NIGHTMARE ALLEY [1947 / 2022] [Blu-ray + DVD] [UK Release]
Tyrone Power’s Darkest and Most Startling Film Ever!
One of the darkest and most startling films ever to come out of golden-era Hollywood and based on a novel that many thought was unfilm-able at a time when the Production Code held sway, ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ is set in the gritty yet surreal world of a travelling carnival, whose eccentric inhabitants serve up bizarre illusions to a grateful and gullible public.
Tyrone Power’s ruthless schemer, Stanton “Stan” Carlisle, was his favourite of all his roles, and no wonder: it stretched him like nothing before or since as Stanton “Stan” Carlisle rises from raffish carnival barker to national mind-reading sensation in partnership with his beautiful wife Molly Carlisle [Coleen Gray], before an equally precipitous fall at the hands of a duplicitous psychologist Lilith Ritter [Helen Walker] and his own all too human frailties. Director Edmund Goulding [‘DARK VICTORY’] conjures a spellbinding atmosphere out of some of the weirdest material ever to be tackled by a major studio.
FILM FACT: Tyrone Power, wishing to expand beyond the romantic and swashbuckler roles that brought him to fame, requested 20th Century Fox's studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck to buy the rights to the novel so he could star in it. 20th Century Fox paid $50,000 in September 1946 for the rights to William Lindsay Gresham's novel “Nightmare Alley,” and William Lindsay Gresham was hired as consultant to help screenwriter Jules Furthman, although the extent of his contribution to the script is not clear. In November 1946, it was reported that Mark Stevens and Anne Baxter were to star in the film, and that William Keighley would be the director. By January 1947, Lloyd Bacon was the reported director. To make the film more believable, the producers built a full working carnival on ten acres of the 20th Century Fox back lot. They also hired over 100 sideshow attractions and carnival people to add further authenticity. Filming also took place at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, California. The slightly upbeat but somewhat dark and ambiguous ending of the film was added by screenwriter Jules Furthman at Darryl F. Zanuck's direction, softening the harsh ending of William Lindsay Gresham's novel for commercial purposes. The novel's ending implies that Stanton "Stan" Carlisle is doomed to work as a geek until he drinks himself to death. Author William Lindsay Gresham died by suicide by sleeping pills on the 14th September, 1962, in the same room in the Hotel Carter where he wrote the first draft of ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY.’ On the film's original release, reviews were mixed, and the film was sadly a box-office flop.
Cast: Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, Helen Walker, Taylor Holmes, Mike Mazurki, Ian Keith, Florence Auer (uncredited), Bonnie Bannon (uncredited), George Beranger (uncredited), Oliver Blake (uncredited), June Bolyn (uncredited), Paul Bradley (uncredited), Chet Brandenburg (uncredited), James Burke (uncredited), George Chandler (uncredited), Harry Cheshire (uncredited), Edward Clark (uncredited), Clancy Cooper (uncredited), George Davis (uncredited), Julia Dean (uncredited), Sayre Dearing (uncredited), James Flavin (uncredited), Charles Flickinger (uncredited), Bill Free (uncredited), Rudy Germane (uncredited), Nina Gilbert (uncredited), Leo Gray (uncredited), Henry Hall (uncredited), Al Herman (uncredited), Hollis Jewell (uncredited), Robert Karnes (uncredited), Kenner G. Kemp (uncredited), Mike Lally (uncredited), Nellie Lane (uncredited), Max Linder (uncredited), George Lloyd (uncredited), King Lockwood (uncredited), Laurette Luez (uncredited), Emmett Lynn (uncredited), Wilbur Mack (uncredited), George Magrill (uncredited), George Matthews (uncredited), Pat McKee (uncredited), Jerry Miley (uncredited), Harry Hays Morgan (uncredited), Maurice Navarro (uncredited), Frank O'Connor (uncredited), Jack Perry (uncredited), Jack Raymond (uncredited), Cyril Ring (uncredited), Albin Robeling (uncredited), Roy Roberts (uncredited), Gene Roth (uncredited), Frank J. Scannell (uncredited), Cy Schindell (uncredited), Norman Stevans (uncredited), Bert Stevens (uncredited), John Wald (uncredited), Eddy Waller (uncredited), Gilbert Wilson (uncredited) and Marjorie Wood (uncredited)
Director: Edmund Goulding
Producers: Darryl F. Zanuck (uncredited) and George Jessel
Screenplay: Jules Furthman (screenplay) and William Lindsay Gresham (novel)
Composer: Cyril J. Mockridge
Costume Design: Bonnie Cashin
Make-up Artist: Ben Nye
Cinematography: Lee Garmes, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Special Photographic Effects: Fred Sersen
Image Resolution: 1080p and 1080i (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
English: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: Blu-ray 111 minutes and DVD 106 minutes
Region: Blu-ray: Region B/2 + DVD: PAL
Number of discs: 2
Studio: 20th Century Fox / Signal One Entertainment
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: In the film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ [1947] we see Tyrone Power plays Stanton “Stan” Carlisle, who at the start of the film is working as a tout at a low-rent carnival. Chatting to one of his colleagues, Stanton “Stan” Carlisle discovers show “psychic” Zeena Krumbein [Joan Blondell] and her husband Pete Krumbein [Ian Keith] used to be in the big leagues, making a fortune from their show before Pete Krumbein hit the bottle. Stanton “Stan” Carlisle learns that their act relied on a secret code system so, keen to replicate their success; Stanton “Stan” Carlisle tries to get Zeena Krumbein to tell him how it works.
