Director: George Cukor
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Top Billed Actors: Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten
Won 2 Oscars:
Best Actress - Ingrid Bergman
Best Art Direction, Black-and-White - Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and William Ferrari; Interior Decoration: Paul Huldschinsky and Edwin B. Willis
Nominated for 5 more:
Best Motion Picture - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Best Actor - Charles Boyer
Best Supporting Actress - Angela Lansbury
Best Screenplay - John L. Balderston, Walter Reisch, and John Van Druten
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White - Joseph Ruttenberg
Plot: The "don't trust your husband" series continues as one of them gaslights his wife. A Scotland Yard man notices and jumps on the case.
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Top Billed Actors: Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten
Won 2 Oscars:
Best Actress - Ingrid Bergman
Best Art Direction, Black-and-White - Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and William Ferrari; Interior Decoration: Paul Huldschinsky and Edwin B. Willis
Nominated for 5 more:
Best Motion Picture - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Best Actor - Charles Boyer
Best Supporting Actress - Angela Lansbury
Best Screenplay - John L. Balderston, Walter Reisch, and John Van Druten
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White - Joseph Ruttenberg
Plot: The "don't trust your husband" series continues as one of them gaslights his wife. A Scotland Yard man notices and jumps on the case.
Not to be confused with the similarly-themed Alfred Hitchcock movies of the time, George Cukor's Gaslight (1944) is a psychological thriller that brought even more prominence to stars Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer while introducing the world to Dame Angela Lansbury. This American version can be classified as a remake as there was a 1940 British version based on the 1938 stage play. In a bit of a "gaslighting" campaign, M-G-M attempted to destroy all prints of that version as this was being released. And that comes to that term - "gaslighting." It has entered the colloquial in recent times and it was always a source of confusion to me, partly because it was being misused as well. But after watching the film this term is based upon, the confusion ceases as Boyer systematically causes Bergman to doubt her suspicions and is driven to madness. Bergman would be rewarded for her efforts as she won her first of three Oscars in her second year in a row of being nominated. She was the first actress to win the category against actress who had all been nominated before. The win was considered a mild upset over Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity (1944) but that comparison can be discussed in the next entry in this Project. Another fun bit of trivia is that Dame May Whitty was the first actress with the Dame title (she received the title in 1918 from King George V) and seventy years later, Dame Angela Lansbury would receive the same honor from Queen Elizabeth II. Lansbury was only seventeen going on eighteen in this, her theatrical film debut. Also, the film was entered into the National Film Registry in 2019.
Although it follows in a line of "don't trust your husband" films like Hitchock's Rebecca (1940) and Suspicion (1941), this story doesn't conceal Boyer's attempts at deceiving his wife. The audience is in on the gaslighting so it becomes more apparent that Bergman's descent is due to the actions of somebody else. Even though there is an overall lack of suspense when compared to those Hitchcock pictures, Bergman's performance is more than enough substance to make this work. She never goes over-the-top with her reactions and when she does have an outburst, it's really felt. I can't point to one scene in particular that earned her the Oscar but the overall performance of her character slowly getting more and more helpless and questioning her reality did the trick. I also have to commend Boyer as well, who I normally see in a more straightforward romantic role. It took some time to get accustomed to him portraying a villain, but he pulls it off as his deceptions not only trick Bergman, but the audience as well. This picture also won the Art Direction Oscar and it's easy to see why. The actual gas lights, which play a pivotal role in the plot, were real and give the set a unique look. The bric a brac design of the house also aides in portraying Bergman's clustered headspace as well as the foggy town square which also lends an eeriness to the film. The noir cinematography utilizes the darker theme in both the narrative and this set design and it's such a gorgeous film to look at as well.
The only reservation I have about the story is that the motivation of Boyer's character is a bit underwhelming. I kept questioning why someone would go to the lengths of gaslighting their wife and when it is revealed, I had to suspend my disbelief a bit (on my own accord though!). He totally shot himself in the foot too by searching the house before he could get his wife committed to an asylum or just sending her away for her mental health. For expertly crafting a scheme to drive another person insane, Boyer's character isn't too bright. Joseph Cotten is also a bit bland in these proceedings as he plays the straight-laced Scotland Yard detective in which there is never any doubt that he would get the job done.
Overall, Bergman's portrayal of a woman slowly descending into madness set against a clustered set design complete with period gasoliers makes this a worthy inspiration of a colloquial term. Being in on the deception adds a fresh perspective to these psychological mystery stories, but Boyer's character should have done a better job executing his grand scheme.
My Score: 8/10
Although it follows in a line of "don't trust your husband" films like Hitchock's Rebecca (1940) and Suspicion (1941), this story doesn't conceal Boyer's attempts at deceiving his wife. The audience is in on the gaslighting so it becomes more apparent that Bergman's descent is due to the actions of somebody else. Even though there is an overall lack of suspense when compared to those Hitchcock pictures, Bergman's performance is more than enough substance to make this work. She never goes over-the-top with her reactions and when she does have an outburst, it's really felt. I can't point to one scene in particular that earned her the Oscar but the overall performance of her character slowly getting more and more helpless and questioning her reality did the trick. I also have to commend Boyer as well, who I normally see in a more straightforward romantic role. It took some time to get accustomed to him portraying a villain, but he pulls it off as his deceptions not only trick Bergman, but the audience as well. This picture also won the Art Direction Oscar and it's easy to see why. The actual gas lights, which play a pivotal role in the plot, were real and give the set a unique look. The bric a brac design of the house also aides in portraying Bergman's clustered headspace as well as the foggy town square which also lends an eeriness to the film. The noir cinematography utilizes the darker theme in both the narrative and this set design and it's such a gorgeous film to look at as well.
The only reservation I have about the story is that the motivation of Boyer's character is a bit underwhelming. I kept questioning why someone would go to the lengths of gaslighting their wife and when it is revealed, I had to suspend my disbelief a bit (on my own accord though!). He totally shot himself in the foot too by searching the house before he could get his wife committed to an asylum or just sending her away for her mental health. For expertly crafting a scheme to drive another person insane, Boyer's character isn't too bright. Joseph Cotten is also a bit bland in these proceedings as he plays the straight-laced Scotland Yard detective in which there is never any doubt that he would get the job done.
Overall, Bergman's portrayal of a woman slowly descending into madness set against a clustered set design complete with period gasoliers makes this a worthy inspiration of a colloquial term. Being in on the deception adds a fresh perspective to these psychological mystery stories, but Boyer's character should have done a better job executing his grand scheme.
My Score: 8/10