Themes: Mind Games, Race Against Time, Mental Breakdown
Main Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Kevin McCarthy, Connie Russell, Virginia Christine, Rhys Williams
Release Year: 1956
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
Plot
Jazz musician Stan Grayson (Kevin McCarthy) wakes up from a dream in which he has killed a man during a struggle in a bizarre mirrored room. However, thumbprints on his neck, a strange key in his pocket, and a haunting, otherworldly musical riff in his head quickly convince him that it was not just a dream. Afraid that he might be a murderer, yet not recalling the events of the nightmare, he confides in his brother-in-law (and New Orleans homicide detective) René Bressard (Edward G. Robinson), who tells him that he's been working too hard and drinking too much. But as Grayson is almost magnetically drawn back to the scene of the apparent crime, Bressard angrily comes to believe that Stan was lying and knew exactly what he had done. Grayson, paralyzed by his guilt, can barely find the strength to try to clear himself. McCarthy portrays a sense of overwhelming panic almost as well as he does in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), and Robinson's tough cop is warmly textured with a sly sense of humor. Nightmare is a far superior remake of director Maxwell Shane's own first adaptation of the Cornell Woolrich story, Fear in the Night (1947). With a larger budget and better cast, Shane creates a shadowy, hypnotic world of seedy urban nightclubs and cheap hotels; even a picnic on the bayou evokes a feeling of dread. Woolrich would have felt right at home. ~ Steve Press, All Movie Guide
Review
Invoking the time-honored noir theme of a man trapped in a bad dream that he can't escape from or figure out, Nightmare is a trippy mystery set to a slick, jazz soundtrack. Among the film's highlights are Gina (Connie Russell's) knockout vocal numbers with Louise Simes (Billy May) leading the band, Edward G. Robinson's performance on the right side of the law for a change, and the dream sequences which are remarkably well crafted. From the beginning of Nightmare, when Stan Grayson Kevin McCarthy awakes in a sweat, to the end, the film is shot through a brown filter, which is meant to create a cloudy, dream-like effect, but is not so attractive visually. But the film has enough twists and turns in its plot, that eventually you forget everything is brown. The sequence where Stan, Rene, Gina and Sue arrive at a mysterious, deserted house, which Stan remembers from his original nightmare, is among the film's most effective. ~ Adam Bregman, All Movie Guide
Gage Clarke - Belknap; Barry Atwater - Warner; Marian Carr - Madge; Billy May - Louie Simes
Credit
F. Paul Sylos - Art Director, Frank Sylos - Art Director, Frank Beetson, Jr. - Costume Designer, Robert H. Justman - First Assistant Director, Maxwell Shane - Director, George A. Gittens - Editor, Herschel Burke Gilbert - Composer (Music Score), Guffroy Gilbert - Songwriter, Doris Houck - Songwriter, Dick Sherman - Songwriter, Norman Pringle - Makeup, Joseph Biroc - Cinematographer, Howard Pine - Producer, William Pine - Producer, William C. Thomas - Producer, Edward Boyle - Set Designer, Howard A. Anderson - Special Effects, Roger Heman - Sound/Sound Designer, Jack Soloman - Sound/Sound Designer, Maxwell Shane - Screenwriter, Cornell Woolrich - Short Story Author
New Orleans big band clarinetist Stan Grayson has a nightmare where he sees himself in a mirrored room killing a man. He wake ups and finds blood on himself, bruises on his neck, and a key from the dream in his hand. He goes to his brother-in-law, police detective Rene Bressard, about the problem but is dismissed. Later, the two men go on a picnic in the country with Grayson's girlfriend and sister. Grayson leads them to an empty house, the house of his dream, when it begins to rain. They are shocked to see that the house has a mirrored room just like in his dream. After it’s found out that a murder did indeed take place, Grayson becomes Bressard's number one suspect. Grayson, stressed out and suicidal, protests his innocence which makes Bressard dig deeper. That leads to them finding out about a hypnotist in Grayson's building that apparently set up the band member for murder.
