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Nightmare Alley (1947)
Director: Edmund Goulding
Writers: Jules Furthman (screenplay), William Lindsay Gresham (novel)
Cast: Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, Helen Walker
Genre: Drama, Film-Noir
Stanton (Tyrone Power) literately commands the film with his presences. Stan, could have been portrayed as some two dimensional bad guy and if that had been the case the film wouldn't be all that special.
But Stan is very human, very three dimensional. Like us, Stan has self doubts and carries baggage from his past that makes his journey all the harder for him. And like us, Stan has potential, that potential is the power of belief in himself, which then causes others to believe in him... and their utter belief makes his words true to them. And that's what the film is about, the power of belief...and self confidence.
Stan is not really motivated by the need for fame or money or even power....even though that's what he aims for and what we are shown...but what he's really seeking is the need to be believed in by others. And that's something most of us can also relate to.
It's only when he runs up against a cold hearted, greedy woman psychologist Lilith (Helen Walker),that he begins to question that belief in himself. "It takes one to catch one"...that's his line to Lilith. He recognizes what she is, but still is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. It's not love or even sex that he's after, it's her knowledge of the human mind.
Stan's utter belief in himself makes him literally invincible...not even Zeena's (Joan Blondell) Tarot cards can break his self confidence....But Lilith can!...and does with her reverse guilt trip that she lays on him, during his one moment of self doubt. She finds the center within him, his Achilles heel, and lays the groundwork to destroy his ego, via Stan's guilt over the accidental poisoning of Pete.
That's when Stan falters, that's when he stops believing in himself. That lack of belief leads him ultimately to the bottom of his world...I call that a powerful film.
Nightmare Alley (1947)
Writers: Jules Furthman (screenplay), William Lindsay Gresham (novel)
Cast: Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, Helen Walker
Genre: Drama, Film-Noir
The life of Stanton Carlisle, a carnival performer & mentalist whose abilities allow him to rise to great heights, only proving to be his weak point. CR
Nightmare Alley is a film that deals with a very unique subject. I could see this being a difficult film for some to get into, as much of what happens is subtle and not readily shown on the screen. Modern movie making in some ways has spoiled us, as we've learned to be 'clued in' by the visual and aurally content of modern movies...Reading between the lines helps.Stanton (Tyrone Power) literately commands the film with his presences. Stan, could have been portrayed as some two dimensional bad guy and if that had been the case the film wouldn't be all that special.
But Stan is very human, very three dimensional. Like us, Stan has self doubts and carries baggage from his past that makes his journey all the harder for him. And like us, Stan has potential, that potential is the power of belief in himself, which then causes others to believe in him... and their utter belief makes his words true to them. And that's what the film is about, the power of belief...and self confidence.
Stan is not really motivated by the need for fame or money or even power....even though that's what he aims for and what we are shown...but what he's really seeking is the need to be believed in by others. And that's something most of us can also relate to.
It's only when he runs up against a cold hearted, greedy woman psychologist Lilith (Helen Walker),that he begins to question that belief in himself. "It takes one to catch one"...that's his line to Lilith. He recognizes what she is, but still is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. It's not love or even sex that he's after, it's her knowledge of the human mind.
Stan's utter belief in himself makes him literally invincible...not even Zeena's (Joan Blondell) Tarot cards can break his self confidence....But Lilith can!...and does with her reverse guilt trip that she lays on him, during his one moment of self doubt. She finds the center within him, his Achilles heel, and lays the groundwork to destroy his ego, via Stan's guilt over the accidental poisoning of Pete.
That's when Stan falters, that's when he stops believing in himself. That lack of belief leads him ultimately to the bottom of his world...I call that a powerful film.