Carnival Noir
While not exactly a subgenre, carnival noir refers to films that explore the dark side of the fun zone. This could be within one scene of the movie, or as the whole backdrop. Why are carnivals and film noir such a great fit? First, they are generally happy places where people are having loads of fun. What better place to act as an ironic contrast to the underlying themes of film noir? The dark side of man's psyche can easily run amuck in the carnival atmosphere. Behind the scenes can be a breeding ground for seedy elements. Funhouses, carousels, shooting galleries, roller coasters and especially the sideshows of carnivals or amusement parks are the perfect settings for pent up emotions unleashed. Bright lights, dark shadows, maniacal laughter and screams are prevalent at the best and worst carnivals. Ferris wheels may go too fast, side shows may be slightly "off", and more than a few of the employees may look like they just escaped from...well, somewhere. The following movies contain examples of carnival noir: Ace in the Hole Deadly Is The Female, a.k.a. Gun Crazy Nightmare Alley The Lady from Shanghai Moonrise And, while the following aren't strictly classic noir, they certainly have dark elements which may make them appealing to carnival noir lovers: Dante's Inferno, (1931). More of a drama than a noir, but starts with a desperate Depression-era man (Spencer Tracy) who goes from being a black-face performer to working in a carnival attraction which is a ride through a paper mache' hell. Night Tide The Wagons Roll At Night, (1941). Humphrey Bogart as the carnival barker and Eddie Albert as the grocery clerk-cum-lion tamer. Sparks fly as the lion tamer falls for the barker's purer-than- thou sister.
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, a.k.a. The Big Carnival, (1951). A man is trapped in a cave-in out in the desert. Folks from miles around camp out for days to see if he'll be rescued or die. Meanwhile, they can enjoy a carnival that has been set up for them to help pass the time (and to make a few bucks).
, (1950).
A man goes to a carnival and falls for a female sharpshooter in a sideshow there.
, (1951). Classic Hitchcock, with a killer disintegrating carousel scene.
, (1947). One handsome con artist's rise to the top (as a phony spiritualist) and subsequent fall to the lower depths via the travelling carnival.
, (1948). This contains one of Orson Welles' most famous scenes: who could forget the Hall Of Mirrors shoot-out once they've seen it?
, (1948). There's a scene at the carnival, where Danny (Dane Clark) is on the ferris wheel with girlfriend Gilly (Gail Russell) and he frantically yells that he needs to get off because the guy in the bucket behind him is "chasing" him.
, (1961). More of a mild horror than a noir, this has to be mentioned because of it's spookiness and the erotic obsession of a young, innocent sailor (Dennis Hopper) for a woman who is also the mermaid in a carnival sideshow.
