Gaslight: George Cuckor

George Cuckor's Gaslight is an absolutely delicious mystery-thriller from one of the early masters of Hollywood. The film became so famous that its title became shorthand for an actual pattern of psychological abuse in which "the victim is gradually manipulated into doubting his or her own reality." In Gaslight, we meet young Paula Alquist, niece of the famous opera star Alice Alquist, as she is hurriedly escorted out of her London home after witnessing a terrible tragedy. The tragedy in question was her aunt's brutal murder at the hands of a thief. Young Paula is taken to Italy where she grows up and is trained in the art of opera. She falls in love with the dashing Gregory Anton who is swift to marry her. He uses his incessant charm to convince Paula to move back to her aunt's old house in London. And, yes, if you think that you have figured out the plot to Gaslight from what I've told you, then you are probably correct. Anton is indeed the man responsible for Alice's murder. Upon his return with Paula to London, he begins to systematically torture her psychologically. He stamps across the floor of the attic to make Paula think that it's haunted, he manipulates the eponymous gaslights so that they go on and off on their own, and he hides things around the house to make her believe that she is losing her mind. Can Paula figure out what is going on before Anton makes his final move? You'll just have to watch and find out. And, really watching Gaslight is a considerable treat. Cinematographer Joseph Ruttenberg makes the film a wonder to behold, engulfing his sets with fog that is so poetic that you could swear that it was stolen from a film noir. The film perfectly creates a brooding, mysterious atmosphere, the kind that is accentuated by the fact that it is shot in black-and-white. And, finally, the performances alone are worth the ticket price. Ingrid Bergman won an Academy Award for Best Actress as Paula. Also, we get to witness Angela Lansbury in her screen debut as one of Paula's maids. In short, Gaslight is a treasure trough of the things that made the heyday of the Hollywood studio system so great. Don't deprive yourself of this great film.

8/10