Did you know the very famous mystery Gaslight from 1944, which won Ingrid Bergman the first of her three Oscars, was a remake? I didn't, but as soon as I learned it was, I set out to watch the original. To cut to the chase, I liked the remake much better. But if you loved the 1944 version as much as I did, you might want to check this one out for a comparison.
As everyone knows, since the title itself has been turned into a verb, Gaslight is a story about a married woman who fears she's losing her mind. While in the remake, the romance and happy, early days of Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer's marriage are shown, the original just starts off with the plot already underway. Diana Wynyard is already misplacing and forgetting things, and Anton Walbrook is very clearly the bad guy. I prefer the contrast, because if the audience likes the husband character, they're surprised when he starts exhibiting shady behavior.
Both leads give good performances, but in a different style than their replacements. Anton is strictly villainous, and Diana is much more controlled and internal. The story is a bit obvious, and I was disappointed that Cathleen Cordell had a bigger part than Robert Newton-I had hoped Bobbie would play the husband character, since he's wonderful when cast as the bad guy.
As everyone knows, since the title itself has been turned into a verb, Gaslight is a story about a married woman who fears she's losing her mind. While in the remake, the romance and happy, early days of Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer's marriage are shown, the original just starts off with the plot already underway. Diana Wynyard is already misplacing and forgetting things, and Anton Walbrook is very clearly the bad guy. I prefer the contrast, because if the audience likes the husband character, they're surprised when he starts exhibiting shady behavior.
Both leads give good performances, but in a different style than their replacements. Anton is strictly villainous, and Diana is much more controlled and internal. The story is a bit obvious, and I was disappointed that Cathleen Cordell had a bigger part than Robert Newton-I had hoped Bobbie would play the husband character, since he's wonderful when cast as the bad guy.