Nightmare Alley
1947 · Movie · NR · 111 min · ★ 7.2 · 81% critics
A carnival worker joins a traveling mind-reading act and learns the tricks behind its success. As he becomes more ambitious, he starts using what he’s learned to con the rich and step into a darker life, testing trust and faith along the way.
Based on Nightmare Alley
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Streaming on YouTube TV.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1947
- Release date
- 1947-10-09
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Critic score
- 81/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.2/10 (237 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this bleak carnival-to-nightclub noir if you like schemes and character fallouts, with a standout, troubling performance; Not for you if you want a lighter moral tale or tidy genre formula, since Nightmare Alley (2021) and Sorcerer share darker vibes but not this exact con-driven setup.
Pros: unsettling noir atmosphere; standout lead performance; gripping rise-and-fall | Cons: credibility strains; overly dark turns; ending feels tacked-on
Themes
- based on novel or book
- carnival
- con artist
- film noir
- black and white
- alcoholic
- carny
- mind reading act
- carnies
Cast & crew
Tyrone Power
as Stanton 'Stan' Carlisle
Helen Walker
as Lilith Ritter
Coleen Gray
as Molly Carlisle
Joan Blondell
as Zeena Krumbein
Taylor Holmes
as Ezra Grindle
Mike Mazurki
as Bruno
Ian Keith
as Pete Krumbein
Roy Roberts
as McGraw / Final Carnival Owner (uncredited)
Florence Auer
as Jane (uncredited)
Bonnie Bannon
as Knife Thrower's Assistant (uncredited)
Directed by Edmund Goulding