on 5/8/2025, 9:45 am
What's special about it? It is reportedly a remastered, extended cut, black & white version of the film that del Toro began laboring over last fall.
The rather skanky history of the film's reception and the not-so-behind-the-scenes arm-twisting that procured it an Oscar nomination for best picture should have been enough to let the film age (possibly gracefully), but it's apparent that impact of the film's commercial failure (minus $20 million worldwide...) has cast a pall on del Toro's career (he hopes to score with audiences toward the end of the year with his version of FRANKENSTEIN, which is not an example of someone developing new and startling material). I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to sense that there is some desperation at work here.
I saw the black & white version that was hastily released in early 2022, just ahead of the arm-twisting phase (capped by Scorsese's intervention in the media); it did not fix the primary issues with the film that many have noted, and (to my eyes at least) disproved del Toro's contention that the film transferred seamlessly from color.
Given that the primary criticism of the film was its pace and length (2:20), the idea of an extended version in black & white does not fill me with hope...but it will be interesting to see how this gets received (read: spinned).
I have a sense that Bitter One might be foregoing the opportunity to see this, as the Sunday night screening is a separate admission (not covered in the all-festival pass) and tickets are set at double the price for the general admission (over $30). No aspersions cast one way or the other... :-)
The original cut of del Toro's NIGHTMARE ALLEY is available for $3.79 at Amazon Prime--I only wish that the same was the case for the 1947 original, which remains one of the greatest of all classic noirs. Perhaps Eddie will see fit to screen in 2027 for its eightieth anniversary.
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