It tries a bit too hard, maybe, but it's so solid, so good, lyrical and enthusiastic... The film has a persistently clammy mood, and the slick antihero will be in a world of hell at the end of the show, that's just in the air.

Over-the-top piece of trash about carnivals and psychics. One of the few times real trash has been raised to the level of art--principally because of Furthman's tight screenplay and crackling dialoque and the fine performances of Power and Blondell.

A well-made and engrossing look at the quick rise and slow degradation of a con-man, played expertly by Tyrone Power. At first he's sympathetic in his innocent ambition, and keeps descending through more and more contemptuous levels. The seedy grime of the carnival lends itself well to film noir, and the set design here is particularly dynamic and well-shot.

At first, a Carny love-and-murder tale; then, an attack on modern religion; then, a descent into personal hell. That those three plot elements intersect to create a cohesive whole (with good and unique lighting, characterization and acting) is saying something. The Hollywood cop-out ending almost (thankfully, only almost) ruins it.

Sleazy.

Show-biz gothic at its dark best, with Tyrone Power doing a smashing job at every stage of Carlise's degeneration. The early Carnival scenes are wonderfully realized, and Carlise's nightclub act is one of those rare things in movies: an act that's supposed to be mesmorizing, and really is!

Old Hollywood pulp, mildly interesting but increasingly silly and impossible to take seriously.

Covers a lot more plot development than is typical for the genre, with the story going in new directions every 15-20 minutes or so. The characters are really strong and all the hustling is quite interesting. Very well done.

Aside from some turns in the second half being too abrupt this is a really wonderful noir with a standout performance from Power. The leading ladies all have different arcs and all are well executed, playing wonderful foils to Power's shifting character. It has some really gritty and dark moments but also a lot of just plain fun ones and balances it all well.

Intelligent, different sort of movie that deals with one of the darkest and interesting parts of show business: The old Carnivals.

Why is it that whenever a movie is set at a carnival, it becomes nearly brilliant? "Freaks", "Carnival of Souls", and this. Are there any exceptions?

Tyrone Power is just GREAT.

Everything is just so extremely well done; Tyrone Power, the chiaroscuro lighting, & that solid script in particular. By the time that ending comes along, you're really feeling the filth of this movie and the characters that inhabit it. One of noir's best.

Shockingly similar to ELMER GANTRY, not just in subject matter, but also in quality. A carny learns the secret to a surefire psychic act, and going solo, becomes a big success--but soon begins treading in dangerous waters. Tyrone Power is ideal as the heel who rises fast and falls hard; Joan Blondell is superb as the earthy Zeena; Helen Walker equally so as a calculating psychologist. Jules Furthman's top-notch script tells a truly fascinating story; Edmund Goulding's direction is adequate.

Coleen Gray :)

Before there was _Requiem for a Dream_, there was _Nightmare Alley_. This is about as dark and as twisted as they dared to get in 1947. You can just see the cold, rotting hearts of the characters underneath those swell 40s getups