Zeena Krumbein is reluctant, despite growing close to Stanton “Stan” Carlisle, who has been cosying up to her. However, when Stanton “Stan” Carlisle scheme to loosen Pete Krumbein’s tongue instead results in his death and with Stanton “Stan” Carlisle’s involvement unknown to anyone else, Zeena Krumbein teaches Stanton “Stan” Carlisle the code.
The pair resurrects the act but, after being caught cavorting with fellow “Carny” [an informal term used in North America for a traveling carnival employee] Molly Carlisle [Coleen Gray] one night, Stanton “Stan” Carlisle and the young woman is forced to marry and are cast out of the troupe. So, Stanton “Stan” Carlisle and Molly Carlisle take the code and psychic act to the expensive nightclubs of Chicago. Stanton “Stan” Carlisle, being the star of the show, becomes famous but attracts the attention of psychologist Lilith Ritter [Helen Walker] and forms a twisted relationship with her that proves to be his downfall.
The story moves somewhat slowly, but at the same time building characters, schemes and relationships before addressing typical “film noir” avenues of suspense and doomed antiheroes. Nevertheless, themes of damning morbidity, love triangles with femme fatales, and morally questionable personas abound, while the locales are shrouded in shadows and inauspiciousness.
There are no heroes here, merely those who play mind games or manipulate one another, and those who are immediate victims – or eventual ones. Even the central romance is one of dishonesty and unwelcome pressures, as strongman Bruno [Mike Mazurki] and electric chair girl Molly Carlisle end up entwined in Stanton “Stan” Carlisle’s life – against his long-term plans. Halfway through, when a third woman, consulting psychologist Lilith Ritter enters the picture, her involvement is likewise surrounded by fraudulence and duplicity by saying, “It takes one to catch one.”
Curiously, the code employed between Zeena Krumbein and Stanton “Stan” Carlisle isn’t detailed to the point that it makes much sense; it’s simply described as if it’s extremely intricate but precisely decipherable and even in scenes where the characters explanatorily decode vague enunciations. Yet when the hoax grows, with the monetary takings escalating to dangerous degrees, that initial gimmick becomes far less important.
The premise shifts to one of malleable souls desperately wanting to believe in comforting lies and perhaps untruths too wild for anyone to authentically fall for – as faith and scepticism collide, with Stanton “Stan” Carlisle beginning to buy into his own boasts of omnipotence, merging cheap hustling with the speech of ministers. “It’s just another angle of show business.”
Based on the 1948 novel “Nightmare Alley” by William Lindsay Gresham, the primary irony is that the plot follows people who pretend to wrangle supernatural, spiritual phenomena, all while succumbing to the superstitions of crystal gazing and tarot cards. Even as Stanton “Stan” Carlisle knowingly preys upon the weaknesses of gullible targets, wrapping himself up in biblical teachings contrasted against spook-work, it’s his own mind that is on the verge of snapping.
