Since I am the curious type who happens to work as an Extra in Toronto’s Hollywood North, I thought I would do an online search of Nightmare Alley. I was pleasantly surprised. Not only is it a remake of a black and white movie from 1947, that version was based on a book published in 1946.
The author, William Lindsay Gresham, said that he got the idea for Nightmare Alley from conversations he had with a former carnival worker while they were both volunteering with the Loyalist Forces in the Spanish Civil War. And from what I understand, outside of the movie having a bit of a different ending then the book, it was a direct adaptation. Which of course only has me wondering what this version of Nightmare Alley is going to be like. So far it seems as though Guillermo del Toro’s remake will be in colour and closely related to the original black and white film.
Since I watch a lot of movies, I decided to watch the original Nightmare Alley online late last year. It was free and I really liked it. This is why. It is layered, deep. It portrays the consequences of how bad decisions ripple through our lives and how they effect the human condition. Nightmare Alley is about how betrayal can lead to loyalty, how love as much as we would like, does not conquer all, how even the best con-man can be conned and how a fascination can lead to failure almost like a self-fulling prophecy.
Although I strongly believe that I meet the wardrobe requirements for the remake, I am not willing to cut or trim my hair. I am hoping that Background Casting runs out of new faces and are willing to either curl my hair or give me a wig so I can be booked. Then again, we will have to see if I am available. I hope I am as I would have loved to apply for the exterior for February 18th but couldn’t. I try to stack, or book as many appointments in one day and that was the day.
I will definitely watch Guillermo del Toro’s remake of Nightmare Alley which everyone is hoping will be ready by the end of this year. I am still undecided as to if I will read William Lindsay Gresham’s Nightmare Alley. Right now, I have about 7 books waiting to be read.
Here is a link to the original film of Nightmare Alley from 1947. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Please understand that it is out of my control how long links work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zW1uWX5ShE
Here is my latest blog post from Behind The Blog. It is called, Would You Be an Extra for TV Shows and Movies?
Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant! ;D
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