UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

BallWubba Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

cjs6547 And perhaps that is because there was never much merit in it to begin with. We're in what looks like the 1920's, an old lady is murdered and her house turned upside down. Fast forward a few years, and Mrs. Mellon moves in with her husband. If you've read enough detective stories, you already know where this is going.You can tell right away there's something not quite right with the Mellon family, and this is perhaps the most redeeming portion of the movie... the one scene where we first get a glimpse of their inner life. The husband behaves oddly demeaning to his wife in front of the servant girl, who has an eerie grin on her face all the time or is giggling, and the wife is quietly subdued. Everything after that falls into place much too quickly.It's your run of the mill mystery, thriller story, and none of the actors are particularly convincing. Nancy does the best job in my opinion. Mrs. Mellon is a bit dense and subdued even for the standards of those days, which they brush off by explaining she's from the country. Mr. Mellon has a suspiciously French accent. Well damn, if it's a British movie, the French fellow dun it.Nothing really stood out about this one, but I guess it's too late to whine about how it could have been produced. If you're in the mood for one of those black and white mystery films, this one's as good as the next.

TheLittleSongbird It is inevitable that this 1940 film and the 1944 "remake" with Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman are going to be compared, and people will have different opinions as to which is the better version.To me, both 'Gaslight' films are great in their own way, and this reviewer ranks them equally, yet with one or two things in things that are done better in the other. Like the 1944 film (the only real drawback to that film was the uneven performance of Joseph Cotton), there is very little wrong here. The secondary characters could have been better fleshed out, and while Richard Adinsell's music score is suitably ominous Bonislau Kaper's score for the later version has more atmosphere, subtlety and tension.However, while not as glossy as the later film 'Gaslight' (1940) regardless is incredibly well-made. It's shot beautifully and menacingly, is hauntingly lit and has sets that are picturesque yet give off a great amount of dread while over-stating it. It's intelligently and suspensefully directed by then-famous-and-well-regarded, now-almost-forgotten (undeservedly) Thorald Dickinson.The script is thought-provoking and tense, everything feels relevant to what's going on and nothing seemed padded. Tighter-paced and more theatrical somewhat, the story never creaks and is leaden with tension and suspense with nothing obvious that came over as unnecessary or clumsy.Performances are great here and hardly inferior to those in the later film, despite being less familiar. Anton Walbrook, while not as subtle as Charles Boyer, is terrifying and a huge part as to why the film is as atmospheric as it is. Diana Wynward demonstrates Bella's vulnerability incredibly movingly with no histrionics and she's hardly dull either (though the character has more range and depth to her in the 1944 version).Frank Petingell looks more comfortable than Joseph Cotton, his performance is more even (though Cotton was hardly bad), the character is better written and he is more believable as a police officer (where Cotton's performance particularly fell down on). Robert Newton is a strong presence in an early role, and Cathleen Cordell is a hoot as Nancy.All in all, despite being in the shadow of the 1944 'Gaslight' in popularity the earlier 1940 film doesn't deserve to be, because it is every bit as great. 9/10 Bethany Cox

bkoganbing From what I've been reading we're fortunate to have this film at all much less showing for rent on Amazon. Not unlike what Paramount did with Frank Capra's Broadway Bill when that studio made Riding High, MGM destroyed this original British made version of Gaslight that came out four years before MGM remade it with Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten, that classic that won Ingrid Bergman her first Oscar. Fortunately MGM was not thorough and we can enjoy Diana Wynyard and Anton Walbrook in this original film version of the play Angel Street.It might have been nice to have a version of that surviving as well. On stage Vincent Price played the suave husband who is trying to get his wife to question her sanity, he co-starred with Judith Evelyn in the Patrick Hamilton play that ran 1295 performances on Broadway from 1941 to 1944. I can see Price easily doing this part.Of course it would be without the continental suavity of both Charles Boyer and here, Anton Walbrook. Walbrook is one both cold and cool and cruel customer as he tries to drive Wynyard out of her mind. She's at a loss to explain his change toward her. In point of fact she's accidentally discovered a clue to his real identity and he's had history with her family before. She doesn't know what she's discovered which makes her all the more frightened. Wynyard is every bit as good as Bergman in the remake.The major change that MGM made was in the policeman's role. In fact there is some reason to speculate that Scotland Yard man Joseph Cotten may end up with Bergman in the MGM version. Here the dogged detective is British character actor Frank Pettengill who's strictly business. He recognizes Walbrook, but can't prove anything without positive identification.Gaslight remains firmly fixed in the Victorian era it is set. Today what involved an elaborate scheme of deception by Pettengill could be remedied easily with fax and telephotos to Australia where Walbrook presumably was staying for many years.This version of Gaslight is every bit the equal of the finely mounted MGM version and since it is closer to what author Hamilton had in mind, many consider it superior. It's pretty darn good any way you slice it.

drystyx There were plenty of clever films made in the thirties and forties.This is not one of them.It begins with the murder of an elderly lady, followed by the ram-sacking of her home.It fast forwards to many years later, with a very dull couple. The husband is played by Anton Walbrook, who is best known for his great role as the wise religious community leader in THE 49TH Parallel. Here, he is a dull, vicious clod, bullying his wife. It is a thankless role, and Anton does little with it.This is a snail's pace movie. Personally, I think the modern "arcade game look" is the worst possible cinema. But this slow pace comes in second. It will be tough for you not to fast forward. Only the most sedated people will be able to sit through it without trips to the kitchen. It is dull and plodding.The payoff is okay, for those who stick to the end. The minor characters help it out a bit. Still, watching this movie is an ordeal.