Gaslight (1944)
US 114m, B&W
Director: George Cukor; Cast: Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Dame May Whitty, Angela Lansbury
Gaslight is a first-rate psychological thriller about a woman who is driven mad by her manipulative husband who methodically implants fear and doubt into her psyche in order to control her for his own dark obsession. Unknowingly linked to her husband by the unsolved murder of her aunt, Paula’s predicament comes to the attention of a Scotland Yard Detective who takes an interest in the couple’s problems. With the feel of a Hitchcock film, Gaslight is remains a surprisingly satisfying film despite its age (Klaus Ming January 2014).
4 comments on “Gaslight (1944)”
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I is nice, especially the increasing tension she feels, but this period is so full of darkish movies that are so exellent that Gaslight easily drowns by comparison.
Yes you are right, there are a lot of dark psychological thrillers like this in the 1940s. Though I think this is one of the more convincing ones.
I’m trying to think if there’s another movie that made the movie title into a word: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting
I can’t think of one, but I’m probably just forgetting something obvious.
Of course there is “paparazzi” (from La Dolce Vita), but that’s a word from the movie, not from the title.
Hmmm, I’ll have to think about that too! I’m tired, perhaps I’ll think of something in the morning 🙂