Gaslight (1944)

Charles Boyer is deliciously creepy and evil in this psychological thriller from 1944, and Ingrid Bergman plays the part of his young wife well, slowly tricked into believing she's losing her mind. Joseph Cotten is her knight in shining armor, and Angela Lansbury makes the most of a small part in her very first film role at the age of 18, as the somewhat flirtatious young maid in the house, and we wonder if she has a role in the scheming that's going on. I loved how Director George Cukor made the film as claustrophobic as Bergman feels herself, by keeping most of the scenes indoor amidst dark lighting and shadows, and outdoor scenes enveloped in London fog. It's quite atmospheric. The movie seems to lack tension towards the middle, when everyone knows what's going on - what Boyer is doing and how he is doing it (which is a bit of a weakness) – but it ends very well, with some scenes that may have you on the edge of your seat.

a film about vulnerability, past and love. all in the shadow of the fear. remarkable performances. mark of a great director who defines, with precise grace, atmosphere from the first scene. a film about different forms of cruelty. happy meeting of two actors with the science to explore each aspect of the potential of roles. and, I admit, in few senses, the film of Angela Lansburry who, in a small role, does an admirable job. one of films who seems be perfect. for the dialogues and for the use of light. for the wise manner to use the rules of thriller. for the music. and for the analysis of the purpose of charming Gregory Anton. short, a film who must see. again and again. for the special art who has it as beautiful example.

Lacks mystery and intrigue - quite predictable.A young woman, Paula Alquist (played by Ingrid Bergman) leaves her home in England for Italy, for singing lessons. There she meets and falls in love with a pianist, Gregory Anton (played by Charles Boyer). They marry and move back to London, to live in the house Paula's aunt was murdered in, 10 years earlier. However, Gregory's intentions toward Paula aren't entirely romantic, or benevolent...For a movie with such sinister plots involved, this movie is quite predictable. You can see all the links and plans involving Gregory in the first 40 minutes or so. And some of his plans are just plain lame (the watch at the concert...). Good performances from Bergman and Boyer plus Joseph Cotten and Dame May Witty. 18-year old Angela Lansbury made her debut in this movie and puts in a solid performance. The minor performances can be quite laughable though - the risk of filming an English setting in the US (and you can thank WW2 for that). Best example of this is the scene with a cop whose accent frequently veers violently between English Cockney and southern-US in mid-sentence! Unintentionally funny.Ultimately a mediocre story, with some solid performances from the leads. Had heaps of potential, but much of this was squandered.

George Cukor's Gaslight is a movie very similar to the many Alfred Hitchcock movies that I saw, but this movie is less in depth when it comes to the psychological thriller part but it still had a superb screenplay. The movie stars Charles Boyer in a terrific performance as Greg Anton a man who comes to a new house with his new wife Paula (played by Ingrid Bergman in an Oscar winning performance)after her aunt gets murdered many years earlier, and then he keeps some jewels a secret and convince his wife that she is ill and out of her mind just to make her mad without even realizing it, then later on in the movie a detective named Brian Cameron (played by Joseph Cotten) who comes into the home to ask her some questions, and then find out Greg's little shortcut from upstairs in the attic back into their residence. Cukor's film tries to convince grown ups to watch out for who you marry because you may not know the way that he/she will treat you during the time course of the marriage.