Nathanael West
Writer · Died December 22, 1940, aged 37 · New York City, New York, USA
Nathanael West (born Nathan Weinstein; October 17, 1903 – December 22, 1940) was an American author and screenwriter. He is remembered for two darkly satirical novels: Miss Lonelyhearts (1933) and The Day of the Locust (1939), set respectively in the newspaper and Hollywood film industries. Description above from the Wikipedia article Nathanael West, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 17, 1903
- December 22, 1940 (aged 37)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Writer
- 8 on MovieCove · 16 credits in all
What are Nathanael West's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 7
Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 2
Grounded 5 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 3
Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 4
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 2
Casual 4 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 1
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Nathanael West's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Nathanael West's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
16 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.
American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
The Day of the Locust(1975)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Lonelyhearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
I'll Tell the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Let's Make Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
Men Against the Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
I Stole a Million(1939)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Five Came Back(1939)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Born to Be Wild(1938)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
It Could Happen to You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Rhythm in the Clouds(1937)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
The President's Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Follow Your Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Ticket to Paradise(1936)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Advice to the Forlorn(1933)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 16 titles from 1933 to 1982.
Biggest box office
The Day of the Locust (1975)
Highest rated
Five Came Back (1939)
Most popular right now
Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Nathanael West's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th4
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 8 titles are Mixed.
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the dialogue 60/100 and the plot and story 48/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Nathanael West work with?
People who share at least 2 of Nathanael West's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Wendy Barrie shares the most, 2.
Actors
- Wendy BarrieShared titles: Five Came Back (1939), Ticket to Paradise (1936)See all 2 shared titles with Wendy Barrie
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Harry MarkerShared titles: Stranger on the Third Floor (1940), Five Came Back (1939)See all 2 shared titles with Harry Marker
- Nicholas MusuracaShared titles: Stranger on the Third Floor (1940), Five Came Back (1939)See all 2 shared titles with Nicholas Musuraca
- Roy WebbShared titles: Stranger on the Third Floor (1940), Five Came Back (1939)See all 2 shared titles with Roy Webb
- Alberto ColomboShared titles: Born to Be Wild (1938), Rhythm in the Clouds (1937)See all 2 shared titles with Alberto Colombo