Gaslight (1944)

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Patrick Hamilton (play)
John Van Druten (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 May 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Strange drama of a captive sweetheart!

Plot:

Paula's aunt Alice Alquist, a famous entertainer, is murdered in her home. Paula, who lives with her aunt finds the body...

Plot Keywords:

Scotland Yard | Italy | Nervous Breakdown | Letter | Driven Mad

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Charles Boyer	...	Gregory Anton
Ingrid Bergman	...	Paula Alquist
Joseph Cotten	...	Brian Cameron
Dame May Whitty	...	Miss Bessie Thwaites
Angela Lansbury	...	Nancy Oliver
Barbara Everest	...	Elizabeth Tompkins
Emil Rameau	...	Maestro Mario Guardi
Edmund Breon	...	Gen. Huddleston
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Mr. Muffin
Tom Stevenson	...	Williams
Heather Thatcher	...	Lady Dalroy
Lawrence Grossmith	...	Lord Dalroy
Jakob Gimpel	...	Pianist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gary Gray	...	Boy in Park with Nanny
Terry Moore	...	Paula Alquist - Age 14 (as Judy Ford)

Also Known As:

Murder in Thornton Square (UK)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Netherlands:6 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #9800)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The sets are deliberately overfilled with bric-a-brac to emphasize Paula's increasing sense of claustrophobia.

Goofs:

Continuity: The mark left on the wallpaper by the missing picture is portrait shaped. When Paula Anton finds the picture it is clearly a landscape.

Quotes:

Gregory Anton: I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were dangerous to me.
Brian Cameron: I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were dangerous to her.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Reflections on 'Gaslight' (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

Victorian London setting makes for chilly atmosphere...

The only bright note in 'Gaslight' is whenever Dame May Whitty pops in for a scene or two as a gossipy old lady who knows about that mysterious old house. Otherwise, this is an absorbing psychological thriller that takes itself a little too seriously--a few more touches of dry humor (the kind Alfred Hitchcock would have supplied) are missing from this George Cukor production. His meticulous, somewhat fussy attention to every little detail of sets and costumes softens the suspense.

Based on a stage play called "Angel Street", it shows its stage origins with mostly interior scenes of Bergman slowly being driven mad by a husband who is searching for jewels in the attic. Charles Boyer is debonair and smooth enough as the husband. His final confrontation scene with Bergman, where she decides to torment him and string him along to exact her own revenge, is highly satisfactory. Bergman really shows complete understanding of her character and deserved her Oscar for Best Actress. Angela Lansbury makes an auspicious film debut, looking very confident indeed as a saucy Cockney maid.

The only flaws are the slow pace and the casting of Joseph Cotten as the Scotland Yard detective. Cotten's role is just a peripheral one and too bland to sustain any interest. Nor does he even attempt a British accent. For Bergman fans, this is definitely a must see!

Given this sort of material, I can't help thinking it would have been a tighter and more suspenseful film if directed by someone like Alfred Hitchcock.