| Nightmare Alley | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Guillermo del Toro |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Nightmare Alley byWilliam Lindsay Gresham |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Dan Laustsen |
| Edited by | Cam McLauchlin |
| Music by | Nathan Johnson |
Production company | Double Dare You Productions |
| Distributed by | Searchlight Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 150 minutes |
| Countries | |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $60 million[3] |
| Box office | $39.6 million[4][5] |
Nightmare Alley is a 2021neo-noirpsychological thriller film co-written and directed byGuillermo del Toro, and based on the1946 novel of the same name byWilliam Lindsay Gresham. A co-production betweenSearchlight Pictures and Double Dare You Productions, the film starsBradley Cooper as a charming and ambitiouscarnival worker with a mysterious past who takes big risks to boost his career.Cate Blanchett,Toni Collette,Willem Dafoe,Richard Jenkins,Rooney Mara,Ron Perlman,Mary Steenburgen, andDavid Strathairn also star. It is the second feature film adaptation of Gresham's novel, following the1947 film.
Del Toro announced the film in 2017. He produced it alongsideJ. Miles Dale and Cooper. Frequent collaboratorDan Laustsen was the cinematographer, andNathan Johnson replacedAlexandre Desplat as its composer. Principal photography began in January 2020 inToronto,Ontario, but was shut down in March 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in September 2020 and concluded that December.
Nightmare Alley premiered atAlice Tully Hall in New York City on December 1, 2021, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 17, 2021, bySearchlight Pictures. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Del Toro’s direction, the cinematography, score, production design, and performances of Cooper and Blanchett, while criticizing the film's runtime. The filmflopped at the box office, grossing a total of $39.6 million worldwide against a $60 million production budget. It received fourAcademy Award nominations, includingBest Picture. Ablack-and-white version subtitledVision in Darkness and Light was released in select cities starting on January 14, 2022.
In 1939, Stan Carlisle hides the corpse of his deceased father under the floorboards of a run-down house before setting the house ablaze. That evening, he walks into a traveling carnival and watches ageek show in which a deranged man eats a live chicken. Stan runs into the carnival's strongman, and is offered a temporary job for the night. He is subsequently convinced by carnival owner, Clem, to stay, and begins working with Madame Zeena, the carnival'sclairvoyant act, and heralcoholic husband, Pete.
Stan begins courting fellow performer, Molly, and asks her to leave the carnival with him, but she refuses. Madame Zeena and Pete teach Stan how to use the coded language andcold reading tricks in their act, while warning him against pretending tospeak to the dead. Stan also learns that Clem hires troubled alcoholics to be his geeks, then gives themopium-laced alcohol so they stay. One night, Pete asks Stan for alcohol and is found dead the next day.
Local law enforcement raid the carnival after learning about the geek show. Stan uses his cold reading skills to placate the local sheriff and manipulate him into showing leniency. Shortly thereafter, Molly agrees to leave the carnival with Stan.
Two years later, Stan runs a successfulpsychic act for the wealthy elite ofBuffalo. Molly performs as his assistant, but their relationship has deteriorated as Stan demands perfection from Molly. During a performance,psychologist Dr. Lilith Ritter interrupts and tries to expose their act. Stan bests and humiliates Ritter with his cold reading skills, then reads the man sitting with Ritter, Judge Kimball. After the show, Kimball asks Stan to help him and his wife communicate with their dead son. Stan agrees over Molly's objections.
Stan meets with Ritter to purchase information on Kimball. Ritter agrees, but requests Stan sit for a psychotherapy session in lieu of payment. That night, Molly invites Madame Zeena and other performers to the hotel for an impromptu party. Madame Zeena warns Stan not to do Kimball's reading, claiming to have read his plans fromtarot.
Stan performs a successful reading for Kimball and his wife and is paid handsomely. He offers to split the fee with Ritter, but she declines, instead agreeing to hide the money from Molly. Stan informs Ritter that Kimball has offered to introduce him to Ezra Grindle, a very wealthy industrialist and her former patient. At Stan's request, Ritter reluctantly provides incomplete information about Grindle; Stan steals the rest from her records, learning that Grindle forced anabortion on a young woman named Dorrie, and that she likely died from the botched procedure. After successfully convincing Grindle that he is a true medium with the stolen information, Stan starts an affair with Ritter and begins drinking.
