#779) Gaslight (1944)

The Plot: In 1880s London, newly married Gregory and Paula Anton (Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman) move into the townhouse of Paula’s Aunt Alice, who was mysteriously murdered 10 years earlier. While everything starts well for the couple, Gregory becomes more possessive of Paula as time goes on, to the point of keeping her in the house all day and not admitting visitors. Gregory implies that Paula is going crazy and dismisses all of her concerns, especially her claim that the house gaslights start dimming whenever Gregory goes away at night. Scotland Yard Inspector Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotten) becomes suspicious of Gregory’s behavior and reopens the investigation of Alice’s murder, discovering many secrets along the way, as well as a new term for psychological abuse.

Why It Matters: The NFR praises the film for being “as suspenseful as the day it was made”, singling out Cukor’s direction, Bergman’s “spellbinding performance”, and the longevity of the term “gaslighting”.

But Does It Really?: In any other time, “Gaslight” would have made the NFR solely for its standing as a classic movie thriller. But no, we live in a time where “gaslighting” has crossed-over into the mainstream, and we have to give the film its due for originating the term. Future historical context aside, “Gaslight” holds up very well after all these years, with genuinely suspenseful moments aided by Cukor’s taut direction and lead performances by Boyer and especially Bergman. “Gaslight” is still in the “minor classic” category, but its recent resurgence (for better or worse) has helped make this film an NFR no-brainer.

Everybody Gets One: Despite his extensive Classic Hollywood resume, this is the only NFR appearance for Charles Boyer. A leading stage actor in his native France, Boyer pivoted to film in the 1920s, first in uninteresting supporting roles and later romantic leading roles with the advent of sound. A trip to Hollywood in 1930 found Boyer getting work with MGM and Paramount, often appearing in both the English and French language versions of the same film! Among his most famous roles was jewel thief Pepe Le Moko in 1938’s “Algiers”, a performance that served as the inspiration for Looney Tunes’ Pepé Le Pew.

Title Track: The original play was titled “Gas Light” (two words) when it premiered in England, but for unknown reasons the title was changed when it performed in America: first as “Five Chelsea Lane” in Los Angeles in 1941, and then “Angel Street” on Broadway later that same year. Following the play’s stateside success, MGM bought the film rights, with one of the conditions being that the film retain the play’s original title (albeit as one word instead of two).

Seriously, Oscars?: At the 1945 Oscars, “Gaslight” received seven nominations, including Best Picture. Although the film lost most of its awards to “Going My Way”, it did walk away with two wins: Best Art Direction (Black-and-White) and Best Actress for Ingrid Bergman, the first of her three eventual wins. Coincidentally, when Bergman won Best Actress, she was in the middle of filming “The Bells of St. Mary’s” — the sequel to “Going My Way”.

• [Spoiler? Maybe?] One thing that’s confusing me: Are we supposed to know out the gate that Gregory is the murderer? Like, I get that we obviously shouldn’t empathize with him given his treatment of Paula, but did this movie intend to play its hand that early? The reveal of Gregory’s motives is a bit more gradual in the play, and there is still a bit of mystery regarding that in this film; I guess I thought they would draw it out longer. I wouldn’t be surprised if the studio mandated Gregory’s intentions be moved up to the beginning, avoiding the kind of moral ambiguity that was frowned upon in the Hays Code era.
• On a related note, this movie gave me some serious “Rebecca” vibes. Both films are period pieces about a newly married woman, her husband’s mysterious past, and a deceased woman who haunts everything (metaphorically). I’m not the only one to compare these two films: critic Emanuel Levy includes them in a sub-genre of movie dubbed “Don’t Trust Your Husband”, which includes such other films of the era as “Suspicion”, “Notorious”, and “The Spiral Staircase”.
• One addition I found a bit jarring: the Anton’s nosy neighbor Miss Bessie Thwaites, played by British acting legend and MGM contract player Dame May Whitty. There is some comic relief in the original play, but it’s much more subdued and…British. Having this proto-Mrs. Kravitz pop in throughout the movie feels like another Hollywood diluting of the source material, as well as a supreme waste of Dame May’s talents.
• The Anton’s Cockney maid Nancy is none other than Dame Angela Lansbury in her film debut! Lansbury arrived in America with her family in 1942 to escape the Blitz in London, and she landed “Gaslight” (and an MGM contract) thanks to family friend John Van Druten, one of this film’s screenwriters. In only a few scenes, Lansbury gives us a sample platter of her many talents: foreboding drama, playful comedy, and even a song! No wonder multiple reviews singled her out as a promising newcomer.

• Side note: Angela Lansbury was 17 when she began filming, and a scene of Nancy smoking a cigarette had to be postponed until Angela turned 18 during production. 
• The gaslighting begins almost immediately, and as tough as it is to watch, Bergman and Boyer play their sides expertly; Boyer in particular showcasing some excellent restraint in his performance. According to Ingrid Bergman, despite their on-screen relationship, she and Boyer got along well during filming.

• Shoutout to the film’s cinematographer, MGM staple Joseph Ruttenberg. At a time when film noir was permeating the art form but hadn’t been labeled as such yet, “Gaslight” follows the genre’s aesthetics, with shots of shadows on the wall enhancing the film’s suspense. Ruttenberg also makes it a point to keep the gas lamps in frame, even when the scene doesn’t call attention to them.
• Another major change from stage to screen: In the original play, the third lead is G.W. Rough, an older British detective. For this film, Rough becomes Brian Cameron, a young American working with Scotland Yard. Once again, I assume this alteration was to make the film more palatable to an American audience. I couldn’t find anything to confirm if MGM wanted Cotten for the part or if he was thrown in as part of their deal with Selznick. Either way, he works well for the film, so I have no objections.
• “Gaslight” includes one of my biggest pet peeves in old movies: rear projection walking shots. It’s always so jarring. Like, you couldn’t just film two people walking in an actual park? You had to do it in studio on some sort of treadmill?
• “You’re not going out of your mind. You’re slowly and systematically being driven out of your mind. If only there was a term for that…”

• [Semi-Spoiler] After almost two hours of tension and paranoia, Paula’s final confrontation with Gregory is such a relief. She finally has the upper hand on her husband and it is wonderful. This triumphant climax is slightly undercut by the ending, which tacks on an implied relationship between Paula and Brian, topped off with one more punchline from Dame May Whitty. What is happening?

• Some movies have an iconic scene or a quotable line, but“Gaslight” has made a huge impact on our culture with just one word. The use of “gaslighting” as a term for psychological manipulation can be traced back as early as the 1950s, with many a TV show referring to “the ‘Gaslight’ treatment”. Medical essays started to use “gaslight” as a clinical term around the 1970s, and its usage saw a massive surge in 2016, a newfound popularity that has continued for the last decade. Hmmm, I wonder what happened in 2016?

Further Viewing: MGM’s “Gaslight” was the second film adaptation of the play; the first was made in 1940 by British National Films. When MGM bought the American film rights, there was a rumor that the studio had also purchased the 1940 “Gaslight” and destroyed all prints. This turned out to be false, as the British “Gaslight” began airing on TV in the 1950s, and is still widely available for viewing. The British “Gaslight” hews closer to the original play, and is an overall more streamlined and subtle version of the American film. Side note: To avoid confusion with the MGM “Gaslight”, the British original was re-titled “Angel Street” when it arrived stateside.