The film is very suspenseful, sophisticated and inherently extremely dark, ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ was the best movie that Edmund Goulding has ever directed and it featured the finest performance from Tyrone Power in the fascinating main role. This is a film that doesn't show a lot, but what it suggests is immensely disturbing. It’s eerie, fatalistic mood consistently and makes you feel unease and this aspect in particular was the one that made it a classic of the “film noir” genre and is also one of the more interesting and more unique “film noir” of its time that also crosses genres into something resembling horror.
NIGHTMARE ALLEY MUSIC TRACK LIST
SOBRE LAS OLAS (Over the Waves) (uncredited) (Music by Juventino Rosas) [Played during the opening carnival scene]
THE BOSTON BUGLAR (uncredited) (Traditional) [Sung by George Beranger]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – 20th Century Fox and Signal One Entertainment presents us the 1947 film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ with a wonderful Black-and-White 1080p image and is of course shown with a 1.37:1 aspect ratio that faithfully honours the lush cinematography of Lee Garmes. Grain levels fluctuate, making some scenes appear slightly soft, but the overall image looks incredibly film-like. Clarity, contrast, and shadow delineation are uniformly excellent, while inky blacks combine with bright, stable whites and a beautifully modulated grayscale to produce a balanced yet vibrant picture that enhances the seedy carnival atmosphere and nefarious goings-on. Close-ups are especially striking and showcase Tyrone Power's dark eyes, flawless complexion, and undeniable glamor. The picture is so crisp you can see the lines streaking his bloodshot eyes and almost feel the slickness of his gelled, jet-black hair. This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution at Cineric in New York, on the facility's proprietary 4K high-dynamic-range wet-gate film scanner, from a 35mm nitrate composite print from the Disney/Fox Collection at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. The origin al monaural soundtrack was remastered from a 35mm nitrate composite print with a variable-density track from the Disney/Fox Collection at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ has never looked better on this wonderful Blu-ray release, and for the film's diehard fans, that's a dream come true. With the DVD you get the usual best standard of 1080i image presentation.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – 20th Century Fox and Signal One Entertainment brings us the film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ with just one standard 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio experience. It is immediately obviously that the audio has been fully restored. It is clear and very stable, with a good range of nuanced dynamics as well. In the upper register, where older films usually reveal signs of weakness and aging, there are no distracting anomalies either.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Audio Commentary with Johnny Mains and Michael Brooke [Audio only] [2022] [1080p] [1.37:1] [111:26] With this featurette, we get to hear the audio commentary with Writer and Anthologist Johnny Mains and Film Expert Michael Brooke, and as the film starts, first to introduce himself is Johnny Mains and informs us that he is in the process of writing a book about the Tod Browning’s “Carny” 1932 film ‘Freaks.’ Next up to introduce himself is Michael Brooke and informs us that he is freelance writer specialising in British and Central and Eastern European cinema, and a regular contributor to the Sight & Sound magazine, and is also in the process of writing a book on the French horror classic film ‘Eyes Without a Face’ (French: Les yeux sans visage). But of course they are both here to talks about the 1947 film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY,’ which they think it is an amazing, film, and they are also going to talk about some of the amazing actors that appeared in the film. They talk about the amazing Carnival scene at the start of the film that was built in the 20th Century Fox studio and while the film was being filmed and they say major actors would turn up to be enthralled by the amazing set, and they were Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, Gregory Peck, Rex Harrison and Dana Andrews. They mention the carnival attraction the “GEEK” and the first documented case of “geek” dates all the way back to 1916. At the time, the term was used to describe sideshow freaks in circuses. Specifically, it was typically attributed to those circus performers who were known for doing crazy things like biting the heads of various small live animals or eating live insects and the like. These performances were often called “geek shows.” The word itself “geek” came from the word “geck,” which was originally a Low German word which meant someone who is a “fool/freak/simpleton.” But they inform us that William Lindsay Gresham, one of the