Nightmare Alley

Apropos of nothing really…I (re)watched Nightmare Alley (1947) over the past couple nights.  I can always find something to appreciate in any film that falls into the noir genre, this one being no exception.

The film depicts the  rise and fall of a conman/mentalist, played by Tyrone Power, whose sly ambition  leads him from carnival hack to ‘mentalist’ superstar.  There are some mood-ruining implications regarding “God” that accompany the fall of the ‘Stanton the Great’,  but TP ultimately carries the film beyond those dimensions.  It’s pretty dark stuff for the time period, there aren’t really any respites from the tension or moments of comic relief along the way, and after watching it you may never think of the term ‘geek’ in the same way again.  Recommended.

Anyway, it got me thinking on hustlers of this sort of the modern day.  Like with fim noir, my inclination  towards claims of psychic phenomena usually have been to give them more than a fair shake on an individual basis as opposed to a hasty dismissal (I have my reasons).   (Don’t get me wrong–at best, the vast majority of instances of such that are reported, exploited, etc. are total hogwash.)  My thoughts jump to a one John Edward who was/is(?) the host of a daily program on one of major networks where he would ‘cross over to the other side’ and purport to communicate with deceased loved ones of audience members.  There are others of course who have made a name and probably millions working this shameless hustle (James Van Praagh), but Edward’s image and apparent popularity managed to become lodged in my brain.

What he and others of his ilk usually pass off as  ‘crossing over’ is of course nothing more than a well-practiced form of ‘cold reading’, where the medium/psychic/etc. embarks on a series of ‘educated guesses’ and does so in a way to make their ‘misses’ seem insignificant, part of the process.  Admittedly, a sort of grotesque fascination with the set-up and dynamics at play propelled me to actually watch his show if I came across it.  I remember feeling embarrassed not only for Edward (even for a no-doubt highly edited-for-TV-performance, he was rarely impressive), but for his audience/dupes, (and myself of course), as well.  ‘Tis sad, really, on several levels.

In any event, so as to not leave on such a downbeat, here’s the gratuitous list of some of my favorite/essential film noirs for those in the dark (ahem).

Touch of Evil

The Big Sleep

Laura

Out of the Past

In a Lonely Place

Mildred Pierce

Asphalt Jungle

The Killers

Gilda

Criss Cross

Kiss me Deadly

IK

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You’re currently reading “Nightmare Alley,” an entry on Holding Forum

Published:
July 18, 2009 / 3:37 PM
Category:
Film
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