Guillermo del Toro is not someone who likes to sit idly by… He continued to take on many projects as a producer and screenwriter during the past time, and new works continue to come after him. Nightmare Alley was released as the last film to which he contributed as a director and screenwriter.
So what is trying to tell in this movie? Is a nostalgia sale the main focus? Is that glamorous and noir atmosphere of the 1940s being marketed to us, or are we being pulled into a strange freakshow center and pulled in a direction that people can’t imagine? Actually, neither. It is as if the need to believe, the abuse of trust and its execution on individual and mass scales are at the deepest of the story layers that attract our attention at first.
Of course, other audiences may make different inferences, but when you compare the transformation of the Stanton character, played by Bradley Cooper, and the things that are told in the background, you can think that it is an irresistible urge to rise by directing other people. This has a very important place in your private life and professional choices, as well as in your political preferences. And often you won’t even know what’s happening to you until you get knotted with an unpleasant aftermath. Some people can’t understand afterwards, but everyone’s tragedy is of course to themselves.
Screenplay, Acting, Cinematography and Editing
Director: Del Toro is involved with almost all of her creative capital, and most of her choices for this piece are just right. The way he told the story, the techniques he used, the way he benefited from the actors… He presented everything to us, the audience, with an almost perfect understanding and dedication. Although I am not at peace with the works he once produced, it is one of Del Toro’s most passionate works, which I have no doubt about his love for cinema. Even if it interrupts the narration sometimes, this passion does not go to waste.
Screenplay: There is a story that has been meticulously studied from what it wants to tell to the period and places it chooses. The depth of the characters and the roles they play are also extraordinarily important. Although not much innocence is bestowed, there is a flow where they all differ and complement each other in harmony, and this is very satisfying.
We can skip the unnecessary and almost ineffective or exaggerated emphasis on some of the side stories, but in general we have a compelling narrative with a compelling, almost dark tale that appeals to its course. Coming to the end of the movie. I loved the finale. But I’m not sure if I liked it because it was really beautiful or because I guessed it. But although it was a surprise, they hid clues in various parts of the movie.
Acting: I think 2021 is Bradley Cooper’s year. He first played an important role in Licroice Pizza, and when that wasn’t enough, he became a giant in Nightmare Alley. Perhaps one of the best performances of his career. She portrayed the character development of a junkie escaping from her past very well. Ron Pearlman is fine, Willem Dafoe is irritating. Rooney Mara could not perform a performance that deserves its stamp, but this is a bit about the director’s preferences.
Cinematography / Other: Shots are really clear. Details have been worked out. Roads, environmental design, buildings… Even the interior designs are very tasteful and adorned with elements that are in harmony with the mood of the moment. I especially admired the use of the camera because it goes beyond telling the moment and does not make the viewer forget that there is a life lived around. The narrative elements that are faithful to the period make an important contribution to the watchability of the film.
Editing: Frankly, when I saw the 2.5-hour duration of the movie, I was a little scared at first, don’t lie. But it is presented in such a way that everything is neither boring nor tiring. For example, in the last Bond movie, the last hour did not pass because neither the action was satisfying, nor the bad guy and the events that happened meant anything.
But Nightmare Alley is quite qualified in this respect. But some of the side stories seem to be overemphasized. After all, talented artists have worked hard on this film, there seems to be almost no gap, but they could have kept it a little simpler. While almost 2/3 of the movie goes with a standard tempo, there is not much inconsistency here, although there is a bit of gear going up towards the end.
Final Word: A film full of art that focuses on the consequences of trusting people or wanting to be believed unconditionally.
All about Nightmare Alley movie.
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, Rooney Mara, Holt McCallany, Tim Blake Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairn
Screenplay by: Guillermo del Toro, Kim Morgan
Production Design by: Tamara Deverell
Cinematography by: Dan Laustsen
Film Editing by: Cam McLauchlin
Costume Design by: Luis Sequeira
Set Decoration by: Shane Vieau
Art Direction by: Brandt Gordon
Music by: Alexandre Desplat
MPAA Rating: R for strong/bloody violence, some sexual content, nudity and language.
Distributed by: Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: December 3, 2021
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