international volunteers who had come to defend the Republic in the lost cause of the Spanish Civil War, was awaiting repatriation and he waited and drank with a man, Joseph Daniel Halliday, who told him of something that took him aback with a scare: a carny attraction called a geek, a drunkard driven so low that he would bite off the heads of chickens and snakes just to get the booze he needed. Bill Gresham was only twenty-nine then, as he would later tell it, “The story of the geek haunted me. Finally, to get rid of it, I had to write it out. The novel, of which it was the frame, seemed to horrify readers as much as the original story had horrified me.” They both mention that it is the first in a film like this; we get to see for the first time in a film that they reveal the inner workings of a carnival fakery and we see Zeena Krumbein [Joan Blondell] in her full glory of how she is able to cold read the cards written by the naïve public. They say in the novel, Zeena Krumbein has a sexual relationship with Stanton “Stan” Carlisle and of course the Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the Hays Code, after Will H. Well of course the Motion Picture Production Code would not allow the very sexual contents of the novel to be seen in the 1947 film and would not allow any licentious or suggestive nudity — in fact or in silhouette; and any lecherous or licentious notice thereof by other characters in the picture; any inference of sex perversion. We are also informed that Darryl F. Zanuck did not want to make the film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ under any circumstances, but also inform us that Tyrone Power actually bought the rights to the film for $60,000 and because Tyrone Power was such hot property at the time, Darryl F. Zanuck was eventually persuaded to make the film. When we get to chapter three, they now talk about Cinematography Lee Garmes, A.S.C. who won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for the 1933 film ‘Shanghai Express,’ and was said to have been influenced by the paintings of Rembrandt, Lee Garmes showed a great flair in the use of chiaroscuro, light and shade, which enhanced the expressionistic European look of darkly exotic ventures like ‘Morocco’ [1930] and ‘Shanghai Express’ [1932] and that is why his cinematography for the film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ was so special and atmospheric with the night-time scenes. At chapter 4 we get to see the strongman Bruno played by Mike Mazurki who was an Ukrainian-American actor and before that he was a professional wrestler “Iron” Mike Mazurki who appeared in more than 142 films. His 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm) presence and a face had him often typecast as brainless athletes, tough guys, thugs, and gangsters. But despite the character he played, he was a very intelligent person, after earning his bachelor's degree; Mike Mazurki graduated from Fordham Law School and became an attorney. We now get to the scene where the Rural Marshal played by James Burke turn up who wants to shut the carnival down, but Stanton "Stan" Carlisle’s character uses his skills to con the Rural Marshal and make him forget what he originally turned up to do, and it is amazing how the actor Tyrone Power is so wonderful and so skilful what he did and showed us what a really good actor he was. They now both talk about the 1946 novel “Nightmare Alley” and quotes a certain review of the book, and especially one particular critic who was the retired Los Angeles homicide detective Harry Hansen, and said about the book, “Handle this slither with rubber gloves, and put on your rubber gloves, as we are about to consider a new exhibit of sordid decay in literature from “Nightmare Alley” by William Lindsay Gresham. This novel which is a nightmare, and belongs in the alley, and deals with low life amongst small time carnival people, and brother does it get low, it also practically the swiftness moving tightest packed thriller of which I had to perform an autopsy on in years, ridden with machine gun precision, and plotted to a sixteenth of an inch, it comes from and author who evidently knows the “Carny” he writes about, its pitched towards tattered sailors, numerous sordid thieves, half nude girls, demonstrating in an electric chair, mind readers, geeks, and the drunken bums that bites the heads of snakes and live chickens, and I have never run across the authors name before, but I am told he has written for magazines and from his style, I suspect he is a writer for the pulps.” When we get to chapter five, we are at the part of the film at the Hotel Sherman where they are presenting “The Great Stanton, where they are doing the “cold reading” of cards written by the audience watching the show, where Stanton “Stan” Carlisle and his wife Molly Carlisle have pre-memorised a series of 100 number of questions and at one point we are introduced to psychologist Lilith Ritter played by Helen Walker and of course knows it is a big con trick, and of course as wet more into the film, these two characters