Gaslight

Year of release : 1944

Run time : 1h54min

Genre : Psychological Thriller / Noir

Cast : Ingrid Bergman, Angela Lansbury

The movie is a remake of the 1940 British one,based on the 1938 play of the same name,although it only keeps the idea,and the scene in which the husband is berating Paula ,hitting on the maid in front of her,his obsession with the jewels and the last one with the knife. Even the names have been changed,and their occupation,and they added a new character,the nosy neighbor .

 

Paula is an opera singer. Lately she can't focus,as she's in love. She tells her teacher he might never see her again,as she wants to get married.

Paula marries Gregory Anton,who wants to move in with her,in the London house she lived with her aunt,until 9 years ago,when her aunt,a famous opera singer,was murdered. Ever since,Paula is afraid of the house,as her aunt was k1lled inside,and refuses to see it. She changes her mind for Gregory.

Because of her fear of the past, they take certain things and lock them in the attic, blocking the door.

After she finds a letter addressed to somebody else,her husband starts to tell her she forgets things,and doesn't allow her to leave the house,refusing to go out when invited anywhere,blaming it on Paula's condition,excusing themselves citing Paula's mental state.

A detective recognizes Paula,and gets interested in the case,as he thinks there's something fishy going on with her husband.

I personally loved the way houses looked back then(like the Lake Como hotel with the staircase going into the water),they were made with such style,everything was so beautiful,everything was ornate,even the ceilings. This movie has incredible furniture and objects with such details,from the lamps to the chandeliers and the street lamps. I liked people's clothing too, some of them had such beautiful details(even the men's).

Now,about the rest.. I didn't like the soundtrack.

 

The acting was so an so,as at times I thought Ingrid Bergman was too much,exaggerating with the acting and screaming.

The movie or maybe the characters, are silly, take Paula, for example, who never stops to wonder how come the light dims and she hears footsteps and voices only when her husband goes out, and she never asks the maid who can hear ,to help her with anything,the idea being to get her in her room,when she hears all these noises,to find out if it's all in her head.

Also, one maid is deaf,but when Paula screams at her from the second floor,while she is downstairs in the kitchen or whatever,she can hear her! They make a point of her not being able to hear when they are next to her,but then she magically hears when they scream at her from far away!

The movie received positive reviews, and 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, winning Best Actress for Ingrid Bergman (her performance being considered one of the greatest of all time,while I thought she was the worst in the movie!), and Best Production Design. Bergman also won a Golden Globe .

 

The movie was selected for preservation in the USA National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

After the success of the British Gaslight movie, Metro Goldwyn Mayer bought the rights to the remake, with a clause insisting that the original and all existing prints,including the negative, be destroyed!! (so disgusting!)

The movie grossed 4.6 million dollars against a budget of 2 million.

The movie is for rent / sale on Amazon, AppleTv, Fandango at Home.

Rating : Worth a watch !