Nightmare Alley (1947)
There’s no way to fully explain why Nightmare Alley was Tyrone Power’s favorite of all his movies without completely spoiling it, since watching it is an experience and an insight into his soul. Whether or not you like him as an actor, you should watch this movie to see him pulling out all the stops. His role is as against type as he had played up until that point in his career, equaled perhaps only by The Sun Also Rises, ten years later when he played someone physically incapable of being a heartthrob. He puts his heart into Nightmare Alley, and it shows.
I went into this movie not know the supporting cast or the synopsis, and I recommend you do the same. The plot isn’t a necessary point, and if you’re immersed in it, it unfolds with much more intensity. Joan Blondell is given a few meaty scenes to show off her talent, and Helen Walker plays an evil, eerie villain. The black-and-white cinematography creates a creepy atmosphere and highlights the highs and lows of Ty’s character, showing his raggedness and ruthlessness in a way that Technicolor wouldn’t have. This movie needed to be in black-and-white because it’s gritty and seedy and powerful.
I just learned, coincidentally the morning after I watched this movie, that there’s a remake in the works. I’ll never watch it because director Giullermo del Toro is guaranteed to make the film disgusting and graphic, as he did to his Best Picture winner The Shape of Water. The 1947 original lacked nothing, and the allusions to violence, sex, and grotesque graphics were even more powerful than showing the audience what was happening. There’s an enormous amount of effectiveness in showing someone’s reaction to something awful rather than the awfulness itself, and if you agree, stick with the original.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Cinema Central Seleus B" for posting!
More Tyrone Power movies here!
I went into this movie not know the supporting cast or the synopsis, and I recommend you do the same. The plot isn’t a necessary point, and if you’re immersed in it, it unfolds with much more intensity. Joan Blondell is given a few meaty scenes to show off her talent, and Helen Walker plays an evil, eerie villain. The black-and-white cinematography creates a creepy atmosphere and highlights the highs and lows of Ty’s character, showing his raggedness and ruthlessness in a way that Technicolor wouldn’t have. This movie needed to be in black-and-white because it’s gritty and seedy and powerful.
I just learned, coincidentally the morning after I watched this movie, that there’s a remake in the works. I’ll never watch it because director Giullermo del Toro is guaranteed to make the film disgusting and graphic, as he did to his Best Picture winner The Shape of Water. The 1947 original lacked nothing, and the allusions to violence, sex, and grotesque graphics were even more powerful than showing the audience what was happening. There’s an enormous amount of effectiveness in showing someone’s reaction to something awful rather than the awfulness itself, and if you agree, stick with the original.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Cinema Central Seleus B" for posting!
More Tyrone Power movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Picture of 1947
Best Actor: Tyrone Power
Best Supporting Actor: Ian Keith