Happy anniversary to the movie that taught us to never trust a charming Frenchman. If you’ve ever told an ex they were gaslighting you because they swore they texted when they definitely didn't, you owe a royalty check. Specifically, you owe MGM. Eighty-two years ago, on May 4, 1944, Hollywood released a film so psychologically toxic it changed the way we describe being lied to.
Before it was a buzzword on TikTok or a reason to fire your therapist, Gaslight was a black-and-white thriller about a guy who really, really wanted some hidden jewels. And he was willing to drive his wife to the brink to get them.
Bergman moves into her dead aunt’s posh London townhouse with her new husband, Gregory. He’s charming and he’s played by the dashingly handsome Charles Boyer who isn't all as he appears to be.
Gregory is the bad guy. He starts hiding his wife’s brooches and pictures, then tells her she lost them. He makes the gas-powered wall lights flicker and dim, then swears she’s just seeing things. He begins a full-scale demolition of her sanity. Ingrid Bergman plays the wife, Paula, and her slow-motion collapse into a puddle of nerves is why she walked home with an Oscar.
She isn’t crazy. The lights are dimming because Gregory is up in the attic turning on the lamps to search for loot, which drains the pressure from the rest of the house.
The movie also gave us 18 year-old Angela Lansbury in her first-ever role, playing a cocky, flirtatious maid named Nancy who spends her time blowing cigarette smoke in Paula’s face and eyeing Gregory.
Lansbury's character sees right through the bad vibes. While Paula is upstairs doubting her own ears, Nancy is downstairs being the sharp-tongued realist who knows that the house is full of secrets. It’s the kind of breakout performance that makes viewers realize why she became a star and stayed one for the rest of her career.
The film isn't a whodunnit. Viewers know Gregory is the villain from the first twenty minutes. The horror comes from watching a smart woman lose her grip because the person she loves is the one loosening pushing her to the edge.
Next time you accuse someone of gaslighting you, after shutting it down, take an afternoon to go back to the source. Watch Bergman realize she isn't losing her mind. Because the moment when she finally confronts Gregory is better than any modern mic drop.
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