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Information
- Year
- 1947
- Runtime
- 110 min.
- Director
- Edmund Goulding
- Genres
- Drama, Film-Noir
- Rating *
- 7.8
- Votes *
- 4,866
- Checks
- 1,794
- Favs
- 164
- Dislikes
- 9
- Favs/checks
- 9.1% (1:11)
- Favs/dislikes
- 18:1
Top comments
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Siskoid
Nightmare Alley is Carnival Noir with Tyrone Power playing the role of an unscrupulous mentalist-huckster who eventually hits it big, but has trouble maintaining his empire. He's great in this, bringing a searing intensity to the role, and he's well supported by the likes of Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, and especially Helen Walker as a psychologist who may be better at manipulation than he is. The sparks fly in their scenes and make me question just what was really happening. Did she hypnotize me in those moments?! Apparently a bible for a certain kind of grifter, the film isn't always as clearly structured as I would like and contains my pet peeve - badly interpreted Tarot cards (the literalness kills me). But it's only real problem, I think, is the tacked-on hopeful ending, apparently mandated by the studio (who else?). If it ended a minute later, it would feature one of the best end-lines in all of movies. As is, it's kind of lost in the suits' fear of a movie ending on a bleak note. I saw that note coming a mile away, mind you, but I still bristle at having been robbed of it. 4 years 10 months ago -
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Friends
Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 8 official lists
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This movie ranks #19 in Eureka!'s The Masters of Cinema Series
Eureka!'s The Masters of…
19 -
This movie ranks #34 in IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50
IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50
34 -
This movie ranks #39 in TSPDT's 100 Essential Noir Films
TSPDT's 100 Essential No…
39 -
This movie ranks #39 in TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
39 -
This movie ranks #61 in iCheckMovies's 1940s Top 100
iCheckMovies's 1940s Top…
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This movie ranks #629 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
The Guardian's 1000 Film…
629 -
This movie ranks #793 in Doubling the Canon
Doubling the Canon
793 -
This movie ranks #1310 in The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection
1310