You may have heard the phrase ‘gaslighting’ before and wondered what it meant. Or you may understand the term as, simply, the act of driving someone crazy. Gaslighting can occasionally be found in the news and is even mentioned every now and then on KIIS FM’s “Ryan’s Roses” in reference to cheating men. Really, it’s a lot more than one person saying, “You’re crazy,” to the other. It’s a slowly mounting, incredibly powerful form of emotional abuse. And society may have let it by the wayside, if it hadn’t have been for one remarkable film.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of George Cukor’s Gaslight (1944), adapted from the 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton and, to a lesser extent, the film adaptation from 1940. But other adaptations are unnecessary, because Cukor’s film gave the colloquially and psychologically acknowledged abuse tactic its name. Powerful enough to move psychoanalysts to action, this seventy-five-year-old piece of cinema surpasses melodrama and demonstrates the sheer terror of romantic control.
“I haven’t dreamed of it since I’ve known you… I haven’t been afraid since I’ve known you.”
How does debonair Charles Boyer manage to so thoroughly hypnotize the lovely Ingrid Bergman? It all starts with Gregory (Boyer) sweeping Paula (Bergman) off her feet and off her intended career path as an opera singer. Gregory doesn’t allow any time for thought; they marry with a level of understanding that barely exceeds acquaintance and Greg informs her, charmingly, that he has always dreamed of living in a London townhouse with his bride. Lucky for him, Paula has a townhouse in London, courtesy of the guardian-aunt who was murdered there. Paula would rather not live in the house where she found her aunt strangled but, with a desire to please her wonderful husband, she gives him his dream.
They move into the since untouched townhouse and Paula takes it like a champ. She can talk about memories of her aunt with happiness, but when the first streaks of fear make an appearance she runs into Gregory’s arms. It makes him so unhappy to see her this way. He suggests they put all these awful furnishings and memories in the attic, so that she can forget everything, forget her. It’s a seemingly sweet gesture with the barest hint of brainwash, and it works perfectly.
Up to this point, the film provides faintly quintessential Victorian melodrama vibes. Lip-searing kisses on the continent, fog on the London streets, scary painting, secretive husband. Then, with the smooth and undetectable skill of Gregory’s own abuse, Gaslight becomes a cinematic immersion into a nebulous reality.
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“I don’t know why I did it.”
“Like the other things.”
It begins with teasing hints at Paula’s ‘quirks’. Gregory says she tends to lose little things and that she’s become forgetful. Meanwhile, sinister elements begin to surface. An oh-so-subtle hesitation as Boyer delivers a line, a close shot on his face as it becomes fixated on a point unknown. And let’s not forget Bergman’s brilliant portrayal of a woman forced from blossoming girl to a tortured shell of a woman.
As we watch Gaslight morph from a typical melodrama into unsettling psychological horror, we notice several qualities of filmmaking brilliance. Shadows from Gregory’s body cast onto the wall, on Bergman’s face as she wears a laced hat and reveals, sheepishly, that she’s lost the family brooch he gave her. He placed it very carefully in her bag, indicating its place with a stricture that she remember where it is. But the brooch becomes lost and Gregory’s criticism of Paula is confirmed.
The film continues thereafter to use artifacts that help Gregory’s abuse reach its disturbing, frightening pinnacle. A picture repeatedly goes missing and Paula, like a woman sleepwalking, retrieves it from its hiding place. Paula is kept from society by her husband and the servants due to her “ill health” then, when Gregory agrees to attend a musicale, interrupts the performance to find his watch, tucked into her bag in a seeming act of kleptomaniac insanity. And, of course, she keeps seeing the gaslight go down. But is Paula really doing and seeing these things? Has she lost her mind?
“You’re not going out of your mind, you’re slowly and systematically being driven out of your mind.”
The revelation that Gregory is obsessed with jewels, and that Paula’s aunt had a ton of expensive jewels hidden among her belongings, are not surprising and not important. The film uses this subplot to ingratiate itself with like films, then hits you in the gut with real horror. Aunty’s ghost does not appear seeking her treasure, the husband does not find the jewels and run off, there are no scares and absolutely no violence. In short, this movie does not succumb to tropes of the day. It doesn’t make you squeal. It makes you shake.
