19 Nightmare Alley
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
19 Nightmare Alley
Nightmare Alley
Often described as the grimmest of all Hollywood film noirs, Nightmare Alley's reputation as a cult classic reached near-mythical status due to a decades-long dispute between the film's producer (George Jessel) and Fox, which prevented it being screened anywhere or even released on home video. With the conflict now resolved, Nightmare Alley can finally be re-discovered in this stunning new transfer as one of the most darkly sophisticated noirs of the period.
Tyrone Power, cast against type — at his own insistence — gives the performance of his lifetime as handsome scumbag / carnival barker / con-man Stanton Carlisle. He seduces fellow sideshow artiste Mademoiselle Zeena (Joan Blondell) to learn the secret of the once-lucrative mind-reading act she performed with her alcoholic husband (Ian Keith). Carlisle, a "born mentalist", secures the secret method and sets off with his new carnie wife, Molly (Coleen Grey) to milk the bigtime as a spiritualist in Chicago. As Carlisle's success grows, it's only a matter of time before his greed — and twisted involvement with femme fatale psychoanalyst Lilith Ritter (Helen Walker) — bring his world crashing down around him.
Based on William Lindsay Gresham's book of the same name, scripted by the formidable Jules Furthman (Shanghai Express, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo) and reflecting the preoccupations of its drug and alcohol-abusing, orgy-frequenting director Edmund Goulding, Nightmare Alley uncovers both the dirt and romance of carnival life, and controversially — for those in the business — the tricks and scams of conmen and hustlers. After this picaresque and cathartic film, you will never again misuse the word "geek". The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Nightmare Alley for the first time on home video in the UK.
SPECIAL FEATURES
• Newly restored high definition transfer
• Woody Haut introduces Nightmare Alley – a 10-minute video introduction to the film by celebrated noir historian and author Woody Haut
• Woody Haut on Nightmare Alley – Woody goes into more detail (25 minutes)
• Full-length audio commentary by film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini
• Original theatrical trailer
• 157-page continuity and dialogue script and the 17-page musical cue sheet (both in pdf format)
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• 24-page booklet with a new essay by Woody Haut, and rare production stills
Often described as the grimmest of all Hollywood film noirs, Nightmare Alley's reputation as a cult classic reached near-mythical status due to a decades-long dispute between the film's producer (George Jessel) and Fox, which prevented it being screened anywhere or even released on home video. With the conflict now resolved, Nightmare Alley can finally be re-discovered in this stunning new transfer as one of the most darkly sophisticated noirs of the period.
Tyrone Power, cast against type — at his own insistence — gives the performance of his lifetime as handsome scumbag / carnival barker / con-man Stanton Carlisle. He seduces fellow sideshow artiste Mademoiselle Zeena (Joan Blondell) to learn the secret of the once-lucrative mind-reading act she performed with her alcoholic husband (Ian Keith). Carlisle, a "born mentalist", secures the secret method and sets off with his new carnie wife, Molly (Coleen Grey) to milk the bigtime as a spiritualist in Chicago. As Carlisle's success grows, it's only a matter of time before his greed — and twisted involvement with femme fatale psychoanalyst Lilith Ritter (Helen Walker) — bring his world crashing down around him.
Based on William Lindsay Gresham's book of the same name, scripted by the formidable Jules Furthman (Shanghai Express, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo) and reflecting the preoccupations of its drug and alcohol-abusing, orgy-frequenting director Edmund Goulding, Nightmare Alley uncovers both the dirt and romance of carnival life, and controversially — for those in the business — the tricks and scams of conmen and hustlers. After this picaresque and cathartic film, you will never again misuse the word "geek". The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Nightmare Alley for the first time on home video in the UK.
