Guillermo del Toro‘s new movie Nightmare Alley is now available in theaters, offering up a dark Christmas noir just in time for the holidays (our review). If del Toro’s vibrant, colorful take on William Lindsay Gresham’s novel isn’t noir enough for you, a new version is on the way.
Searchlight Pictures will give a limited theatrical release to a black and white version, dubbed “Nightmare Alley: Vision in Darkness and Light,” in January 2022.
Per Variety, “The venues that will show the black-and-white Nightmare Alley include The New Beverly Cinema on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16, AMC The Grove from Jan. 14 through Jan. 20, The Landmark from Jan. 14 through Jan. 20 and The Los Feliz Theater, American Cinematheque, from Jan. 21 through Jan. 23.”
“Although we shot ‘Nightmare Alley’ in color, we lit it as if it were black and white,” said del Toro. “You can see exactly the same level of design, and we wanted to give viewers this special vantage as a take of the classic noir genre that the film is part of.”
Director of photography Dan Laustsen explained,“When we designed and shot, we were always thinking color and black and white,” he said. “The classic lighting I have used is an homage to all the incredible masters of cinematography who have inspired me.”
Bradley Cooper stars as an ambitious young carny with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words. He hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) even more dangerous than he is. The insane cast also includes Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, and David Strathairn.
Nightmare Alley