I’m happy to participate in The Wonderful World of Cinema‘s Ingrid Bergman Blogathon! Many people have seen Casablanca at some point, but not as many have seen Gaslight.
Background
Gaslight is a unique mystery/drama that takes you along for a psychological ride. Paula {Ingrid Bergman} is sent to Italy to study opera singing after her aunt’s murder. Once there, she falls in love with and marries charming piano player, Gregory.
They return to her aunt’s home where strange things begin happening. Paula hears strange noises and the lights dim. The only way this happens is if a gaslight is lit in another area of the home, but Paula is the only one who witnesses these things. The servants and her husband insist she’s imagining things.
She begins to think she’s going crazy. Her husband is highly skilled in manipulating her. He convinces her that she is losing objects and then, eventually, her mind.
All the while, he has an ulterior motive for manipulating her. He wants some jewels that her famous aunt left behind. He is obsessed with them and will stop at nothing to find them, including murdering her and then marrying her niece.
Research
To improve her performance, Ingrid took some time for research. She spent time in a mental institution, studying a woman having a nervous breakdown, to bring additional believably to her role.
This entire confrontation scene is truly Ingrid at her best. Her delivery is awesome and you root for her as she basically tells him off.
“Yes, that’s it.”
[throws the knife away]
“I am mad. I’m always losing things and hiding things and I can never find them, I don’t know where I’ve put them. That was a knife, wasn’t it? And I have lost it…I must look for it, mustn’t I? If I don’t find it, you’ll put me in the madhouse. Where could it be now?”
Angela Lansbury’s Debut
This is the first movie that Angela Lansbury ever appeared in. She was just 19 at the time. I think she does a great job as the somewhat slutty Nancy. Her character is mysterious. You never quite figure out what her angle is. Does she want the husband? Is she helping him convince his wife that she’s going crazy? Is she just super judgmental? It’s hard to tell!
Coined its own Phrase
The play this movie is based on also brought about the term “gaslighting.” It means to manipulate someone into questioning their own sanity. This is exactly what Gregory does to her.
Why You Should Watch it:
This is a great thriller. It reels you in at the start when you see Paula leaving the home where her aunt was murdered. You are immediately invested in what happens to her. The mystery builds as you don’t know who to believe or what has happened, just like her.
It shows Ingrid in one of her best and earned her an Academy Award. Make sure to check it out!
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Buy Gaslight!
Amazon Video
Great review of and it’s definitely a must-see film! I agree with what you wrote about Angela Lansbury’s character. I think that’s why it makes it so great (the character and the performance)! Thank you so much for your contribution to my blogathon! 🙂
Beautifully directed by George Cukor, MGM spared no expense on the gorgeous costumes and set design. We’re placed into that world with Paula and you are so right that we can’t help but root for her and long to see her tormentor vanquished.
Hi, I loved your post and definitely one to watch. This sounds like a great cast too and its interesting that Ingrid did some research into her role in a mental health hospital. If only more actors and actresses did that. I reviewed a great kid’s film, check it out if you get a chance.
Oh yeah, this film is one of the best. That scene where Bergman finally “has it out” with Boyer, in the attic, is one of my fave movie scenes, ever.
Angela Lansbury is absolutely perfect here, isn’t she? Hard to believe it was her first film.
Gaslight was a surprise for me because I didn’t expect to love it so much. I had heard reviews, and this is one of them that lives up to the raves!!! Every performance is amazing, and while I already knew Ingrid as an actress, I didnt really know Joseph Cotten- and this introduced me to him!
Great review, and I agree–Gaslight is a gem. It creeped me out, quite honestly, but the performances are so, so good.