Forgotten Film Friday: Gaslight

A review by Brooks Rich

I was originally going to cover this film for a classic film Saturday but I think it qualifies as a forgotten gem. Not enough people know this brilliant thriller from 1944 directed by George Cukor, who also directed My Fair Lady and The Philadelphia Story.

Ingrid Bergman, one of Hollywood's all-time greats, plays a newlywed who begins to suspect odd things are going on at her house. Her husband, a sinister but charming Charles Boyer, assures her everything is ok and even convinces her she might be going mad.

The film is called Gaslight so something must be going on besides what Bergman thinks. Cukor does a great job convincing the audience that Bergman might be confused about certain events, certain aspects Of her life within the house. Boyer is perfectly condescending as the husband who is caring but also expects his wife to be a good little girl and not act so crazy. Bergman and Boyer have great chemistry together and this film doesn't work without them, especially Bergman, who audiences are always willing to root for.

The film's look is a mix of noir and gothic cinema. Bergman and Cukor live in a house right out of a ghost film, but the film is shot like a film noir. Cukor plays masterfully with light and shadow. As Bergman descends further into madness, the shadows become harsher, longer, more ominous and the film reveals its film noir scariness more and more. It's a brilliant, not-so-subtle way to show the change in her psyche, the need to save her from the husband who is trying to drive her insane.

Gaslight deserves more recognition than it gets. It's an insidious little film that subtly gets its hooks into you, not unlike what happens to poor Ingrid Bergman. Gaslight should be considered right up there with the classics of the '40s, like Casablanca, Double Indemnity, Citizen Kane, and The Third Man.

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