Those who wish to unlock the secrets of the human mind may wish they'd been more careful what they wished for. 2021's Nightmare Alley makes this point even more strongly than the 1947 classic film, also adapted from the same novel. Guillermo del Toro, as Martin Scorsese has eloquently pointed out, has directed the first true film noir in decades. It's one of the best, smartest movies of the century so far and it should be required viewing for anyone who wants to use social media.
The title is pretty damned evocative, isn't it? It comes from a line, spoken by Willem Dafoe in the film, about "geeks"--people at carnivals who used to bite the heads off chickens for money. Dafoe plays Clem, the owner of a carnival, who explains to the film's protagonist, Stan (Bradley Cooper), how he finds new geeks. He looks for hopeless drunks in "nightmare alleys" and other such places. Guys at the ends of their ropes who are easier to sucker into a job like this, who can rationalise it by promising themselves there's another bottle of booze at the end of the day. But, as is so often the case with noir, we get the impression of a narrow path. There aren't many choices in an alley--you can go to the end or you can back out. That's it.
What makes Nightmare Alley a true noir is its tension between free will and fate. The haunting final shot of the film is of a man not out of touch with reality but clearly trying, desperately trying, to convince himself he is. It's not a strange look. It's pretty normal if you've had many encounters with homeless people in America. Certainly the author of the original novel, William Lindsay Gresham, would've seen plenty of those, having lived through the Great Depression, during which a big chunk of this story is set. That's what you get when you're taught to aspire to independence and distinguishing brilliance only to wind up nowhere and effectively nothing. Gresham could also boast plenty of experience with carnivals, alcoholism, and depression, all of which come into play, all of which are perfect for ruminating on that insoluble tension between fate and free will.
The trouble is, you see, just what do you blame yourself for? How can you get started on atonement or healing when you don't even know where to begin? Pete (David Strathairn) gives Stan an amazing demonstration of how he and his assistant use coded words to fool people into thinking they're reading minds or contacting the spirit world. One simple trick implies the existence of other such tricks, and also the existence of tricks that are much more complex. Stan, finding he has a talent for it, takes it to a new level, even managing to see through the sinister psychologist, Lilith Ritter.
Cate Blanchett's performance reminded me quite a lot of Helen Walker's in the 1947 film except Blanchett plays it a little more vulnerable. The cracks of Ritter's facade show through a little more and her twisted compulsions imply a tragedy at work much like the one in Stan's soul.
The great thing about true noir is it doesn't let you escape. Much like Stan can never be really sure how much fate has dealt him a bad hand, we can never lock anyone down as good or evil. Stan wants to make a fortune off other people, yeah, but he also talks about giving them a sense of hope and closure in the process. He says himself he's "No good" in a line reminiscent of Double Indemnity's famous exchange--"We're both rotten, Walter." "Only you're a little more rotten." Can Stan really live with that as cosily as he thinks he does? And if he can't, is he really "no good"?
There's never a false step in this movie, never a clumsy piece of dialogue or development you have to overlook. It's meticulously written and beautifully directed.
Nightmare Alley is available on HBOMax.
Twitter Sonnet #1519
The understanding dance was like a plate.
It carried meat and something light and green.
And like a cloud, the figure rose to fate.
Before descending back below the screen.
The dying sound was half beyond the ear.
Prophetic drives return to mind the wheel.
Another day creates another year.
The magic finger missed a vital meal.
The salty soup was like a breakfast bread.
The party took the table close to me.
A sneaky hand accepts the bacon led.
Another cat arrived we couldn't see.
Another girl's beyond the lyric bend.
The tricky game would crash before the end.
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