by Allan Fish
(USA 1947 112m) DVD1/2
The Hanged Man
p George Jessel d Edmund Goulding w Jules Furthman novel William Lindsay Gresham ph Lee Garmes ed Barbara McLean m Cyril Mockridge art Lyle Wheeler, J.Russell Spencer cos Bonnie Cashin
Tyrone Power (Stanton Carlisle), Coleen Gray (Molly), Joan Blondell (Zeena), Helen Walker (Lilith Ritter), Taylor Holmes (Ezra Grindle), Mike Mazurki (Bruno), Ian Keith (Pete), Julia Dean (Mrs Peabody), James Flavin (Clem Hoatley), Roy Roberts (McGraw),
Nightmare Alley is one of the weirdest and most wonderful films made in Hollywood in the forties; a fascinating Model T-Ford black curio which TCF didn’t at first want to bankroll. Tyrone Power had been one of their biggest matinee idols since the mid thirties and, upon his return from the war, with now hardened features, he wanted to play darker roles. His first venture was as the enigmatic protagonist of Somerset Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge, but TCF only agreed to make Alley if he did one for them, too. So he made Captain from Castile, they let him do Alley and gave him Razor’s director Edmund Goulding. But when it was complete they didn’t properly back the film, released it on a double bill and Power was devastated. Certainly their lack of support cost him what would have been his only Oscar nomination and the film survives now as a forgotten classic. Like another unappreciated masterpiece, Wilder’s Ace in the Hole, it shows the underbelly of the American dream, which didn’t go down well in the forties.
Stanton Carlisle works as a carny barker and assistant to a faded mentalist act, Madame Zeena. Her partner is the once big time but now heavy drinking Pete. After learning that they used to have a special code in their act which could make them a fortune, Stanton sets his sights on learning it. Zeena plans to sell it to put Pete through a cure for his alcoholism, but when Pete dies after mistakenly drinking wood alcohol, he seizes his chance to get Zeena to teach him the code.
And so it begins. Actually the film begins with Stanton fascinated by the carny freak show known as ‘The Geek’. Little does he know that, by the end of the movie, one quick rise and even swifter plummet later, he’s destined to be a Geek himself, the lowest of the low. When asked by Roy Roberts’ McGraw whether he’s up to it, the drunken Stanton (Power looking by then as if he’s ready to howl at the moon or be ready for the watering hole in 2001) can only cynically retort “mister, I was made for it!”
The film itself has much of the real tawdry darkness of Gresham’s novel removed to comply with the Breen Office and some of its subtleties are sadly missed. However, it counterbalances this by stressing and revelling in the seediness of the surroundings. None of the characters are particularly likeable, with the possible exception of the young wife. She ultimately is the one who will bring him down by refusing to go through with his fraudulent scamming and spooking of big shot Ezra Grindle. Stanton meanwhile has been taken over by those who tell him he’s brilliant. He begins to believe his own press, using the most underhand of ways to emotionally blackmail his wife into helping him with his schemes. “Should I let the man’s soul be lost forever“, he tells her, “…or should I stake my own to save it…or yours…”
Much praise must go to Power for his hungry central performance, but there are rich-pickings amongst the supports; Blondell as the cheap but good hearted Zeena who’s “about as reliable as a two dollar cornet“, Gray as his adoring wife, Mazurki as a typically dim strong man, Walker as the deliriously nasty psychologist and, last but not least, Taylor Holmes as the unfortunate Grindle. Credit must also go to Lee Garmes for his wonderfully atmospheric noir photography, exquisitely matching his sleazy subject, Cyril Mockridge’s spot on score and Furthman’s typically rich script. Not to mention Goulding, whose best film this is by a country mile, who takes us on a trip to hell. We echo Stanton’s sentiment about the Geek early on, “I don’t understand how anybody could get so low.” In spite of a slightly hurried last act, by the end we understand all too well.
Hi! Allan,
Your review of the 1947 film Nightmare Alley sums it up “perfectly,” I
purchased this film last year along with a handful of 20th Century Fox noirs and I must admit this was one of the most “darkest” film in the entire lot of film(s) from 20th Century Fox that I purchased.
