This Is the Movie That Quentin Tarantino Called “As Good as Studio Filmmaking Ever Gets”

Quentin Tarantino has once praised the 1947 film Nightmare Alley, calling it one of the best examples of studio filmmaking ever.

In his book Cinema Speculation, Tarantino shared his admiration for the film and highlighted the performances and writing.

“While Nightmare Alley is also rightly considered a classic, I still think it’s underrated,” he wrote. “To me, Nightmare Alley is as good as studio filmmaking ever gets. Tyrone Power (who I’ve never been fond of) is f**** sensational in the movie. And the script adaptation by Jules Furthman (one of my handful of nominees for greatest Hollywood screenwriter of all time) is excellent.”

Tarantino also noted that, despite being a 20th Century Fox production, Nightmare Alley has a style that feels like Italian neorealism, which was unusual for Hollywood in the 1940s. At that time, most major studios focused on straightforward genre films rather than exploring new creative approaches.

The movie was directed by Edmund Goulding and is based on William Lindsay Gresham’s 1946 novel. Tyrone Power stars as “The Great Stanton,” a cunning carnival barker, with Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, and Helen Walker in supporting roles.

Power requested the studio purchase the rights to the novel because he wanted to take on more challenging and darker roles beyond the romantic and adventure films he was known for.

Nightmare Alley premiered in the United States on October 9, 1947, and received a wide release later that month.

The film also saw six European releases between 1947 and 1954. Despite having top stars, a skilled production team, and a relatively large budget, the film was not a commercial success at the time but has grown in reputation over the years and is now regarded as a classic.

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