Review of Gaslight (1944) by Kevin N — 14 Sep 2011
George Cukor's remake of the 1940 British film of the same name is remembered for its crackling performances, and rightly so. Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar (her first of three) for her role as Paula Alquist, whose aunt has been murdered shorty before the start of the picture.
She is vulnerable and unstable, and soon falls into the arms of a man named Gregory Anton (played devilishly by Charles Boyer). From there, a story of deceit and cruelty unravels, and director George Cukor certainly tells it well.
His talent here is knowing exactly how much to let his audience in one, and choosing to show rather than tell them how it is happening. He frames small details wonderfully, and milks beautiful essence out of individual scenes to make them self-contained and important.
The scene in which Anton rouses a meltdown out of Alquist in the middle of a bourgeois party is painful and tremendously orchestrated. Toward the end of the picture, when Boyer's character begins to look less and less appealing to us, Joseph Cotten bursts into the picture and steals scenes in that quiet but commanding way he was always good at.
The film is also notable for Angela Lansbury's movie debut, and it is a treat indeed.
This review of Gaslight (1944) was written by Kevin N on 14 Sep 2011.
Gaslight has generally received very positive reviews.
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