Remakes & Reboots: Nightmare Alley (1947) vs. Nightmare Alley (2021)

The term “cult classic” gets thrown around a lot these days. Usually, to describe an underperforming movie with a small but devoted following. It’s a nebulous term, open to interpretation among cinema buffs. On the one hand, films like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” or “Fight Club ” deserve the label. But I have a buddy who thinks that the recent “Morbius” starring Jared Leto will become a cult classic, but I digress. 

One such cult film is “Nightmare Alley,” the 1947 film adaption of William Lindsay Gresham’s controversial and nihilist novel. It’s a bleak and cynical film-noir and a departure for everyone involved, especially its two big stars, Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell. And it breaks tradition from the typical noir elements in that there are no private investigators, corrupt cops, or gun-toting gangsters. And its carnival freakshow setting, especially the monstrous “geek” subplot, gives the movie a horror vibe that is unique to the genre. Yet those qualities doomed the film to flop poorly upon release and be buried in obscurity for many decades.

Cut to 74 years later, and one of Hollywood’s most celebrated visual directors, Guillermo Del Toro, plucked this little gem from the shadows for a glossy, big-budget remake. The subject matter was a perfect fit for Del Toro, who’s dabbled in moody, monstrous subject matter from “Pan’s Labyrinth” to the Oscar-winning “The Shape of Water.” And he was smart to cast Bradley Cooper, who ably follows in Tyrone Power’s footsteps with a complex, layered performance. Even better, Del Toro didn’t have to sandpaper over the seedier elements of Lindsay Gresham’s dark novel that hampered the 1947 original film.

So, let’s enter the carnival tent and compare these unique variations of the film noir genre that stars seedy “carny” workers, otherworldly mentalists, wealthy elites, and a savage man-beast known as the “geek.” 

NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947)

Chad’s Grade: B+

In the 1940’s Tyrone Power was one of the biggest box offices draws for Fox Studios. With his handsome, matinee idol looks, he was that studio’s answer to Errol Flynn. But he was stuck in formulaic action films and melodramatic romances and desperately wanted to flex his acting chops. He devoured Lindsay Gresham’s bleak novel “Nightmare Alley” and convinced the Fox executives to greenlight the film noir as a starring vehicle. 

“Nightmare Alley” is an unusual movie where it’s separated into two acts, that of the carnival freakshow and later the wealthy enclave of Chicago’s high society. It’s the first section where Power leans against type as Stan Carlisle, a “carny” handyman and assistant to Madam Zeena, the carnival’s “mentalist” and mind-reading attraction. Stan is having a low-key affair with the older Zeena, who’s married to the alcoholic Pete, who was once a great “mentalist.” The couple had developed a secret “code” that would make it seem that Pete was reading minds when it was Zeena tipping him off with phrases, wording, and enunciations. The ambitious Stan eventually learns the code as Zeena’s assistant, with a knack for reading body language and physical clues and schemes to start his own show.

The duplicitous Stan eventually falls in love with another “carny,” Molly, the young and beautiful assistant to the carnival strongman. One night, the alcoholic Pete begs Stan for a drink, who accidentally gives him wood alcohol, killing the drunkard. Floundering with guilt, Stan and Molly elope and head off to the big city of Chicago, where they rework Zeena’s mentalist act.

Now calling himself “The Great Stanton,” Stan and Molly perform a glamourous version of the mind-reading act for the wealthy elite of Chicago. Soon Stan draws the attention of Dr. Lilith Ritter, a beautiful psychologist who figures out his secret code with Molly. An illicit affair begins, where Lilith feeds Stan personal information about her clients that the con man can use when he moves his act from being a “mentalist” to a “spiritualist” who tells his wealthy clients what they want to hear. When Stan tries to swindle the powerful Ezra Grindle out of a small fortune, promising he can call the ghost of his lost lover Dory who died of a miscarriage, Stan’s house of cards begins to collapse in the shadows of Nightmare Alley. 

It’s the movie’s first “carnival” section that the 1947 version makes it a unique entry in the film noir cannon. Director Edmund Goulding was a legendary director from classic Hollywood, helming MGM’s “Grand Hotel” and “Dark Victory” starring Bette Davis. He films the opening carnival scenes, particularly the nighttime shots like a Universal monster movie. There are dark shadows, and a layer of eerie mist as Stan glides amongst the circus-like tents. The mood plays well with the monstrous “geek” sequences, where Stan is fascinated by how a man could debase himself when he begs for scraps and bites off chicken heads. Of course, Stan is staring at his eventual fall and destined end. 

Eventually, the film moves from the grimy carny tents to the glamorous big city, where more traditional film noir elements come into play. Director Goulding is much more comfortable in this arena, where Tyrone Power’s matinee idol charms shine. And it’s this section where we get the movie’s most fascinating character, Lilith Ritter. She’s technically the femme fatale of the piece, but in this movie’s scrambled film noir vocabulary, she’s serious, direct, and buttoned up in suits & ties. She’s an enigma until the big reveal near the film’s climax, where you see her true loyalties.

What makes this take on “Nightmare Alley” really shine is the out-of-box performances by much of the cast. Power, in particular, digs in and finds new layers, showing that he could’ve been a fantastic actor once freed from the matinee idol dungeon. He gives Stan a likable presence but reveals the dark levels of his doomed ambition. Joan Blondell, once one of Hollywood’s classic platinum blonde ingenues, makes the seamless transition to older character actress with her sly and strong performance as the “spiritualist” Zeena. And I must single out Helen Walker as Dr. Lilith Ritter, who plays the icy cool and calculating psychologist to perfection. With her low-key performance, you never know where her loyalties lie, and her final takedown of Stan in the closing moments will send a chill down your spine.