SPECIAL FEATURES
• Newly restored high definition transfer
• Woody Haut introduces Nightmare Alley – a 10-minute video introduction to the film by celebrated noir historian and author Woody Haut
• Woody Haut on Nightmare Alley – Woody goes into more detail (25 minutes)
• Full-length audio commentary by film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini
• Original theatrical trailer
• 157-page continuity and dialogue script and the 17-page musical cue sheet (both in pdf format)
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• 24-page booklet with a new essay by Woody Haut, and rare production stills
- What A Disgrace
- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 10:34 pm
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- ben d banana
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:53 pm
- Location: Oh Where, Oh Where?
- What A Disgrace
- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 10:34 pm
- Contact:
- What A Disgrace
- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 10:34 pm
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- antnield
- Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:59 pm
- Location: Cheltenham, England
News on the release - and screen caps - at DVD Times:
http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=59147
http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=59147
- Caligula
- Carthago delenda est
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:32 am
- Location: George, South Africa
So, to summarise, the following are new to this release:
1. Woody Haut introduces Nightmare Alley - a 10-minute video introduction to the film by celebrated noir historian and author Woody Haut;
2. Woody Haut on Nightmare Alley - Woody goes into more detail (25 minutes);
3. 157-page continuity and dialogue script and the 17-page musical cue sheet (both in pdf format); and
4. 32-page booklet with a new essay by Woody Haut, and rare production stills.
I can't wait.
1. Woody Haut introduces Nightmare Alley - a 10-minute video introduction to the film by celebrated noir historian and author Woody Haut;
2. Woody Haut on Nightmare Alley - Woody goes into more detail (25 minutes);
3. 157-page continuity and dialogue script and the 17-page musical cue sheet (both in pdf format); and
4. 32-page booklet with a new essay by Woody Haut, and rare production stills.
I can't wait.
- zedz
- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm
- Arn777
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:10 am
- Location: London
A great film and overall great package (I love the booklet and rare stills), but to nitpick the Woody Haut interviews made me a little 'nauseous', not the best background and the microphone must have been too close (I kept focusing on the sound of his tongue, eek). These were shot by Mark Rance, I guess it is not the same Mark Rance as the producer of a number of Criterion LDs and early dvds and high profile Hollywood dvds (?). Apart from that great job in improving the Fox dvd.
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- Joined: Sun May 27, 2007 4:44 pm
- Contact:
Re: 19 Nightmare Alley
A wonderful DVD of a great film noir.
Peerpee, can you tell me the name of the font used in the subtitles? I really like it.
Peerpee, can you tell me the name of the font used in the subtitles? I really like it.
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
Re: 19 Nightmare Alley
I'm afraid I'm not sure exactly, it's over 4 years ago.
- manicsounds
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:58 pm
- Location: Tokyo, Japan
Re: 19 Nightmare Alley
So what exactly happened with this film that it went "unseen" for so long? Haven't listened to the commentary yet (But will do tomorrow). Places like wikipedia and imdb have nothing under trivia about it, and if it was mentioned in the booklet, I only have the Fox R1 and mine happened to not come with a booklet.
- repeat
- Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:04 am
- Location: high in the Custerdome
Re: 19 Nightmare Alley
Is there any chance of a Michael-style limited reissue of this, or have the rights lapsed? Also, does anyone know if the French release (Sidonis) differs from the Fox R1 in image or sound quality? It was put out in 2010 and it says "restored image and sound" on the cover, but I wonder.
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- Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:10 am
Re: 19 Nightmare Alley
Odeon Entertainment just released this in the UK.repeat wrote:Is there any chance of a Michael-style limited reissue of this, or have the rights lapsed? Also, does anyone know if the French release (Sidonis) differs from the Fox R1 in image or sound quality? It was put out in 2010 and it says "restored image and sound" on the cover, but I wonder.
- repeat
- Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:04 am
- Location: high in the Custerdome
Re: 19 Nightmare Alley
Complete with PAL speedup, judging by the runtimeaewb wrote:Odeon Entertainment just released this in the UK.
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- Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:24 pm
Re: 19 Nightmare Alley
The Eureka DVD looked very good indeed and it's a terrific carny movie, probably Tyrone's best.