Gaslight (1944)
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Gaslight Movie Review
Gaslight is a 1944 psychological thriller film directed by George Cukor and starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. It is one of the best movies of this year.
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“Are you becoming suspicious as well as absent-minded, Paula?“
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Ten years after her aunt was murdered in their London home, a woman returns from Italy in the 1880s to resume residence with her new husband. His obsessive interest in the home rises from a secret that may require driving his wife insane. George Cukor directed this film, but you would never think that a director best known for writing directing lighter romantic comedies would make something that is very reminiscent of not only noir pictures, but of Hitchcock himself. This is one of those rare films that felt belonging in its entirety to his opus.
And Cukor needs to be congratulated for successfully directing such atypical material for him. He was seriously snubbed by the Academy for his superb work here. Based on a stage play and impeccably transported to the big screen, the screenplay is phenomenal, very sophisticated and accompanied by such an eerie, suspenseful atmosphere and a lot of psychological insight, making it a rare example of a true early psychological thriller.
The performances made this movie an undeniable classic. Ingrid Bergman won her first Oscar for playing the manipulated Paula and she was truly marvelous. Usually cited as one of the worthiest winners in this category, Bergman is as beautiful as ever, but also genuinely believable as this frightened and confused woman who is still not a victim as she gets to have her revenge in the end. The character is wonderfully written and Bergman made her very sympathetic.
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Another standout is Charles Boyer himself. He was also nominated by the Academy and rightfully so. This was the case of a truly brilliant casting decision – employ Boyer who most often played these suave, romantic womanizers and turn that on its head by making him still play a charmer, but one with very sinister motifs and disturbing manipulation tactics. What this man did to this woman was so memorably atrocious that the term “gaslighting” was born due to this movie alone. Boyer was absolutely incredible playing this creepy and calculating husband character and how he delivered his lines with so much menace was impressive.
Gaslight surprisingly has solid supporting roles too. Dame May Whitty gets to shine in a minor role while Joseph Cotten is as likable and as heroic as he always is. But the highlight here has to be Angela Lansbury in what was her first film role in what would turn out to be an extraordinarily sprawling career. She played this Cockney servant with so much effortless humor and charisma.
If there is one thing that bothered me in this otherwise masterful film it is the pacing and the structure. The movie is engaging from start to finish, but there was so much repetitiousness in the same manipulation tactics being employed by the husband to his wife that I wished for more variation on this same scenario.
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With that being said, the final moments were starting in their thrilling nature and the film is truly a classic in this genre. The movie is so delightfully atmospheric due to its extraordinary black-and-white cinematography, impressive production design, beautiful score and great detail in its technical execution. Everything here worked in unison to create this inherently rewatchable and beautifully made mood piece that has stood the test of time gloriously.
A director known for lighter romantic comedies, George Cukor somehow ended up making Gaslight, which is this delightfully atmospheric psychological thriller reminiscent of noirs and the works of Hitchcock. The casting of Charles Boyer in the villainous role was truly inspired while Ingrid Bergman was outstanding in her first Oscar-winning turn and Angela Lansbury impressed in her first ever movie role. Gorgeously shot, scored and produced, Gaslight is really one of the best and most timeless movies of 1944.
My Rating – 4.5
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