Gaslight (1944)

Genre: drama/suspense
Director: George Cukor
Release: 1944
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Rating: -
MBiS score: 8.0/10


Paula’s Trauma, Once Again


When her aunt is murdered, young Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) leaves London to forget her personal tragedy and study classical singing. Nine years later, while in Italy, she meets a dashing pianist named Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer), falls in love with him and decides to return home. Marriage, it seems, has given her a new outlook on life… but will she be strong enough to vanquish her old fears? With Dame May Whitty (Miss Thwaites), Barbara Everest (Elizabeth), Emil Rameau (Maestro Guardi), Edmund Breon (General Huddleston), Angela Lansbury (Nancy), Joseph Cotten (Brian Cameron), Tom Stevenson (Williams) and Heather Thatcher (Lady Dalroy).

If you are biased against older movies, this thriller based on a Patrick Hamilton play will convince you that good works of art do age gracefully. Simply put, Paula’s story is too compelling to be missed.

GASLIGHT is an intelligent, plausible and entertaining movie, no less. Its strong points are many, beginning with Ingrid Bergman’s Oscar-winning performance as a gentle but fragile woman. Charles Boyer will also enthrall you while Joseph Cotten and Angela Lansbury (at 18!) are very convincing in smaller roles. You can also count on George Cukor to offer solid direction. As for the story-line, it is brilliantly structured and logically put together, unlike a growing number of suspense films these days. Need I say more? Not really. This is one of those films you must approach with as little preparation as possible.

Strange and baffling events, unease and mounting tension… you can expect as much from GASLIGHT, an old-fashioned gem that you will watch with bated breath.


MBiS

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