Nightmare Alley (film)

Nightmare Alley (film)

Nightmare Alley (1947) is a 20th Century Fox film noir starring Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell, and directed by Edmund Goulding. The film was based on the 1946 novel of the same name, written by William Lindsay Gresham.

Powell, wishing to expand beyond the romantic and swashbuckler roles that brought him to fame, bought the rights to the novel with so he could star as the unsavory lead, "The Great Stanton", a scheming carnival barker. The film premiered in the US on October 9, 1947, then met with wide release on October 28, 1947, later having six more European releases between November 1947 to May 1954.

To make the film more believable, the producers built a full working carnival on ten acres (40,000 m²) of the 20th Century Fox back lot. They also hired over 100 sideshow attractions and carnival people to add further authenticity.

As noted on the DVD commentary track by Alain Silver and James Ursini, Nightmare Alley was somewhat unusual among films noir in having top stars, production staff, and a relatively large budget. Despite a strong promotion campaign, however, the film was not a financial success upon its original release, due in part to protests against some of the then-scandalous content. In later years, the film found acclaim and is now regarded as a classic.