Gaslight

Starring: Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotton, May Whitty, Angela Lansbury, Edmund Breon
Directed by: George Cukor
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Film Noir
1944

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Years after her aunt was murdered in her home, a woman (Ingrid Bergman) moves into the house with her new husband (Charles Boyer) but soon finds herself contemplating whether she's losing her mind.

Review:

Tim: I watched this movie because I randomly came across the term "gaslighting" and I didn't quite know the meaning and was even more perplexed by the source of the term. After a little internet research, I discovered this 1944 film. So, doing what I do, I sat down and watched the movie. I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this dark, psychological thriller. This is an excellent film noir and a movie that stays with you long after the credits roll.

The whole idea of gaslighting someone is disturbing. To psychologically manipulate someone in subtle ways, to nudge them closer to losing their mind, to make them think that they are ill- it's an awful concept. You need proximity and trust to gaslight someone, so only those close to the victim can achieve it. That's not right. This movie portrays all that in gritty fashion. This is a dark, uncomfortable look at what can be the outcome of such a villainous move.

Ingrid Bergman is fantastic in this film. I've always been a big fan of her, and this movie further cements what an incredible actress she is. She starts out young, full of hope and life. And, as the movie progresses, she gets sicker and sicker, more and more disturbed, and eventually, becomes unhinged. It's a remarkable descent into madness and Bergman shows us this as she struggled emotionally, physically, and most of all, mentally. Bergman is excellent at displaying the vulnerable side of her character, but also conveying her humanity so that you learn to care about her during her plight. Bergman won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her mesmerizing performance here. It was her first (of three, which is amazing) and it's an indelible performance.

Charles Boyer is quite strong as well as the one doing the gaslighting. His performance required subtlety and he delivered that. He's charismatic and caring, yet there's the dark underside to everything he does. One of the highest compliments you can give him is that his performance is believable- you could see how he would be able to negatively influence his wife in subtle ways that cause her to think the problem is with herself, not him. Lots of people do things like this (and screw all of them), and Boyer brings them to life. You can see how someone could pull this off but feigning love and caring. Joseph Cotton added a strong supporting performance as well. He doesn't get a ton of screen time, but his role is memorable. I also loved seeing a young Angela Lansbury here. She was entertaining in her role (and I didn't even recognize her until the end of the film). As a whole, the cast of this film is top notch.

I find it fascinating that a film like this spawned a term that is still used 70 years later. You understand why that might happen- Gaslight is a great movie- a deeply disturbing, realistic look at psychological manipulation. The story is stark and the events of the film are memorable. George Cukor directs a tightly-wound, fascinating movie. I loved watching this film and I thought about it a great deal after finishing it. In addition to its Best Actress win, it also won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White. Two Oscars for this great movie, and they're both well-deserved.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Rebecca, Notorious, Spellbound