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Rating: 5 out of 5
I want to say that I have seen one of the all-time best performances in all of film history. If you have seen Ingrid Bergman’s performance in Gaslight, then you know what I am talking about. When I checked this film out of the library and looked at the cover, I thought it would be another epic type of love story. Holy shit, was I wrong. Oh, how very wrong was I. The movie is outstanding, but Bergman takes it to a whole new level that I wasn’t expecting.
What is Gaslight about? Well, strap in, ladies and gentlemen, because you are about to take a ride. Directed by George Cukor, Gaslight is a straight-up OG for a psychological thriller film. World-famous opera singer Alice Alquist had just been murdered at her home, and her world-famous jewels had disappeared in London-9 Thorton Square. Alice’s young niece Paula Alquist (Moore) is sent to Italy to study music and become a famous opera singer like her aunt. Ten years later, Paula (Bergman) meets and marries Gregory Anton (Boyer) after a two-week whirlwind romance. Gregory convinces Paula to move back into her old home in London, where she has no family or friends. To help her overcome the anxiety of moving back into the house, he convinces her to move all her aunt’s furniture into the attic. As the pair settle in, Paula finds a letter from a mysterious and unknown Sergis Bauer. Gregory becomes hostile from the very mention of the name. As time passes, Paula becomes increasingly isolated from the world as her husband states she has been stealing. Everywhere she goes, something ends up missing or stolen. She starts to believe she has memory problems. When Scotland Yard Police Constable Brian Cameron (Cotten) sees Gregory and Alice in a place popular with tourists, he immediately sees Paula, who reminds him of her aunt but becomes very suspicious of Gregory. As Brian starts to investigate, he soon finds evidence that Paula is in extreme danger and how her aunt really died.
I know I talked about this before, but I want to emphasize the performance of Ingrid Bergman. You have no idea how much I was invested when she started to lose her mind. It’s one thing to act it, but she made it seem very believable, and I was like, homegirl needs to be locked up. I honestly must bow down to Bergman for this performance. When she went to the show, she looked so beautiful, but when she thought she stole a watch, he freakin had a nervous breakdown. When Brian came to the house, this is where her performance went from A+ to all-time great status. Her look, movements, and speech were perfection. She looked nervous and afraid of everything, and when you found out she wasn’t crazy, she kept that belief. Her mind and emotions were broken, and she played it beautifully. When she got revenge against Gregory, I had to stand and applaud. She let homeboy have it. She should’ve slapped him.
Now on to the story. The story was thrilling because you didn’t know what was going on with Paula. When she was in Italy, you saw how she fell in love and was at peace with Gregory. When she moved back, you saw she was nervous, but things started happening. The film made you suspicious of Gregory in the beginning when she was reading the letter, but you didn’t know why. The film did a masterful job of going away from Gregory’s reaction to the slow descent of “madness” in Paula’s mind. When the couple goes to the Tower of London, Paula “loses” an heirloom brooch that Gregory had given her, despite its having been stored safely in her handbag. Another scene is when a picture disappears on the wall. Gregory says that Paula took it and other items, then returned them. During all of this, Paula hears footsteps coming from the sealed attic and notices the gaslights dim and brighten for no apparent reason. Gregory suggests it is only her imagination.
All of this was a masterful psychological game until the end, when we realize that Paula isn’t losing her mind. That her husband Gregory is behind it and is a criminal who is looking for the lost jewels. When that was revealed, I had to stand and applaud. I want to state that you should have your little thing cut off by treating a woman like this. The psychological torture and manipulation aspect was so well done that it drew you in and kept you in a place where you felt sorry for Paula and thought she belonged in a nut house.
This movie couldn’t be as good without the cast. Charles Boyer as Gregory Anton/Sergis Bauer was outstanding. One reason why Boyer was so good was that he seemed so calm and collected throughout the whole film. Besides that one scene where he became angry, he seemed like a calm and loving husband concerned for his wife. This showed how he was a master manipulator. Well done, Boyer. Well done.
Also, the film has a young Angela Lansbury. Lansbury played Nancy Oliver, one of the new maids, and boy was she sassy. Lansbury looked like she was nothing but trouble as she chewed her gum. You thought she was in on the whole thing. It is crazy that this was Lansbury’s first role in an illustrious career. I am honored that I got a chance to watch it.
Gaslight is one of the best films I have seen in a while. It is propelled by excellent performances, especially by Ingrid Bergman. That was an all-time outstanding performance. The rest of the cast also elevated this film. I highly recommend everyone watch this thrilling film.
