Gaslight (1944)

Gaslight (1944) ★★★★★ 4/5

Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) is witness to the murder of her aunt at a very young age. Her aunt is a huge star of the stage, and young Paula admired everything about her aunt. After the murder, she leaves the house where her aunt raised her and never planned to go back. However these plans change when she marries and her husband Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer) convinces her that they should move back into the house. Although a great deal of time has passed, Paula still can not forget the murder and is somewhat weary of living in the house. To help calm her nerves, he hires a cook (Barbara Everest) and a maid (Angela Lansbury) to help Paula tend to the home.

As soon as they move into the house, Gregory's behavior becomes off putting. He becomes frantic when Paula finds old letters from her Aunt. He monitors Paula's every move. He starts to subject her to a cruel psychological torture. He hides things and convinces her she lost them. He moves things about. He breaks her confidence and spirit. The house is lit by gas lighting, and when gas is turned up in one room, it dims the lights in another room. When the house is empty and Paula is home alone, she hears footsteps above her and watches as the lights go dim, wondering who is in the house with her.

Eventually it becomes apparent that he may have had a hand in the murder of Paula's aunt, and that he is after the aunt's personal belongings. With the help of the police, Paula eventually learns the truth and turns the tables on Gregory.

Bergman and Lansbury are the mainframe to this film. Both play their characters with great passion. Bergman has several scenes where she goes from being happy and charismatic to emotionally tortured in just a few frames. She oozes emotions and does so vibrantly. There is an absolute emotional connection between the viewer and Bergman. Without saying a word, she can emulate her inner transformation. Lansbury is quite remarkable as well. She is a sly little tart in this movie. She dates men and walks through town on her own. She is not concerned about danger and not afraid to use sexuality. Like Bergman, Lansbury mastered the act of acting with facial expressions and body language. On screen, the two are not fond of each other and the disconnect between the two is played out on screen perfectly. There is a very natural feeling to their disapproval of each other on screen that heightens the story.

This movie is almost worth of 5 stars just based on their performances alone, however I could only give it 4 stars because there were some drawn out moments which slowed the movie down. I also had a really hard time with Boyer's accent. It was very thick and very hard to interpret at times. There were moments where I was concentrating so hard on what he was saying the the movie became more of a struggle to watch then it was to enjoy. I think perhaps these were the moments where I felt the movie dragged on a bit. Other then this, the film was quite likable. Watching Bergman's psychological breakdown was quite enthralling.

Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)

Meet Me In St. Louis ★★★★★ 3/5

While I had previously known this film was a musical, I had no idea that is was the debut of the classic Christmas song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." Esther Smith (Judy Garland) sings the ballad to her little sister "Tootie" Smith (Margaret O'Brien) soon after learning that the entire family will have to pack up and move to New York City for their Father's (Leon Ames) job.

Although a musical in nature, the film carries on more or less like a drama about the American family in 1904. The musical numbers are subtle and more or less as music might have been used in 1904. In one scene, the family hosts a party where Esther and Tootie perform for the guests. Another scene involves the entire family coming together as their parents sing at the piano. The only true musical styled act that does not come across this way is the famous "Trolley Song" scene.

The essential plot is simple. The family is living their life. They are celebrating holidays like Halloween and Christmas. The older daughters are trying to find suitable boys to be courted by, the younger daughters are causing mischief through the neighborhood, and their Father is trying to find the best way to support his family.

Throughout the storyline, the topic of the World Fair arises. The town prepares for the fair in St. Louis and everyone is excited to attend. The fact that the Fair is coming becomes one of the reasons the family does not want to leave St. Louis for New York City. Tootie's breakdown after Judy Garland also is a major factor in the Father deciding finally that they will not be moving.

The character of Tootie is extremely bizarre in this film. Here is this upper class family in 1904 with a small girl who has the most morbid of fascinations. Although we do not see the ceremonies, we are made aware that Tootie regularly holds funerals and buries her dolls. There is an incident where Tootie and her older sister Agnes (Joan Carroll) almost derail a trolley. In the excitement, neighbor John Truett (Tom Drake), who is also Esther's love interest saves the girls from being caught as the ones who caused the incident. In explaining her injuries to her family, Tootie declares John tried to kill her. In the final scene of the film at the World's Fair, she is talking about dead bodies floating in the river. It's all a little awkward.

One interesting musical number seems to contain a mash up. "Skip To My Lou" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy" are blended as guests dance at the Smith home. It is actually quite hearing how these two songs were taken and blended to form one song. It's a wonder that the TV show "Glee" hasn't actually taken this song and improvised it. But then one must wonder if they were inspired to mash up songs in general from the performance in this film.

I was not taken by this film. It was entertaining. It also shows us that even in 1904 teenage issues were not that much different then today. The fear of going to a dance alone, the excitement of Halloween, the struggles a family faces when pressured to make a move because of a parent's job. The theme of the American family is carried out nicely. Personally I found the most intriguing part of the film to be that of the set and the imagery created. Among the film's 4 Oscar nominations was one for photography. George J. Fosley was the cinematographer and did a fine job. The interior shots of the home are beautiful. Even the outside shots are well done. Whether it be a scene with a buggy passing by, or a scene with children sledding down the hill, they are picturesque. For me it was this photography that made the most interesting aspect of the film.