89 Days of Oscar Nominees – #74 – Gaslight (1944)

In my attempt to have a more prolific repertoire of Oscar Nominated Films, I have taken it upon myself to watch 89 new Best Picture Nominees that I’ve never seen before between 1 Dec 2016 and The 89th Annual Oscars on 26 Feb 2017.

Here is my 74th review of the 89 chosen Films…

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“If I were not mad, I could have helped you. Whatever you had done, I could have pitied and protected you. But because I am mad, I hate you. Because I am mad, I have betrayed you. And because I’m mad, I’m rejoicing in my heart, without a shred of pity, without a shred of regret, watching you go with glory in my heart! ” – Paula

Number of Times Seen – 1 (12 Feb 2017)

Brief Synopsis – After getting married, a young woman returns to live in her childhood home where her aunt was mysteriously murdered.

My Take on it – This is yet another film that I knew nothing about before watching it and I wasn’t quite sure when I would get around to watching it until my good friend Sean from Sean Munger.com highly recommended it to me, so I bumped it to the top of the list and watched away!

Tnx Sean!

I was immediate taken in by the premise of the film which build the tension and suspense as things move along.

They do a great job of looking at how one would begin to suspect that they are going mad and it all feels so much ahead of its time.

The cast does an amazing job here with Charles Boyer., Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten all giving great performances.  The chemistry between Bergman and her two male co-stars is great and she definitely deserved her first (of 3) Oscars for this role.

Was surprised to see a very young Angela Landsbury here and she is quite good in her very first role which ended up earning her a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

The pacing is done quite well and I liked the way things are slowly yet surely revealed to us as things move along.

Bottom Line – Great premise that works so well despite feeling so ahead of it’s time. The cast is superb with Bergman having great chemistry with both Boyer and Cotten.  Bergman rightfully deserved her first (of 3) Oscar for this role.  Landsbury was surprisingly good in her first film role which ended up garnering her a Best Supporting Actress Nomination. Loved the way that the suspense gets higher and higher as the film moves along.  Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The first time Ingrid Bergman met Charles Boyer was the day they shot the scene where they meet at a train station and kiss passionately. Boyer was the same height as Bergman, and in order for him to seem taller, he had to stand on a box, which she kept inadvertently kicking as she ran into the scene. Boyer also wore shoes and boots with 2-inch heels throughout the movie. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy

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