THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
It can be fun to be dishonest, until your lies come back to bite you.
PLOT
Based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham, Nightmare Alley follows con man Stanton Carlisle who works with a traveling circus as a barker. He starts collaborating with clairvoyant Madame Zeena, who used to use an ingenious mind reading code to make people believe she was psychic. He requests to learn it from her, but she refuses to do so, not wanting to abandon her alcoholic husband Pete (Ian Keith), already feeling guilty of his downfall. One night, Stan accidentally gives him wood alcohol, mistaking it to be moonshine. When this kills him, Zeena has no other choice to teach him the code to keep her act going. While he works as her assistant, he gets involved with fellow performer Molly Cahill and when both confess their love for each other, the other carnies force them into a shotgun marriage. Not feeling welcome in the carnival anymore, Stan and Molly move to Chicago, becoming successful with his psychic act at nightclubs, under the nickname, 'The Great Stanton' . Even though he is financially successful, he still feels regret over what happened to Pete. He confesses his sins to psychologist Lilith Ritter, but he then discovers her own scheme when finding her record her sessions with her patients, some of which contain sensitive information. This inspires the two partner up and continue manipulating her patients, which he'll use information to continue his con act. Their schemes go well, until Stan targets Ezra Grindle (Taylor Holmes). He has Molly pose as his long lost love, but she breaks the act when she sees the man break down. Proven to be a fraud, Stan must now flee. Ritter scams him by giving him $150 instead of the promised $150,000. She then threatens to testify him as mentally disturbed if he accuses her of complicity in his crimes. With no other option, He gives Molly the $150 to return to the carnival. Once she leaves, he spirals into alcoholism. Eventually, he ends up returning to the carnival as a new sideshow, portraying the geek that eats live chickens. The film ends with him reuniting with Molly who calms him down from a mental breakdown, unaware that she was in the same circus until then, giving him hope once again.
THOUGHTS
I don't really dip into noir thrillers that much, but when I do, I am impressed by the end and this film is no exception. Overall, I believe director Edmund Goulding gave a well crafted depiction of how greed and dishonesty will not create permanent happiness. The more you choose to deceive others, the more likely you’ll be deceived as well in return and the ramifications won’t be undone. Whatever skills you have should be used for a greater good, not for selfishness. This obviously would’ve not been so clear without a unique cast. Tyrone Power is on point for making Stan as bad as they came, as selfish as he could be. Although he has regret with being responsible for someone’s death, he chooses not to be a better man he could be, proving that he will be beyond saving. We're just as surprised as he is when Ritter cons him, but it's not like he didn't have it coming after what he's done. Coleen Gray makes Molly the best character because she's the only one in this world with a good heart, which may be a weakness but also her biggest strength. While it's clear that Stan fell for her off of her beauty alone, she fell for him in return because he never thought little of her, never treated her like a child. Respecting that only made her love him more. And with her good heart, he is lucky to have her by his side in the end. I also enjoyed Joan Blondell as Zeena because despite having a dishonest job, she still had a heart of her own. After all the success she had, she never abandoned Pete who helped her be the star people remembered her for. The big irony of this movie is how Stan is now living in Pete's shoes, as in Molly in Zeena's, implying that history can repeat itself and you won't see it coming. Last but not least, Helen Walker made a memorable performance out of Lilith because she was more deceptive than anticipated. She was Stan's greatest match as he fell right into her trap and paid the ultimate price, reminding viewers that you must be careful with who you trust. This movie is naturally excellent, but even a story as good as this has its moments that I kept questioning when it reached its end. SInce Stan is so good at being secretive, why didn't he hire Lilith for scheming Ezra and why didn't he check the pills before he got in the cab? Had he been more self aware, he would've been continuing his streak of conning. And what inspired him to sneak on Lilith anyway? She wasn't acting deceptive until he caught her, so I don't get why he felt like he had to take curiosity of her. Another thing that came to mind is how come circus performer Bruno (Mike Mazurki) wasn't kept questioned about his whereabouts? It really goes nowhere, becoming the most useless plot point of the story. I know it helps get steam off of Stan, but it would've been interesting seeing something go from there. Ignore this and you'll still enjoy the movie for what it is. In short, Nightmare Alley is an interesting noir that keeps you guessing on how bad things are gonna go for everyone. You want a film that has you on the edge of your seat? See this film.
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