Stan holds regular sessions with Grindle for exorbitant fees, while Grindle begins to increasingly demand that Stan make Dorrie'sspirit materialize. Stan plans to have Molly pose as Dorrie, which she agrees to do only if she can leave Stan afterwards. On the day Stan plans to "materialize" Dorrie, Kimball's wife murders her husband and commits suicide to be reunited with their son, inspired by Stan's previous reading for them. That evening, Grindle confesses to Stan that he hurt more women after Dorrie's death. Molly makes her appearance as Dorrie immediately after, but her disguise fails when Grindle hugs her. Infuriated, Grindle strikes Molly, provoking Stan to beat him to death. Horrified by the events of the night, Molly leaves.
Stan arrives at Ritter's office to retrieve his savings, but she withholds almost all of it, revealing that she was manipulating him all along. He attacks her but is forced to escape when security arrives. A flashback reveals he killed his bedridden father by intentionally exposing him tohypothermia before burning the house down.
Months later, Stan, now homeless and an alcoholic, sees ads for Madame Zeena in a newspaper. Stan finds a new carnival and learns that his old carnival went out of business. He desperately pitches his mentalist act to the new owner, who rejects it based on Stan's appearance and the act being out of fashion. The owner then offers him a drink and temporary work as a geek, using the same pitch Clem described earlier. Recognizing the trap, Stan nevertheless accepts the job, claiming he was born for it before breaking down laughing.
In addition,Romina Power, daughter of actorTyrone Power, who played Stanton in the1947 film, has an uncredited cameo as a viewer of Stanton's show.[6]
The project was announced in December 2017, whenGuillermo del Toro revealed that he would be attached to write and direct a film adaptation ofWilliam Lindsay Gresham's1946 novel.[7] The film marks a departure for del Toro, as it contains no supernatural elements, as opposed to his previous films. Del Toro considered this to be a standalone adaptation of Gresham's novel, as opposed to a remake of the1947 film version starringTyrone Power. He stated: "Well, what it is is that book was given to me in 1992 by Ron Perlman before I saw the Tyrone Power movie, and I loved the book. My adaptation that I've done with [co-writer] Kim Morgan is not necessarily—the entire book is impossible, it's a saga. But there are elements that are darker in the book, and it's the first chance I have—in my short films I wanted to do noir. It was horror and noir. And now is the first chance I have to do a real underbelly of society type of movie. [There are] no supernatural elements. Just a straight, really dark story." Del Toro also revealed the film would be aiming for anR-rating, saying: "big R. Double R!"[8]
Dan Laustsen andAlexandre Desplat were announced to serve as the film's cinematographer and composer, respectively, both having previously collaborated with del Toro inThe Shape of Water (2017).[9]
In April 2019,Leonardo DiCaprio entered negotiations to star in the film,[10] but by June 2019,Bradley Cooper entered early negotiations to replace DiCaprio.[11] Del Toro stated that he and Cooper quickly connected with each other when del Toro met Cooper in the latter's house to discuss the role: "We started talking script and then this started mirroring our thoughts about life and the way we viewed the world. We entered strange, darker times that led to 'Nightmare Alley' for me, and [changed the] way I view the world." Del Toro also believed that Cooper's experience as a director helped strengthen their connection, stating, "A director is an actor and an actor is a director. There is no separation of the craft... that took a while for me to get used to. I normally create and guide these little Fabergé eggs of movies, obsessively detailed. All of a sudden we were on an adventure. I will never shoot a movie the same way." Del Toro further discussed his collaborative relationship with Cooper while filming:[12]
Curiosity and integrity are the two things[;] they are very bonded [...] We're like truffle hunters, smelling for that, looking for certain truth, not verisimilitude or realism but truth which is a higher form of telling a story. How we get to it is only through curiosity. When we have collaborators, the main reward is a point of view that you can literally bounce off, or get bounced off, and seek for the truth... I found it a blessing at age 56 in this movie to find the marvel of complicity and curiosity. 'Is this all we can do with that scene, with that shot?' You keep seeking.
