Gaslight (1944)Villains are motivated by a multitude of vices and satisfy them with actions ranging from cruelty, dishonesty, and even murder. The worst of them prey on their victims in body and mind. Gaslight (1944) is the story of a young singer named Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman), whose discovery of her murdered aunt ten years prior left her with a trauma she is finally emerging from under, courtesy of a romance with Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer), a composer who encourages her to move back into her aunt's former home. From there, the bloom of romance begins to wilt as Paula is led to believe her sanity is slipping.
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The term "gaslighting" comes from this film, and is used to describe the psychological abuse which comes from a person being mentally tormented by another into doubting their sanity. In the case of Paula, it become clear with time that Gregory is the victimizer. Gaslight is a fascinating character study not just of the young woman set upon by a domineering husband into becoming a skittish wreck, convinced she's losing her mind, but of the venomous husband, who tells different stories to different audiences, composing tunes to have those around him dance to his song. Paula is more sympathetic by virtue of Gregory's disregard for the sacred bond of marriage, as it becomes more apparent that his interests in marrying Paula were to achieve a far more profitable result. Even though Gregory's motivations are concealed through much of Gaslight, hints teased here and there for our benefit, it is enough to despise him because we see just how charming and suave he is from the start, and how he transforms into a cruel, abusive tyrant. Interestingly, even our first introduction to him is a kind of deception; Paula has confessed to her singing instructor that she is in love, but it isn't until she leaves that we learn that it was the same pianist who was working with Paula's teacher all along. Why conceal this fact? One suspects that it was Gregory's idea--after all, the more secrets one can keep, the more power they have over someone. And Gregory is power hungry over Paula, manipulating events so that she is made to be humiliated in public or in front of the servants, breaking down her self-esteem and granting Gregory the power to sink his talons deeper. What Paula becomes by the end of Gaslight is a far cry from the confident, recovered young woman at the beginning. She is turned into a quivering shell of herself, terrified of leaving her house and to having company--which is just how Gregory wants it. This disintegration of personality, allowing for the victimizer to establish themselves as the sole possessor of power in a social dynamic, is a psychological weapon used by leaders of cults and politicians, but also abusive lovers. These kind of people cut off their victims from outside contact, both to prevent them from revealing the abuser's tactics but also to make them solely dependent on people like them. What appears early on as mere romantic obsession when Gregory shows up in Cornwall to meet Paula, after she indicated she needed time to think on his proposal, is in reality a control strategy. His malevolence manifests like a creeping insidiousness over the course of the film, like a vice squeezing tighter and tighter, turning sweet to sour by degrees.
Gaslight is set roughly at the turn of the 20th century, prior to the introduction of widespread electricity in cities and other technological advances. The film draws its name from the eponymous gas light which dims in the house as Paula begins to hear sounds above her room when she is alone, manifestations she attributes to hallucinations. The effect is that it creates an ominous visual cue, suggesting an evil at work when the lights dim. Gaslight is a visually expressive film, with long shadows and identifiable silhouettes cast by the light of the gas lamps, characteristics of the emerging film noir style. The tone, lighting, and the uncertainty which grips Paula ratchets up the intensity of Gaslight, making the potential for some terrible outcome ever present. As Paula is subjected to repeated psychological assaults on her mental welfare, she acts increasingly detatched and unpredictable, meaning that there is the sense that there is no guarantee of a happy ending. Her lockdown in her own home contributes to feelings of claustrophobia, as does the overly cluttered town house. Gregory's insistence to hire a young and impertinent maid like Nancy (Angela Lansbury) is done to create a situation where he can later chastise Paula for being afraid of Nancy not liking her, even though Gregory pressures her into doing things which would cultivate animosity between the two of them. It is by chance that on a visit to the Tower of London, Paula catches the eye of an inspector from Scotland Yard, Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotten), who sees the resemblance between Paula and her aunt, and takes an interest in discovering what secrets were swept under the rug in the unsolved murder case ten years ago. His interest in Paula is less out of romance, but of an innate curiosity to solve a twofold mystery: what really happened to the missing jewels of Alice Alquist, and just what is it that brought Paula back to live in a home with such a sordid history. What is interesting is Gregory's reaction to Brian, a paranoid assumption that Paula knows him, accusing her of hiding something from him. His actions are superficially motivated by jealousy, but it really represents an uncontrollable element, something he can't prevent no matter his machinations to tear down the defenses of Paula; not being dominant is the worst kind of terror for a tyrant like him.
Recommended for: Fans of a tense psychological thriller, reminiscent of a Gothic romance; a story of a relationship which turns mentally abusive over time and tracks the after effects on the victim.
Gaslight is set roughly at the turn of the 20th century, prior to the introduction of widespread electricity in cities and other technological advances. The film draws its name from the eponymous gas light which dims in the house as Paula begins to hear sounds above her room when she is alone, manifestations she attributes to hallucinations. The effect is that it creates an ominous visual cue, suggesting an evil at work when the lights dim. Gaslight is a visually expressive film, with long shadows and identifiable silhouettes cast by the light of the gas lamps, characteristics of the emerging film noir style. The tone, lighting, and the uncertainty which grips Paula ratchets up the intensity of Gaslight, making the potential for some terrible outcome ever present. As Paula is subjected to repeated psychological assaults on her mental welfare, she acts increasingly detatched and unpredictable, meaning that there is the sense that there is no guarantee of a happy ending. Her lockdown in her own home contributes to feelings of claustrophobia, as does the overly cluttered town house. Gregory's insistence to hire a young and impertinent maid like Nancy (Angela Lansbury) is done to create a situation where he can later chastise Paula for being afraid of Nancy not liking her, even though Gregory pressures her into doing things which would cultivate animosity between the two of them. It is by chance that on a visit to the Tower of London, Paula catches the eye of an inspector from Scotland Yard, Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotten), who sees the resemblance between Paula and her aunt, and takes an interest in discovering what secrets were swept under the rug in the unsolved murder case ten years ago. His interest in Paula is less out of romance, but of an innate curiosity to solve a twofold mystery: what really happened to the missing jewels of Alice Alquist, and just what is it that brought Paula back to live in a home with such a sordid history. What is interesting is Gregory's reaction to Brian, a paranoid assumption that Paula knows him, accusing her of hiding something from him. His actions are superficially motivated by jealousy, but it really represents an uncontrollable element, something he can't prevent no matter his machinations to tear down the defenses of Paula; not being dominant is the worst kind of terror for a tyrant like him.
Recommended for: Fans of a tense psychological thriller, reminiscent of a Gothic romance; a story of a relationship which turns mentally abusive over time and tracks the after effects on the victim.