get heavenly involved with each other, but of course one of the characters gets their big comeuppance. The two commentators says the actress Helen Walker who plays psychologist Lilith Ritter talks about a nasty incident that happened to the actress before appearing in this film, where they say that Helen Walker had just finished filming ‘Her Adventurous Night’ [1946] and was set to begin the film ‘Heaven Only Knows,’ when an auto accident drastically disrupted her career. On the 13th December, 1946, while driving a convertible coupe belonging to director Bruce "Lucky" Humberstone from Palm Springs to Hollywood on U.S. Route 99, Helen Walker picked up three hitchhikers: first, a soldier named Robert E. Lee, and later 18-year-old students Philip Mercado and Joseph Montalde. Near Redlands, California, the car slid off the road into a dirt division strip and rolled for more than 300 feet, flipping over as many as seven times and ejecting all four passengers. Robert E. Lee was killed as his head struck the pavement, and Walker and the other two passengers were seriously injured. Helen Walker suffered fractures to her pelvis and clavicle as well as a crushed foot, and spent more than a month in the hospital. Philip Mercado, who had been thrown nearly 80 feet (24 m) from the car, sued Helen Walker for $150,000, claiming that Helen Walker was driving “like a fool,” ignored his requests to slow down and diverted her attention from the road to ask for a cigarette just before the accident. Joseph Montalde sued Helen Walker for $100,000. The police estimated that Walker had been speeding in excess of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a responding officer stated that he had smelled alcohol on her breath. Helen Walker was charged with manslaughter for Robert E. Lee's death, but the charge was later dismissed for lack of evidence and this film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ saved her acting career. The two commentators talk about the author William Lindsay Gresham and what a troubled life he had, and that he was unfaithful and an alcoholic husband to his wife Joy Davidman an American poet and writer. William Lindsay Gresham did not have a good relationship with his son, who lived in England and was being taught in an English school and when his son greeted his father, he just shook his hand, which devastated him. When it became apparent that his son was well cared for, William Lindsay Gresham left his son with C. S. Lewis, as his wife Joy Davidman was involved with that author. From then William Lindsay Gresham went downhill fast due to alcoholism and eventually committed suicide in a hotel room. The two commentator’s now talk about the producer George Jessel born George Albert "Georgie" Jessel because he was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and film producer. George Jessel was famous in his lifetime as a multitalented comedic entertainer, achieving a level of recognition that transcended his limited roles in movies. He was widely known by his nickname, the "Toastmaster General of the United States," for his frequent role as the master of ceremonies at political and entertainment gatherings. George Jessel originated the title role in the stage production of “The Jazz Singer.” Because he was a good friend to Darryl F. Zannuck and the middle 1940’s, began producing musicals for 20th Century Fox, producing 24 films in all in a career that lasted through the 1950’s and 1960’s. When we get to chapter eight, we get to view the scene where Stanton “Stan” Carlisle is with a rich client Mr. Prescott in his opulent garden and informs him he can bring his dead daughter spirit before him, where Molly reluctantly plays the dead daughter for Stanton “Stan” Carlisle horrible scam and is the highlight in the film, and they comment on the very atmospheric photographic scene in the film, and it is very spooky when Molly appears and then scuppers Stanton “Stan” Carlisle plan and from then from now on everything goes downhill for Stanton “Stan” Carlisle. At chapter ten, both commentators talk about the actor Tyrone Power and that there were rumours the actor was bi-sexual and also mentions that the last film Tyron Power appeared in was ‘Solomon and Sheba’ in 1958 and he collapsed on the set and there was a massive delay getting the doctor on set and died on the way to the hospital. Eventually we see Stanton “Stan” Carlisle end up as an alcoholic with four other tramps and we now see Stanton “Stan” Carlisle on the skids and on a downward spiral of despair. Next we see Stanton “Stan” Carlisle back at the carnival begging for a job, and ends up as the Geek and we see him go berserk like a madman because of doing that gruesome job especially with live chickens in the carnival. So as we near to the end of the film, the two commentators say that the film is a curious film for modern audiences today, but despite this, they think the film really stands out , but it really has some uncomfortable potency towards the film, and it is also a remarkable film, and at that point the audio commentary ends.
