- George Cukor's Gaslight is an excellent film noir that has the unique distinction of being set in Victorian-era London, meaning that the fog is believable and the gaslights necessary. Like Rebecca, Citizen Kane, and Sunset Blvd., it is also a film whose most memorable character is its creepily cavernous house. In this case, the house belongs to the family of singer Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman), who recently married debonair piano player Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer). The two fulfill Gregory's dream of moving to London, despite Paula's painful childhood memories of her mother's unsolved murder in that same home. As the local gossip (Dame May Whitty) gleefully informs everyone, "It was a most mysterious case. They never found out who killed her. They never even found a motive."
- But that was all in the past, right? These days, Gregory and Paula should be living happily as newlyweds, waited upon by their redoubtable cook (Barbara Everest) and much-less-redoubtable maid (Angela Lansbury). But recently, Gregory has started to act strangely. First, he had a violent reaction upon seeing a letter to Paula's mother from the mysterious "Sergius Bauer." He was also obsessed with both the crown jewels and the identity of a man named Cameron (Joseph Cotten) when he and Paula visited the Tower of London. But then again, Gregory would claim that it is Paula who has been acting strangely. After all, didn't her new broach go missing, and what happened to that painting that used to be on the wall? Surely those strange noises and dimming gaslights aren't all in Paula's imagination?
- Although the central mystery in Gaslight is fairly easy to solve -- all evidence points to Gregory rummaging through the attic -- the film nevertheless contains a few welcome surprises, my favorites of which involve an unpaired glove, the giant portrait of Paula's mother, and Paula's transformation from the object of psychological torment to its practitioner. For better or worse, the film's name has even become synonymous with one person trying to convince another that their memories are faulty. Speaking for myself, I intend to fondly recall Bergman and Boyer's convincing performances, the iconic imagery of a gaslight slowly dimming, Joseph Ruttenberg's excellent cinematography, and of course the wonderful set decorations. I'd better write that down before...well, you know.
- This was Angela Lansbury's film debut.
- Apparently this film was made on the condition that copies of the previous film version of Gaslight (1940) would be destroyed.
