The charlatan
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The charlatan |
| Original title | Nightmare Alley |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1947 |
| length | 110 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Edmund Goulding |
| script | Jules Furthman |
| production | George Jessel |
| music | Cyril J. Mockridge |
| camera | Lee Garmes |
| cut | Barbara McLean |
| occupation | |
| |
The Charlatan is a 1947 American drama film based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham. The world premiere took place on October 9, 1947. The film first appeared in Germany on February 19, 1954.
action
Mademoiselle Zeena appears as a show attraction at a fair and feigns extraordinary mental powers. She works with her alcoholic husband, Pete. The gig was once highly regarded, but Zeena's misconduct drove Pete into alcohol. Now Zeena appears in third rate shows.
Zeena has developed a code with which she can specify her mental powers. Stanton Carlisle joins the show and learns that Zeena was offered a lot of money for this code. So far, however, Zeena has always refused to sell her secret. Stanton's attempt to get the code through flirtation fails because of Zeena's loyalty to her husband. But Pete dies due to Stanton's fault: Instead of black liquor, Stanton accidentally gave him a bottle of methanol to drink. In order to keep the gig alive, Zeena now has to train Stanton so that he can work as an assistant from now on.
Stanton made friends with the younger Molly. When their relationship is revealed, the two are forced to marry by the other employees. He and Molly leave the fair, Stanton now appears successfully as "The Great Stanton" in expensive Chicago nightclubs. When he met the psychologist Lilith Ritter, he convinced her to provide him with information about her patients. So Stanton can pretend to be able to communicate with the dead. Everything goes well until he comes across the skeptical Ezra Grindle. Molly can't bring herself to act as Grindle's dead childhood friend. The dizziness is exposed and the couple have to hurry out of town. Since Lilith Ritter has cheated on him out of his share of the money they have stolen together, both are left with nothing. Stanton sends Molly back to the fair while he seeks solace in alcohol.
The former star turns into a homeless alcoholic. Finally he tries to find another place to stay at a fair. But the only job he gets is that of the “geek”, a “wild man” who bites off the heads of live chickens in the sideline. Stanton cannot stand this humiliating situation and goes into a frenzy. Fortunately, Molly has found work at the fair and can reassure her husband. Both now hope for a better future.
criticism
The lexicon of international films describes the film as "an interesting drama that treats superstition and its exploitation with critical cynicism". Variety found the film rough and brutal. It is told with caustic clarity. The New York Times saw the film, like the book, abundantly in moments of shock and revulsion. Tyrone Power shines through its versatility and persuasiveness.
Gary Giddins of the New York Sun thought the film wasn't as compelling, compelling, or original as the novel. But he has his own undeniable virtues: the shadow play of the black and white camera, the hidden symphonic dissonances of the film music, the plausibility of the presentation of the fair life, the skillful discretion in the description of the inexpressible and as a masterpiece the unusual cast. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle rated The Charlatan as "a strange and sick film made by highly talented people".
Web links
- The Charlatan in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The charlatan. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Critique of Variety ( Memento of the original from November 12, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ Review of the New York Times (English)
- ↑ Critique of the New York Sun (English)
- ↑ Critique of the San Francisco Chronicle (English)
