(Edmund Goulding, US 1947, 111 min., 35mm)

The dark and seamy side of carnival life is the subject of one of the grittiest and most menacing films noir. Tyrone Power plays a cynical carny who looks down on all the “hicks” getting swindled along the midway. Soon, he works his way up to a phony mind-reading act that makes him rich—but before long he’s taught a severe lesson in humility. This powerfully memorable film also reminds us of the original meaning of the word “geek.”