In August 2019,Cate Blanchett was in negotiations to join the film.[13] Both Cooper and Blanchett were confirmed to star the next month, along with the addition ofRooney Mara.[14]Toni Collette andDavid Strathairn were added in September, with Strathairn replacingMichael Shannon who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.[15][16] Collette praised del Toro's capabilities as a director, and described the film as a "period drama" and "unlike some of his other work."[17]Willem Dafoe was cast in October[18] andHolt McCallany would join the next month.[19]Ron Perlman andRichard Jenkins were both confirmed in January 2020.[20] In February 2020,Mary Steenburgen andRomina Power, the daughter of Tyrone Power, joined the cast of the film.[21] In March 2020,Paul Anderson joined the cast of the film.[citation needed]
Principal photography began in January 2020 inToronto, Canada.[22][23] Production temporarily moved toBuffalo, New York in February 2020, in order for del Toro to take advantage of the city's architecture and unfamiliar setting: "I wanted to find a city that was really interesting to visit for an audience, that was not a city they were overtly familiar with." Scenes were filmed in and outside of Buffalo'sNiagara Square andCity Hall, and required the use of fake snow, much to the surprise of the crew, as Buffalo is widely known for its heavy snowfall during the winter season.[24]
Principal photography was initially set to begin in September 2019, but was delayed to accommodate Cooper's schedule.[25] "We shot the second half before the first half," Cooper revealed. "We didn't want to do it that way. Things happened to us, with sets and other actors' availability and water, the snow and all that. I was the cause. I had moved to New York and said, 'I can't do it right now. Let me get settled.'" In March 2020, Del Toro himself shut down production on the film after rising concerns regarding theCOVID-19 pandemic: "We stopped the shoot a week before [the industry shut down] [...] That saved us. Nobody to my knowledge in the cast or the crew got coronavirus."[26] Del Toro later reflected that "Stopping was not mandatory back then, but we both felt if we don't stop now and someone gets sick — we said, 'we gotta stop.' Nobody was expecting it. Everybody went to lunch and came back six months later."[12] Searchlight's parent,Walt Disney Studios, officially halted production on the film soon after.[27]
Del Toro revealed that when production was shut down, approximately 45% of the film was shot, and he spent his time editing available footage during the hiatus. Del Toro also composed an 80-page safety precaution guideline to be used when production was to resume, which he was hoping to do in late 2020.[26]Variety reported that Blanchett had completed her scenes prior to the shutdown.[28]
Production resumed in September 2020 in Toronto.[29] In an interview, Collette discussed some of the film's safety protocols: "[...] I've got to say, I think, you couldn't get any safer than a film set. They're so regimented and disciplined and demanding in terms of having to toe the line and everyone does their best to not get it. You really are in a bubble and the whole of Toronto is in masks and you're just sanitizing your hands a million times a day and trying not to be in big crowds and you just have to be mindful of that. Especially when you're working, because there's a bigger risk there. It's not just you, it's everyone else, you know?" Collette also revealed that del Toro had shot almost four hours of footage.[17] By November 2020, principal photography was completed and re-shoots had commenced.[30] Production officially wrapped in December 2020.[31]
Del Toro and Cooper reflected that the unexpected shooting schedule benefited the film's structure. Del Toro remarked that "It was a blessing [...] I believe wholeheartedly life gives you what you need, not what you want. You have a window to look at everything. It was incredible. We got to see these characters, when [Stanton Carlisle] was full of himself and arrogant and certain and seeking. We were able to go back six months in between all this and were able to analyze and see not only that character but what we needed to rewrite to be able to go back to a set. If your pores are open, the movie finds you. Each movie tells you what it needs." Cooper further stated that "This movie needed that rigor. Thank god we had that time. As simple a story is, it demanded all our concentration and focus, all that time. I don't think we realized how much it demanded of us at the beginning. That was the discovery. There is arrogance. You think you can do it, then, 'how is this possible?'"
