In 1940 Thorold Dickinson directed Gaslight starring Anton Walbrook and Diane Wynyard, in which a husband drives his wife slowly insane while he scours the house looking for her late aunt's hidden jewels. This was a great thriller, with wonderful acting and pacing. Although, I discovered this treasure by mistake, thinking I was ordering the 1943 version which won Oscars for best actress and best art direction. This raised the question, why remake a film after only three years of it's predisesor's release? It must be better, it just must, I mean it won two Oscars right?
I was very disappointed with 1944's Gaslight. As in classic 1930/40s style it was very melodramatic almost to the point of annoyance and thought parts of it dragged on, for instance I would have been fine with Paula and Gregory's courtship being a deleted scene. There was also a busy buddy neighbor who couldn't wait to get into the home where Paula's aunt was murdered. I felt she added nothing to the story and just wasted screen time. I love Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman and even they couldn't save it, despite their amazingly talented efforts. I had such high expectations for this film and was slowly deflated like a balloon.
