The black-and-white version of Guillermo Del Toro's latest directorial effort, Nightmare Alley, is set to receive a limited theatrical release next month. Del Toro's Nightmare Alley is the second film adaptation of William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel of the same name. Set in 1940s New York, the story of the film revolves around ambitious con artist Stan Carlisle, as he forms a partnership with dubious psychiatrist Dr. Lilith Ritter, which proves to be increasingly perilous as time goes on. The film features an ensemble cast with Bradley Cooper as Carlisle and Cate Blanchett as Dr. Ritter, and they are joined by Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairn, and Richard Jenkins, in his second collaboration with the Oscar-winning director after 2017's The Shape of Water.
It was announced by Searchlight Pictures (via Variety) that a black-and-white edition of Nightmare Alley is set to release in a select number of theatres across Los Angeles in January 2022. The film also received the official title of "Nightmare Alley: Vision in Darkness and Light" for the re-release. The cinema halls screening the black-and-white version include The Landmark from Jan. 14 through Jan. 20, AMC The Grove from Jan. 14 through Jan. 20, The New Beverly Cinema on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16, and The Los Feliz Theater, American Cinematheque, from Jan. 21 through Jan. 23.
The above-mentioned announcement comes just weeks after Del Toro confirmed the existence of the black-and-white cut of the film and follows the ongoing trend of recent award-circuit films like Mad Max: Fury Road and Parasite getting their black-and-white versions released to a wider audience. Nightmare Alley currently holds a certified fresh rating of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and is expected to be one of the front runners when the nominations for next year's Academy Awards roll out. Fans of the acclaimed filmmaker can catch the regular colored edition of Nightmare Alley in U.S. theatres after debuting theatrically on December 17th.
Source: Variety
