Gaslight (1940) (1940)
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100% of critics liked it
(6 reviews) -
73% of users liked it
(571 ratings)
The 1940 British production of Gaslight was the first of two cinematic adaptations of Patrick Hamilton's play. Oozing faux continental charm, Anton Walbrook inveigles his way into the confidence of the young mistress (Diana Wynyard) of a large Victorian mansion. Walbrook is searching for the… More The 1940 British production of Gaslight was the first of two cinematic adaptations of Patrick Hamilton's play. Oozing faux continental charm, Anton Walbrook inveigles his way into the confidence of the young mistress (Diana Wynyard) of a large Victorian mansion. Walbrook is searching for the rubies that he'd stolen from the previous owner of the house -- whom he'd also murdered. Suspecting that Wynyard is about to catch on to his secret, Walbrook enlists the aid of a sluttish maidservant to drive his loving bride crazy. The ploy almost works, but Wynyard is rescued by an unexpected ally. Gaslight was released in the U.S. as Murder in Thornton Square, then withdrawn entirely on the occasion of MGM's expensive 1944 remake of Gaslight, which starred Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman. To avoid confusion, MGM allegedly ordered that all prints of the original Gaslight be destroyed. Evidently that order was not honored to the letter, since the 1940 Gaslight is still safely available for both theatrical and TV exhibition. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Thorold Dickinson
- Written By
- Patrick Hamilton, A.R. Rawlinson
- Genres
- Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
- In Theaters
- Jun 25, 1940 Wide
- Studio
- WARNER BROTHERS PICTURES
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The first, British version of Patrick Hamilton's popular play, is extremely well acted by Diana Wynyard and Anton Walbrook, but Cukor's MGM version, with Osar-winning Ingrid Bergman, is superior.
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Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
So much goes right in this film version, all without sparking a corresponding bump in my enthusiasm, that it's all the more obvious that I find some foundations of this text perennially problematic.
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
The British got to the play first, and theirs is the leaner, tauter script, if not the better movie.
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
The husband is played by Anton Walbrook, who is far more sinister and emotionless than Charles Boyer would be in the later version.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Anton Walbrook
as Paul Mallen
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Diana Wynyard
as Bella Mallen
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Frank Pettingell
as Rough
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Cathleen Cordell
as Nancy
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Robert Newton
as Vincent Ullswater
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Jimmy Hanley
as Cobb
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Minnie Rayner
as Elizabeth
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Mary Hinton
as Lady Winterbourne
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Marie Wright
as Alice Barlow
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Jack Barty
as Chairman of Music Hall
- Darrnora Ballet
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Aubrey Dexter
as House Agent
- Angus Morrison