Most of the film’s faults are due to the frustrating film censorship code of the era that forced the filmmakers to sandpaper over the novel’s seedier elements. The “geek” portions, prominent in the book, get very little screen time until the final moments. Stan’s more subversive qualities are played as earnest and ambitious, and there is an “against God” theme that is not present in the source material. And worst of all, we get the patented happy ending, where Molly’s love & devotion brings Stan back from his “geek” fate. It destroys the thematic qualities of Stan’s story arc and is obviously tacked on. 

Ultimately, all the qualities that made “Nightmare Alley” unique to the film noir genre doomed the movie upon its 1947 release. Audiences had no interest in seeing the dark side of their beloved Tyrone Power, and the movie was a box office disappointment. This would be one of Power’s only great performances as he returned to safer material (and would die tragically young a decade later). But the movie did become a “cult classic” among film noir buffs and is now reappraised as one of the best of the genre.

And one of its biggest fans was a gifted Mexican director…

NIGHTMARE ALLEY (2021)

Chad’s Grade: B+

Guillermo Del Toro was looking for a project to follow up the massive success of “The Shape of Water,” a film that won both the Academy Award for Best Picture and nabbed Del Toro his first Oscar as director. He had flirted with a new take on Disney’s “Pinocchio” but decided to do a new version of the beloved film noir classic “Nightmare Alley.” And even better, this would be the director’s first non-supernatural film with more grounded elements.

Del Toro’s fingerprints are all over his remake of the Lindsay Gresham novel, and his visual flourishes do not disappoint. The plot mechanics are very much the same as the 1947 original. But Del Toro and his team of actors can embrace the R-rated source material, giving us a more intense and nightmarish journey.

Bradley Cooper is the 2021 version of Stan Carlisle, and his performance anchors the film. It’s a more subtle and quiet take compared to the glamorous Tyrone Power of the original. This Stan hides dark secrets, and his horrific backstory gets much more screentime. As does the “geek” subplot, where we get to see the brutal sideshow, complete with the chicken beheading. And Cooper’s Stan gets many quiet moments as he interacts with the geek, which is just a drugged homeless man driven to insanity. The remake focuses on Stan’s relationship with the geek and his ambition to escape that fate at all costs.

The movie has an impressive supporting cast that is fantastic to watch. Toni Collette is the tarot card reading Zeena, and while her affair is downplayed in the remake, it still carries heat. Watching Zeena slyly and quickly seduce Stan while he’s naked in a bathtub is the film’s sexiest scene. I enjoyed David Strathairn’s Peter, a more charming and sympathetic performance, and the emotional beat lands when he accidentally overdrinks. And Richard Jenkins gives a menacing turn as wealthy tycoon Ezra Grindle who lures Stan with untold riches if he can bring his beloved lover Dora back from the grave. 

The only significant misstep performance-wise is Cate Blanchett as the sexy Dr. Lilith Ritter. I’m a massive fan of Blanchett, but her performance is so stylized in the femme fatale mold that she’s almost a caricature. In the 1947 version, Stan and Lilith’s relationship was professional, with the idea that they would stick it to their wealthy clients. And Del Toro smartly plays up the carnal nature only hinted at in the original. But Blanchett has such a lioness heat and predator glare that there’s no suspense to the character’s cruel twist at the end.

One of the joys of the remake is watching all the darker elements that were only hinted at in the original. The dirty laundry of the nihilistic source material is shown in its glory. The tragic overdose of Pete is more ambiguous on whether Stan purposefully gave him the wrong alcohol bottle. Lilith undresses in front of Stan, revealing her scarred and broken body. And most chillingly of all, Ezra Grindle confesses to pedophilia during the climatic Dora phantom reveal. 

And Del Toro dresses it all up with his stunning visuals, seamlessly blending horror and film noir flourishes. The opening carnival scenes have muted color schemes and a gothic tone worthy of a Tim Burton feature. The glamorous city sequences are bathed in gorgeous gold and yellow hues with deep red and black flourishes. Lilith’s office is an art deco lover’s dream, especially that cabinet that houses her recording devices. And Del Toro does a fascinating bait and switch where the carnival scenes focus on Stan’s found family among the freaks and outcasts, but it’s the big Chicago cityscape where all the monsters and boogeymen reside.

The 2021 version of “Nightmare Alley” didn’t fare so well in theatres as the marketing was focused on the older R-rated crowd staying home during the Covid-Omicron surge. It did receive 4 Oscar nominations, including a surprise Best Picture nod, but it lost to “CODA.” Much like the 1947 original, maybe we can label this “Nightmare Alley” a…cult classic. 

IN CONCLUSION:

I encourage you to check out the 1947 original and the 2021 remake. Tyrone Power is fast becoming a forgotten footnote in classic Hollywood due to his tragic young death at 44 (from a heart attack). The classic black and white feature has a remarkable modern feel like another film noir of the era, “Sunset Boulevard.” The Del Toro remake is a much longer and more nuanced experience, full of Del Toro’s razzle-dazzle visuals.

In fact, the tonal difference between both versions is shown in Stan’s concluding line of dialogue before succumbing to his “geek” fate:

In the 1947 version – Mister, I was “made” for it.

And the 2021 remake– Mister, I was “born” for it.