‘Gaslight’: The Ingrid Bergman film that sparked a modern term
While the term ‘gaslight’ might appear to be a contemporary, internet-age slang expression implying a form of deliberate manipulation, its origin dates back much further. In reality, it was first introduced some 80 years ago, in 1944, when the American psychological thriller film Gaslight, directed by George Cukor and featuring Ingrid Bergman, was released.
The suspenseful film, which earned Bergman the Oscar for ‘Best Actress’, was a screen adaptation of Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play of the same name. Interestingly, however, despite its namesake, the term ‘gaslight’ wasn’t employed in the context of the film as a means of manipulation but rather served as a crucial clue leading to its revelation.
In the film, Bergman portrays Paula, a young woman who becomes the target of abusive tactics from her new husband, Gregory, played by Charles Boyer. Gregory initiates a devious scheme by first gifting his wife a precious brooch, only to later manipulate her into believing she has misplaced it. Subsequently, he methodically removes various objects from their home and falsely accuses her of concealing them. All the while, he feigns concern, exploiting Paula’s perceived mental instability to isolate her from visitors and prevent her from leaving the house.
As Paula teeters on the brink of collapse, a detective arrives to challenge her growing self-doubt. Then, as expected, the revelation unfolds: her husband is, in fact, a murderer, motivated by the pursuit of valuable jewels. He aims to drive Paula out of the house and into an asylum, enabling him to continue his search for the gems. This also explains the mysterious dimming of the gaslights whenever he leaves for work; whenever he retreats to the attic to search for the jewels, the rest of the house’s lights dim as a result.
Gaslight isn’t exclusive in its portrayal of psychological manipulation; several other films have also explored this theme. Features like Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Rosemary’s Baby, and Sleeping With The Enemy all delve into different facets of gaslighting. More recently, in 2016’s The Girl On The Train, Emily Blunt portrayed a character whose violent ex-husband implanted false memories in her inebriated state.
The 2018 thriller Unsane also depicted a character played by Claire Foy who was deceived into committing herself to a psychiatric institution. While it might be challenging to substantiate with actual statistical data, within the realm of popular culture, gaslighting predominantly portrays men as the perpetrators and women as the victims.
In the 2020 hit horror film The Invisible Man, however, the narrative delivers the ultimate representation of domestic abuse by taking a different twist revolving around a woman’s intensely frustrating ordeal. She manages to break free from her abusive partner, only to find herself relentlessly pursued by his unseen presence. Initially, the notion of an invisible stalker may seem implausible, even absurd, to her, but it gradually becomes apparent that he’s employing an invisible bodysuit after faking his own death.
The phrase is now an unfortunate piece of common parlance, but it originated back in the grainy world of 1940s cinema and is sadly as prevalent today as it was then.
