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.

"Dark and shivering study of Victorian villainy," (Bosley Crowther, New York Times review May 5th 1944) seems best to describe the spirit that predominates this screen adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's Broadway play that aired a few years earlier. GASLIGHT directed by George Cukor, a director that was more familiar with melodramatic stories of intense female sensibility (consider CAMILLE with Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor), displays a truly engrossing combination of film noir and psychology, something that was still winning widespread acclaim at the time.And the film won two Academy Awards being nominated for seven: Ingrid Bergman as Best Actress and Art Direction. But that is not the highlight of my review since absolutely different reasons lie behind the fact that GASLIGHT has truly stood a test of time and, thanks to its black and white images, may engross viewers of modern technologies.As James Berardinelli states in his review, the film may be divided into two parts, actually. The first half, as he says, is "deceptively romantic" (this deception embraces the female leading character and us all as the observers, viewers); the second half is an "ominous" tribulation filled with suspicions, moments of tension, "gothic, noirish and effective melodrama" (Filmsite). The Thornton Square is at the center of mysterious events that lead to fear of some characters and growing greed of others. Berardinelli rightly concludes that hardly any film can match "this picture's intricate psychology."It is nothing but a masterwork in the depiction of Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) being planted the seeds of doubt about her husband and Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer) slowly growing horns of tyranny and greed. The couple hold the best dramatic moments of the film and, being set in the noirish claustrophobic whereabouts, they deliver something of a reality unforgettable. Their scenes are memorable thanks to flawless acting skills and the visual elements. The supporting characters need a special mention as well, primarily Joseph Cotten as Scotland Yard officer Brian Cameron who soon contributes to Paula's way to fresh air, charming luminous humour of Dame May Witty's in the role of Miss Thwaites who finally manages to see the couple, Barbara Everest as Elizabeth and, in her debut role, a newcomer to the screen Angela Lansbury as Nancy. The atmosphere of the movie is, actually, one of its main strengths. Who can forget the idyllic scenes of their honeymoon, who can possibly skip the haunting images of London in fog, who can fail to notice the shadows in the interiors and the psychological torments of the leading character.However, an important fact about this film is its psychology combined with the moral message. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most powerful depictions of manipulations and its mechanisms that not solely exist in some abstract reality that may occur far from simple citizens but indeed may exist and grow among anyone of us. The conceit and deception of superiority and the shrinking esteem derived from inferiority leads to confusion of unfair relations and the lack of honesty that the couple experience.The happy ending, flawed as it may seem and criticized by many film scholars, has its parallel and meaning. At last new future, new reality, a haven of fresh air outside of claustrophobic trauma.

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.

An often fog-bound mansion in Victorian London is the setting for this tense psychological thriller which begins during the aftermath of a murder and develops into a husband's sustained plot to convince his wife (and everyone else) that she's insane. The villain's diabolical scheme is cruel, manipulative and interesting to watch as it shows how the victim's confidence is gradually undermined by a series of deceptions and the type of controlling behaviour that leaves her isolated, confused and genuinely doubting her own sanity.The action takes place in an increasingly sinister atmosphere and the mansion provides a wonderfully claustrophobic location for most of what transpires. The property's cluttered walls and over-furnished rooms make the victim's surroundings seem cramped and camera angles that bring the ceiling into view re-emphasise this impression. Furthermore, the streets around the mansion are mostly seen at night when the darkness and the fog considerably reduce what can be seen. These visual features contribute strongly to the mood of the piece and also emphasise the victim's strong feelings of being trapped.Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) is a girl who'd been brought up by her aunt (who was a famous opera singer) since her mother's death. After a break-in at her home during which her aunt is strangled to death, the killer escapes and the traumatised Paula is sent to Italy to recover and study to also become an opera singer. Many years later, she falls in love with her piano accompanist and after a very short courtship and a honeymoon at Lake Como, her new husband, Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer) persuades her to move back to her previous home that she'd inherited from her aunt and which had remained unoccupied since the time she'd left London.Back at her childhood home, Gregory decides to move all her aunt's possessions up into the attic so that Paula won't be upset by their presence and then boards up the attic door. From this point onwards, he starts to make remarks about Paula's apparent forgetfulness and inclination to lose things. Her fragile confidence is then undermined further as he belittles her in front of the servants, openly flirts with the housemaid and forbids her to leave the house or receive any guests. Things then get even more troubling when she starts to hear sounds from the attic that no-one else hears and becomes alarmed by the gaslights which dim periodically for no apparent reason.Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotten) is a Scotland Yard detective who'd been a great admirer of Paula's aunt. After seeing the opera singer's home occupied again, he takes a growing interest in what's happening there and reviews the police records relating to the unsolved murder. Eventually, after some difficulties, he manages to meet Paula and win her confidence and this proves to be a turning point in her struggle to rationalise what had been happening to her since her return to No 9 Thornton Square."Gaslight" is well directed and features some top class performances. Angela Lansbury (in her first movie role) is terrific as the bad mannered and disrespectful maid and Charles Boyer is equally convincing, initially as the debonair and very attentive lover and later as the domineering sadist who tries to get his wife committed to an insane asylum. Ingrid Bergman really stands out in her Oscar-winning role as a woman who'd experienced the childhood traumas of being orphaned at a young age and later having to cope with the shock of her guardian's very sudden and violent death. Her sensitive interpretation of her character's ordeal is magnificent as she conveys her vulnerability so effectively without resorting to the exaggerated histrionics that many lesser actresses may well have employed.