Gaslight: A Psychological Thriller or a Psychological Study

Gaslight. It's the title of the 1944 film that earned Ingrid Bergman her first of three Academy Awards. It's also the name of the 1938 play which the film is based on. Gaslight is also now used, in result of both the play and film, as a psychological term that refers to a form of mental abuse. The impact this film had on the field of psychology is what fascinates the most about Gaslight.

Note: "Not Suitable for General Exhibition"  Via.

The film begins with the cold blooded murder of a renowned opera singer. After the mysterious perpetrator escapes into the night, the singer is found strangled in her London home by her teenage niece and ward, Paula (Bergman). Understandably traumatized, Paula leaves for Italy where she will spend the next ten years of her life working to move past this ordeal.

"No, no. Don't look back, Paula. You need to forget about everything that's happened here... You must think of the future dear, not the past."

Teenage Paula, nearly catatonic, leaves her Aunt's home after discovering her Aunt's been murder. Via.

When we see Paula again she has blossomed in Italy, coming to cope with her Aunt's murder by avoiding her old life in London, and, more importantly, by finding love. A pianist named Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer), whom she has known for only a short time, has stolen her heart. Swept away in a whirlwind romance, Paula and Gregory quickly marry. Shortly after, Paula finds herself promising her new husband that they can return to London and live in the house Paula inherited, the house where her Aunt was murdered.

Paula young, in love, and making dumb promises. Via.

Paula is understandably nervous about returning to her Aunt's house after so many years and so many dark memories. But Gregory doesn't back down; he urges that they are meant to live there and promises Paula that they will make new memories together. However, within the first few days at their new home strange occurrences start to happen, and Gregory's true nature slowly starts to reveal itself, layer by layer.

Paula quickly falls under Gregory's charming spell. Via.

It all begins with a simple flicker of the house's gaslights. Paula becomes curious when she starts to see the gaslights in the house inexplicably flicker every night. Her curiosity turns to concern when she starts to hear strange noises coming from the attic that has been closed off for years. Gregory and the household staff, however, maintain that only Paula is seeing and hearing these disturbances. Gregory insists that she's imagining things.

Paula seeing the gaslights flicker. Via.

When portraits and pieces of jewelry start to go missing, Paula's concern turns into fear. Gregory insists that Paula is the one who has been moving and misplacing their belongings for no reason. He explains that she's becoming forgetful and her memory has been failing her. At first he sympathizes and pities her, but soon Gregory starts insisting that Paula is being irrational and paranoid. Before long, Paula is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Suddenly I'm beginning not to trust my memory at all." - Paula

Paula becomes constantly anxious and on-edge. Via.

Suddenly Paula's charming and gentlemanly husband becomes patronizing, impatient, and cruel. Gregory stops letting Paula leave the house, in fear that she'll have an embarrassing fit in public. He insults and ridicules her in front of their household staff, making sure they witness all her paranoid fits and nervous breakdowns. Scared and isolated from the world, Paula gives into her husbands accusations, and starts to question her sanity.

"Gregory, are you trying to tell me I'm insane?" 

"It's what I'm trying NOT to tell myself."

Via.

By disregarding Paula's concerns, belittling her fears, and denying her suspicions, Gregory convinces Paula that her irrational behavior is an onset of insanity. A prisoner of both her house and her fears, Paula is completely under Gregory's control. Could this have been his sadistic objective all along?

"I couldn't have dreamed it... Did I dream it? Are you telling me that I've dreamed all that happened?... Then it's true, my mind is going... Then take me away. I can't fight it anymore."

Paula at rock bottom. Via.

Inspired by the film Gaslight, psychologists today consider gaslighting to be a form of emotional abuse used to covertly gain control over an individual. While Gregory and Paula's situation is a more extreme example of this, the gaslight effect is still more than prevalent in our society today. For example, "Of course I'm not cheating on you; you're just being paranoid." Or, "It was a joke; you're not fat. Stop being so sensitive." Gaslighting is using manipulation and intimidation to make someone question and doubt their own perception of reality. This can be done in a number of ways, all of which are unfortunately very common in our society. Trivializing someone else feelings, shaming someone for being upset, denying any personal wrong-doing and placing all the blame on the other person; these are all forms of gaslighting. After hearing these accusations enough times, the victim starts to believe them, and think they are just "too paranoid" or "too sensitive;" the victim starts to think they are the source of the problem.

He watches her, and controls her. Via.

 I find it fascinating that a story written purely for entertainment could hold so much truth. Gaslight influenced the entire discourse of an intellectual field; to me this proves that movies are not just for entertainment and escapism. Movies can portray our life, society, and culture in a way that reveals truths we're not even aware of. Movies force us to take a step back and observe the world we're living in; just maybe we'll walk away with a little more knowledge and self-awareness than we came in with.

Ingrid Bergman looking absolutely stunning in one of her beautiful Gaslight costumes. Via.

Gaslight was and still is a great success. It garnered much more critical acclaim than the British version which was actually released four years prior to this version. Bergman rightly deserved the Oscar for her performance as Paula. The dynamic changes and transformations her character goes through are impeccably portrayed. Bergman successfully establishes Paula as a strong, beautiful, albeit naive woman at the beginning of the film, only to drown that strength in the self-doubt and paranoia of a woman who believes she's going mad.

Joseph Cotton, director George Cukor, and Ingrid Bergman behind the scenes of Gaslight. Bergman is resting on a leaning board which were (and sometimes still are) used on movie sets to allow actors to rest in between scenes without messing up their intricate hair, make-up and costumes.  Via.

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Gaslight also boasts Angela Lansbury's cinematic debut as the sassy and indifferent house maid, Nancy. Quickly convinced that Paula is just an uptight and crazy woman, Nancy openly dotes on Gregory. She flirts and teases him in front of Paula just to humiliate her. Lansbury is brilliant and actually earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role. Merely 17 years old at the time of filming, Lansbury showed no timidity or hesitation in this saucy role; she owns it. Although Bergman is the one who won the Oscar for Gaslight, I think Lansbury shines just as much, if not more. She admirably holds her own among a veteran cast.

"That maidservant is most impertinent."

I think you can tell from this picture, that Nancy doesn't give a fig. Via.

I highly recommend watching Gaslight. It is definitely a melodrama which can be hard for viewers today, living in the naturalist era of film, to understand and respect. Too often people label melodrama as "campy" or "over-the-top."  I suggest approaching the melodramatic genre as you would approach opera. Both melodrama and opera are time-honored art forms, yet very different from more contemporary performances today. By approaching opera however, with an open mind and consciously restraining ourselves from comparing opera to Beyoncé, we can at least appreciate and respect the art form. 

Via.

Melodramas need to be approach in the same manner; you can't go in expecting Marlon Brando. Instead of a naturalistic and subtle performance, you need to expect an emphasis on the emotions and drama. If you keep that in mind, I think any movie-lover can at least see Gaslight for what it is, an accomplished work of art. If you haven't seen it yet, check out Gaslight and share what you think in the comments below.

Lisa Helene.