Gaslight

On par with Hitchcock's finest, "Gaslight" is a working definition of the term "psychological thriller". Not a drop of blood is spilled in the movie, yet it crackles with tension and suspense. It features the stellar Ingrid Bergman as Paula, a wealthy young woman who is slowly convinced she is insane by her duplicitous husband, Gregory, exceptionally played by the suave Charles Boyer. "Gaslight" is also a notable departure for director George Cukor, who favored light romantic comedies and musicals for his entire career, with this being pretty much the only exception. "Gaslight" is also notable for being one of mega producer David O. Selznick's films, the mogul whose influence rippled through Hollywood like shockwaves, yet who remained autonomous throughout his entire career, never bowing down under any studio regime. Considering he was responsible for such epic productions as this, "Gone With the Wind" and "Duel In the Sun", it is even more remarkable. Instead, much like Scott Rudin and Brian Grazer do today, he would secure the hottest material and talent, and bring "his" production to a studio, for such amenities as sound stages and distribution resources. Selznick's operating outside of the studio regime left him more time to develop his projects, which is usually the reason his films were so successful, both critically and commercially. "Gaslight" was no exception, as it scored seven Oscar nominations and two wins, for Cedric Gibbons' incredible art direction, and for Ingrid Bergman's captivating performance. As word trickles in that a remake is in the works, moving the location from foggy, atmospheric London, to smoggy, modern day Los Angeles, I can only help but yawn. Check out the original "Gaslight" and realize that there is no need for a remake.

In the film's prolouge, a young girl is taken from her home by the police. Her aunt, and guardian, a famous opera singer, has just been murdered and the girl is shipped off to Italy, away from the sensational scene of the crime. Years later we realize this girl is Paula, a budding singer in her own right. A handsome young piano player, Gregory, soon takes notice of the young beauty and the two quickly fall in love, and marry. As Paula comes of age she inherits her aunt's fortune and on Gregory's recommendation they move back to London, back to her aunt's old house, which has been locked up for all these years. Initially the young couple are happily married, but after a few months, strange things begin to happen. Paula keeps forgetting things, misplacing items, and is prone to other bouts of irrational behavior. That is, she keeps being told so by Gregory. Paula cannot understand what is happening to her, since of course, there is nothing wrong with her. In a move which Hitchcock probably would have made, Cukor lets the audience in on the twist far too soon, whereas "The Master" would have kept dropping red herrings and let the audience figure it out for themselves, such as he did in "Rebecca" and "Suspicion". Obviously Gregory has some sort of scheme, which we know because he keeps insisting to Paula that she is forgetting things and misplacing items, as well as sneaking off late at night. The erratic behavior coming from the house, chilly master and potentially mad mistress, soon aroses suspicion from some of the neighbors. In an inspired role, Dame May Witty plays Miss Thwaites, a busy body who suspects something is up from the very beginning and who is prone to just barge in, unannounced, and see what gossip she can sniff out. Then there is Brian Cameron, a detective played by fellow Selznick contract player Joseph Cotton, who is initially suspicious of Gregory's late night business and is perplexed when he follows him down a dark alley from which he does not re-emerge. Gregory, in the one plot twist Cukor does keep hidden for some time, each night sneaks into the house's attic in a roundabout way. Whenever he is up there Paula notices the gaslight dim in her part of the house and hears her husband rummaging around up there, two points which convince her she is losing her mind, since Gregory obviously denies it and the maid (played by a slutty Angela Lansbury!) is too interested in flirting with the constable to notice any irregularities.

Eventually Cameron figures out Gregory's scheme. Convinced Paula's aunt was in possession of a large collection of priceless jewels which she hid amongst her worthless costumes and props from her opera days, he desperately tears through the attic each night searching for them. In true Hitchcockian form, the jewels are in plain sight the entire time, sewn onto one of her aunt's old dresses, which Gregory disregards for being too obvious. Cameron tells Paula what has been happening the entire time and suddenly it all makes sense: Gregory's insistence on moving back to London, back to her aunt's old house, the way an old letter of her aunt's which referenced a handsome young piano player mysteriously disappeared. It was Gregory who murdered her aunt, and Paula finally gets her payback, as she plays dumb in response to Gregory's plea for support as the police are dragging him away. Having seen "Gaslight" both on film and on stage, the tension and mood the piece creates is exquisite. Cukor coaxes perfect performances from virtually everyone involved, with the exception being Joseph Cotton, an otherwise fine actor, but who is stuck in the cliched cop role here. Ironically enough, the film almost did not happen at all. MGM, the studio Selznick frequently collaborated with, would not budge on Charles Boyer's contract stipulation that he was to receive top billing in any of his films, fine print which needless to say, Selznick had a hard time swallowing. He insisted his star Ingrid Bergman be given top billing, and he was probably right in demanding it; Bergman was hot off of "Casablanca" and was a major star, whereas Charles Boyer had a nice career playing handsome men, but was never the anchor of major films. Thankfully Selznick checked his ego (settling for second billing) and the film was able to go into production. A film which still holds up marvelously today.