Le Charlatan

Comparing the two adaptations of Nightmare Alley is fascinating. While the modern version is enveloped in the style of opulent art deco and is gritty and mystical even for today's standards, the 1940s version is seemingly identical, yet laced with the Hays Codex without any significant stylistic elements. We never see the dreaded monster, major twists are dispensed with even without the murders, the relationships between the characters are different, and we get to see that juggling act more often. Starring Fox star Tyrone Power, who exceptionally played the villain, as Zeena the already slightly fading girl Joan Blondell, while the rest of the ensemble is routine. (10/04/2022)

The Chicago half is a fantastic film-noir. It is, however, prefaced by a long merry-go-round prologue that doesn't make much sense; or rather, it does, but it’s nothing that couldn’t fit in fifteen minutes. On the other hand, it is framed by a tongue-in-cheek epilogue of "who screws who". It feels like two completely separate hour-long films in one. One solid with lessons from the mundane, the other a classic and damn good noir, but it just doesn't really hold together as a cohesive whole. What brings it together, after all, is Power's mesmerizing performance. (01/01/2022)