I also agree with you about the cinematography/photography it is very
“atmospheric ” which set the tone for the very noirish “look” of the film.
Tks,
dcd
p.s. Btw, What a nice banner that feature (s) actor Robert Ryan, with his “back against the wall” So to speak, and about to “lose” his ability to….
The Rough Guide to Film Noir, nicely sums up this movie: “Goulding’s direction, greatly assisted by Leo Garmes’ hallucinatory camera-work, creates a nightmare vision of greed, gullibility and exploitation”.
Some trivia. Fox rented the Patterson-Yankee Carnival and rebuilt it on 10 acres of the studio back-lot.
I remember leaving the house this morning and thinking that as sure as I’m a cynic Tony and dcd would dive in on this one. LOL….
Nice quote there, Tony.
Yes, dcd, the pic is of course from The Set Up, another great film which just missed out on my top 50.
Great stuff there Tony and DCD. Yes DVD, Leo Garmes’ cinematography is stunning, as Tony notes in his most excellent excerpt from “The Rough Guide to Film Noir.”
……….I know this film, and I concur with the comments. It’s a visually striking film, that draws you in gradually as I recall………..
It took a ridiculously long time for this film to become commercially available. It was never available on VHS, and when it did finally come to DVD it was cause for celebration, so many had waited for so long to see this much-discussed film of cult status. Lee Garmes’ photography is exquisite, especially those scenes that involve the grounds of the carny at night. And I feel the need to mention Helen Walker’s portrayal of Lilith Ritter. Her academic background and professional status make it all the more startling when she victimizes Stan, I mean, who saw that coming? Think Bernard Madoff, dear readers. Helen Walker had a tragic life. I won’t go into it, but I do recommend that those who are curious, do check it out. Like Gail Russell and Linda Darnell, two more examples of life imitating art.
I quite agree with what you say here Guy about the long wait for this minor noir classic (major to many!) and the “cause for cele bration” when it was released. there’s no question for me that Lee Garmes’ cinematography is its most striking element. I love that comparison of Helen Walker and Bernard Madoff!! LOL!!!!! Now that’s making an interesting contemporary correlation! I will definitely check out Walker’s life now.
Thanks again for spending time here, on New Year’s eve, no less. I am speechless.
Sam, of course, is speechless so often, he chomps laryngitis pills for breakfast. Guy, I know about Walker, indeed her role in The Big Combo isn’t entirely ireelevant either.
No, not irrelevant at all. But one can sense at that point that she’s becoming the pale shadow of what she was. A few years after her role in The Big Combo her house burned down, and a number of people in the film community got together to help her back on her feet. Her troubles began in 1946 I believe, when she was involved in a car crash that killed a returning WWII vet and left her with a broken pelvis. She took a lot of heat for that, since the vets were held in such high regard at that time. She really was a beautiful woman, what a wonderful pair of eyes.
yes this is a great, great film–part of a rare media-trifecta, in that the original novel, the film and the graphic novel adaptation by Spain are ALL excellent…
Goulding is another director that no one has paid much attention to, but he made a lot of fantastic films (I recently saw 1939’s We Are Not Alone, and it floored me!), most of which are unified by their exploration of marginal lifestyles
I can’t say I’m a massive fan of Goulding per se, Nightmare Alley is an exception to the rest of his career.
I had been hoping to see this movie again,I’d seen it when i was 10 or 11 years old{1962/63} I began searching for it a few years ago on the internet. I forget where but I heard from an older gentleman {a reliable sort,very knowledgeable} He told me its release was held up by Tyrone Powers family [estate} as they didn’t care to have Tyrone remembered in what they felt was a negative light. Then I was told the only way they would agree to release it was if the happy rescue by the wife {an alternate ending?} was the release format. So after watching it I was a bit disappointed to see the happy ending as I had remembered it ending with Stanton remaining the geek and decending further. I watched it again with my brother{one year older} and I asked what did you think? He said”waqs good but I could swear that when we saw it when we were kids Stanton never was rescued but had a tragic ending as the Geek?” …. that was what I was hoping he’d notice. Can anyone confirm that original had a much darker endinf and did Tyrone’s estate hold up a release with the happy ending condition.I’d love to know if my memory and the information about the estate conditions are accurate