Special Feature: Audio Commentary featuring James Ursini and Alain Silver [Audio only] [2005] [1080p] [1.37:1] [111:16] With this featurette, we get to hear the second audio commentary featuring Film Historians James Ursini and Alain Silver. As the film begins, we are introduced to these two film historians and they say have read half a dozen books on “film noir” and they feel the film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ is the most important “film noir” ever released, and really became a “cult film,” because it became a very hard film to view as it did not get a general release and a very limited run in America. They talk about how we first meet Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell and especially doing their “Carny” act by having to do the “cold card” reading, which of course is a con trick, and they really praise the actress Joan Blondell. They say the character Tyrone Power where he plays Stanton “Stan” Carlisle who again is a con artist, but they feel on the other hand they feel his character is really well acted and is good natured, but backs off when people confront his character. The two commentators also comment on the lighting and how atmospheric it is, but of course they mention it helps with the wonderful cinematographer Lee Garmes, A.S.C. They talk about the code that we see when Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell work together in the con trick in front of the naïve Carnival audiences. They talk about when the Rural Marshal played by James Burke turns up who wants to close down the Carnival because of his rural backward attitude towards the carnival set up, which was very typical in America in the 1940’s, and of course Stanton “Stan” Carlisle is such a great con artist performer, makes the Rural Marshal forget when he turned up at the Carnival in the first place. They also compare ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ against the “Carny” Todd Brown ‘Freaks’ 1932 film, which of course is a very weird and over the top film, whereas they say ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ film is slightly milder in contents. They now talk about the scene with Stanton “Stan” Carlisle and his wife Molly performing in the posh hotel and where rich Americans are being conned out of their money with their famous “cold card trick.” But Stanton “Stan” Carlisle comes for the first time in contact with psychologist Lilith Ritter played by Helen Walker who writes a “cold card” which of course Stanton “Stan” Carlisle does his usual con trick and of course Lilith Ritter knows 100% it is a con trick and of course things really start to happen between psychologist Lilith Ritter and Stanton “Stan” Carlisle and when he meets Lilith Ritter in her office, Stanton “Stan” Carlisle knows now he is vulnerable because she informs him he is a con artist and is now trapped. We are now getting to the scene where Stanton “Stan” Carlisle is to con rich Mr. Prescott played by Harry Cheshire out of a lot of money in making Molly his wife appear as Mr. Prescott’s daughter and of course all ends in disaster because did not want to be involved in such a horrible trick, but at first Molly performs the dead man’s daughter, but Molly feels total guilt and ruins Stanton “Stan” Carlisle ultimate con trick and loses out on a really great deal of money, and both of them say it is a totally triumphant scene and of course it is beautifully photographed by Lee Garmes, A.S.C. When we get to chapter ten, we are getting near to the end of the film and the downfall of Stanton “Stan” Carlisle and ending up as an alcoholic and his degradation with the other alcoholic tramps. As we get near to the end of the film, we get to hear the final comments from James Ursini and Alain Silver, and they say the film at the time was not a financial success, and also comment on Tyrone Power’s amazing make-up as a character at the end of his life as a con artist, they both say that actors after a while want to act in a totally different direction of character out of their comfort zone and Tyrone Power certainly did this with this film. At that point, this second audio commentary ends. As you can see with this audio commentary I have only given you a flavour, as most of what James Ursini and Alain Silver said is very similar with the comments with the first audio commentary said about the film, but at least I have given you the highlights of this second audio commentary.
Special Feature: Still Gallery: With this featurette, we get to view 13 stunning 1080p Black-and White images related to the film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY.’
Special Feature: Theatrical Trailer [1947] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:28] With this featurette, we get to view the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY.’
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DVD Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Audio Commentary with Johnny Mains and Michael Brooke [Audio only] [2022] [1080i] [1.37:1] [106:52]
Special Feature: Audio Commentary featuring James Ursini and Alain Silver [Audio only] [2005] [1080i [1.37:1] [106:46]
Special Feature: Still Gallery [1947] [1080i] [2:09] With this featurette, we get to view 13 Black-and White images related to the film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY.’
Special Feature: Theatrical Trailer [1947] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:20] With this featurette, we get to view the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY.’
Finally, the 1947 film ‘NIGHTMARE ALLEY’ was considered a near-lost film for many years as the rights issues had kept it from home video release for a very long time. This particular Blu-ray release had a long road journey to finally getting it released, after being announced by Signal One Entertainment back in 2018. The film was an “A feature,” not a “B-movie” like most “film noir” of the time. Big-name stars are even known to have visited the set, as reported in press material. The interest and reasonable budget would have likely been down to the fact that it was based on a best-selling novel. William Lindsay Gresham’s book was raw and raunchy but captured the interest of readers at the time. The author was horrified by the story of carnival “geeks,” men who would perform disturbing acts such as biting the heads off live chickens, which inspired him to make the film. William Lindsay Gresham was a very troubled man himself, being an abusive alcoholic for many years and also inspired to write the book, and later taking his own life in the hotel room in which he wrote the novel “Nightmare Alley.” Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
