i am not a carnival type and if not for tyrone power, i most likely would not have known about 1947's 'nightmare alley.' in this dark drama, the desperation to keep the show on the road is played out by interesting characters who prefer their lives to be dressed up in tricks, tigers, and eventually tyrone. i think this may have been an attempt to break from 'type' for the gorgeous matinee idol. he does indeed fall from the pedastal by the time the creepy/scary climax comes.
joan blondell is always excellent at winning your sympathy. a tiny and darling actress, colleen gray is wonderful as one of the performers.
deceiving the public is the beginning of the end for tyrone's ambitions and as he sinks from soothsayer to alcoholic you will shiver. this is not a pretty picture but it is special. something about tyrone power strikes me as contemporary and i find that very interesting.
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