Cooper further reflected on his relationship with del Toro over the course of filming:[12]
We [made]Nightmare Alley for the last two and a half years [...] It was a unique experience, going through the pandemic, taking six months off and revisiting it. We not only become lifelong friends, but it was an artistic experience.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Desplat exited the film, resulting inNathan Johnson being brought in as replacement.[32]
Nightmare Alley had its world premiere at theAlice Tully Hall inNew York on December 1, 2021, accompanied by simultaneous screenings at theAcademy Museum of Motion Pictures inLos Angeles and theTIFF Bell Lightbox inToronto.[33][34] The film was theatrically released on December 17, 2021, after having been rescheduled from its original release date of December 3, 2021.[35]
On December 17, 2021, the day of the film's release,Searchlight Pictures announced that a black-and-white version of the film, titledNightmare Alley: Vision in Darkness and Light, would be released the following month, on January 14, 2022, in select theaters in Los Angeles only, for up to 6 days. In January 2022, following the success of the showings, the version was announced to be broadening to other select cities.[36][37] The black-and-white film expanded to 1,020 theaters nationwide on January 28, 2022.[38]
The film was released on the streaming servicesHulu andHBO Max on February 1, 2022[39] and onUltra HD Blu-ray,Blu-Ray andDVD on March 22, 2022, by20th Century Studios Home Entertainment.[citation needed] The film was also released onDisney+ internationally on March 9, 2022 in Australia and New Zealand as part of the Star content hub then on March 16, 2022 in all other territories.[40]
By March 20, 2022, the film had been streamed on HBO Max and Hulu in a combined 3.1 million households in the United States according toSamba TV, including 2.1 million since the Oscar nomination announcements on February 8, the highest total of any Best Picture nominee.[41]
Nightmare Alley grossed $11.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $28.2 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $39.6 million.[4][5]
Nightmare Alley made $225,000 from Thursday night previews and an estimated $1.19 million by Friday. Its low opening was attributed to it being primarily meant for the audiences in the older age ranges (who had avoided going out to see movies amidst theCOVID-19 pandemic), low interest among the movie-going audience, and the release ofSpider-Man: No Way Home on the same date.[42][43][3] It went on to debut to $2.8 million from 2,145 theatres during the weekend, finishing fifth at the box office.[44][3] Men made up 56% of the audience during its opening, with those in the age range of 25–54 composing 55% of ticket sales and those above 45 composing 29%. The ethnic breakdown of the audience showed that 63% were Caucasian, 11% Hispanic and Latino Americans, 9% African American, and 17% Asian or other.[42] In its second weekend, the film earned $1.2 million.[45][46] In its third, the film dropped out of the box office top ten, finishing eleventh with $966,875.[47]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 81% of 349 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "While it may not hit quite as hard as the original, Guillermo del Toro'sNightmare Alley is a modern noir thriller with a pleasantly pulpy spin."[48]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 70 out of 100 based on 55 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[49] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those atPostTrak gave it a 72% positive score, with 49% saying they would definitely recommend it.[42]
Mark Kermode ofThe Observer gave the film 5 out of 5, writing: "From its bruised colour palette to its spiralling descent into madness and degradation, this is deliciously damnable fare, looking back through the prism of Del Toro's adventurous oeuvre to the existential angst of his vampiric feature debut,Cronos."[50] Linda Marric ofThe Jewish Chronicle also gave 5 out of 5, writing: "Del Toro employs a mixture of stylish old Hollywood sensibilities with B movie tropes to bring us an engaging and gorgeously acted psychological thriller."[51] Clarisse Loughrey ofThe Independent also gave the film 5 out of 5, writing: "Del Toro can do worldbuilding in his sleep, but you might also find Cooper's brittle performance, filled with such elemental sadness, hard to shake off.Nightmare Alley is the shadow that lingers."[52]Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian gave the film 4 out of 5, praising it as "a spectacular noir melodrama boasting gruesomely enjoyable performances and freaky twists."[53]
Robbie Collin ofThe Daily Telegraph was more critical, giving the film 2 out of 5 stars and describing it as "an act of origami-level homage: it's all folded together in impressively fiddly ways, but the result is an angular, inert approximation, lacking in the original's breath or heat."[54]Kevin Maher ofThe Times also gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, praising its set design, but added: "there's little else in this drastically overstretched narrative (150 minutes!) to hold any attention beyond a cursory awareness that, yes, we’re watching an oddly literal melodrama about bad people doing very bad things, very slowly."[55]
Martin Scorsese authored an essay in theLos Angeles Times urging readers to seek out the film, crediting Del Toro's films as being "lovingly and passionately crafted" and arguing thatNightmare Alley is "truer to the animating spirit offilm noir than the many 'homages' that have been made over the years and are still being made now."[56]
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