Tidbit Tuesday: Gaslight - Seventy-five Years Later

As with many Hollywood films, George Cukor’s 1944 movie Gaslight, released seventy-five years ago this month, is a remake of a play. However, unknown to many Americans, his version is not the first remake. Originally written by Patrick Hamilton in 1938, the play Gas Light was highly successful and caught the eye of British filmmakers who purchased the rights. Directed by Thorold Dickinson and released in 1940, the movie also did well.

Full of well-known stars, MGM’s Gaslight also featured newcomer Angela Lansbury, who at seventeen years old had to be accompanied on set by a social worker. Filming of a scene in which she smokes a cigarette was not done until she turned eighteen. Lansbury received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer are the headliners in the film and received high praise from critics. Bergman won an Oscar for her role.

Gaslighting is a term that describes a type of psychological abuse in which the victim is manipulated into doubting his or her sanity. The plot revolves around Boyer’s character subjecting Bergman’s character to gaslighting in order to get his hands on valuable jewelry.

Critic Emanuel Levy makes an interesting observation that the film is one in a long line of 1940s movies that center on “don’t trust your husband.” Beginning with three Hitchcock movies (Rebecca, Suspicion, and Shadow of a Doubt), the cycle continues with Gaslight, Jane Eyre, Dragonwyck, Notorious, and the Spiral Staircase, just to name few. The 1964 movie Hush, Sweet Charlotte also uses gaslighting as a plot device.

Released during the last year of WWII when America’s nerves were stretched thin, Gaslight’s creepy, suspenseful flavor struck a chord with audiences and was a box office hit.

Have you seen Gaslight?

_____________________________________

Linda Shenton Matchett  is an author, speaker, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her life. Linda is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. She is a volunteer docent and archivist for the Wright Museum of WWII and a trustee for her local public library. Learn more about Linda and her books at http://www.LindaShentonMatchett.com.