"Gaslight" is a remake of the 1940 mystery and suspense thriller. It is an interesting film, with a strong cast and competent direction.
"Gaslight" stars Ingrid Bergman as an impressionable young woman, newlywed to cunning Charles Boyer. Oddly, Boyer takes no physical interest in Bergman, instead preferring to psychologically torment her. He tells her she is losing her mind, and trains the servants to play along with his game. Bergman becomes a virtual prisoner in her house, isolated and frightened. It doesn't help that Bergman once lived in the house as a child, and that the house was once the site of a brutal murder.
The irony is that it is Boyer's character who is
mentally disturbed. His performance is sometimes
sinister, sometimes impassioned, and he was
deserving of his Best Actor Oscar nomination.
Bergman won Best Actress, although her character
is much simpler and easier to play. The film was
also nominated for Best Picture, Best Screenplay
(John L. Balderston, Walter Reisch, and John Van
Druten) and Best Black & White Cinematography
(Joseph Ruttenberg).
The audience spends most of the film puzzled. Why
is Boyer doing these terrible things to Bergman?
Also confused is detective Joseph Cotten, who
suspects Boyer in the long-ago unsolved murder.
Angela Lansbury makes her film debut in
"Gaslight". Still a teenager, she plays an
impertinent and flirtatious house servant. She
received a nomination for Best
Supporting Actress.
Why isn't this a great movie? Bergman and Boyer
have characters that aren't completely credible.
Bergman puts up little resistance to Boyer's
pattern of abuse, and Boyer is a monster. If this
film were remade today, there would surely be
physical abuse, something too disagreeable to
1944 censors, but probably necessary to make
Boyer's character more effective. (62/100)
Director George Cukor draws magnificent performances from his stars in this powerfully guided study in obsession. GASLIGHT is a suspenseful atmospheri...More at Family Video
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