’s finest directors, such as The Paradine Case with Alfred Hitchcock, Duel in the Sun with King Vidor, and the 1955 version of Desperate Hours with William Wyler, and that review is posted on this site.  That rounds out to quite an impressive resume for just a few films alone. 

 

However, even working with those top directors the one film that he worked on that had the greatest impact on me personally was his work with Max Ophuls on Caught.  I rarely get to mention Ophuls, but since this seems a good opportunity I must use it.  Ophuls only lived to make a handful of films, all of which are near masterpieces if not true masterpieces and in that time also made four films in four different languages despite his German nationality.  Caught is a breathtaking film, which is a must-see and hopefully a DVD will be issued of Ophuls’ material so that people can finally appreciate a master of the cinema. 

 

It’s truly amazing that this B-picture has the muscle that it does and much of that is discussed in the full-length commentary provided by the Noir regulars for these Fox DVD’s Alain Silver and James Ursin.  Their commentary is insightful and entertaining especially for film enthusiast, who are probably the people most interested in a key title like this.

 

 

-   Nate Goss