Gregory could sneak into this abandoned house with ease. Instead, he seeks out a sweet, easily influenced girl and puts her through hell. He might have been a two-dimensional villain full of anger and violence. Instead, he’s all too kind, asking questions that lead to self-doubt and fear before his wife can understand it all. And finally, rather than end in a typical fist-fight over a handful of jewels, an incredible performance by Bergman. With her husband tied up and persuasive as ever, Paula throws the man’s methods back in his face. “If I were not mad, I could have helped you. But because I am mad I hate you.”
The work of this director, writer, and the cast is an emblem of psychology and, above all, awareness. With an evocative, immersive ambiance, spine-tingling dialogue, and masterful by-play between Bergman and Boyer, Gaslight deserves its seventy-five-year regard – as masterpiece and monument to psycho-science. We, the audience, see the shadows. We hear the screams. We feel the sweat of uncertainty, fear, and pain. We are the abused.
Ed Sheeran, No. 6 Collaborations Project: Ed Sheeran’s fourth studio album is a star-studded effort featuring Justin Bieber, Camila Cabello, Travis Scott, Eminem, 50 Cent, Cardi B, Paulo Londra, Young Thug, Bruno Mars, Stormzy, Chance the Rapper, Khalid, and more. The guy-with-an-acoustic-guitar-turned-pop-star uses his star status to bring all these artists together for this much-hyped collaborative project, which includes the singles ‘I Don’t Care, ‘Beautiful People’, ‘Cross Me’, ‘Best Part of Me’, and ‘Blow’.
Big K.R.I.T., K.R.I.T. IZ HERE: A sequel to his 2010 mixtape K.R.I.T. WUZ HERE, this is the fourth studio album by Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. It’s the official follow-up to his ambitious and critically acclaimed double album 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time, while early this year he also dropped a compilation bringing together a series of EPs he released in 2018, TDT. K.R.I.T. IZ HERE features guest appearances from Lil Wayne, J. Cole, Saweetie, Rico Love, Yella Beezy and more.
Blood Orange, Angel’s Pulse: Announced just earlier this week, Blood Orange is back following his critically acclaimed fourth studio effort, Negro Swan. “Somewhat of an epilogue” to that album, Dev Hynes performed, produced, and mixed the whole mixtape by himself. In a statement, he said he has a habit of creating new material directly after he puts out an album, but that he normally does not release it. “I put as much work and care into it as I do with the albums I’ve released, but for some reason trained myself into not releasing things the rate at which I make them. I’m older now though, and life is unpredictable and terrifying… so here you go mates.”
Banks, III: Back from a two-year hiatus, Banks returns with her much-anticipated third album, III. The pop star almost titled it Eros, but changed it to convey “beginning, middle, and end” of her life. The album includes the singles ‘Gimme’ and ‘Look What You’re Doing to Me’, which seem to suggest a new kind of musical progression for the artist.
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That said, it’s great news that Pixar recently announced they will only develop original movies for the foreseeable future. It’s absolutely a necessary thing. Their upcoming film Onward is scheduled for release March 2020, and for all we know, neither Tom Holland nor Chris Pratt who lend their voices will be reprising their roles from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following that, there are four projects in Pixar’s calendar between 2020 and 2022, ensuring at least three years of original material. Let’s just not sigh in disappointment the moment one of them becomes a franchise and instead give it a fair chance. It might just lead to the next Toy Story.
Watching Dreamville Presents: REVENGE, the 30-minute documentary that accompanies the third installment in J. Cole’s Dreamville compilation series, one gets a sense of the intense atmosphere of excitement that prevailed in the recording sessions for Revenge of the Dreamers III. Being a part of this collaborative project is like a golden ticket for lesser-known producers and rappers. But it is also an opportunity for J. Cole, one of the least collaborative artists in hip-hop, to get out of his comfort zone. There are moments in ROTD 3 that evoke this exhilarating feeling of collaboration, most evidently ‘Wells Fargo’, a high-energy banger where the less-than-perfect sound quality actually works to the song’s benefit, or ‘Down Bad’, a tight and infectious cut featuring JID, EARTHGANG, Bas, and Young Nudy. Other tracks, as is to be expected with such an overwhelming list of contributors, either lack focus or overstay their welcome, as in ‘Oh Wow… Swerve’ or ‘LamboTruck’. On the other hand, the R&B-leaning tracks that feature Ari Lennox, ‘Self Love’ and ‘Got Me’, are some of the album’s most moving highlights. It’s hard to say what this all-over-the-place project is exactly; it certainly works best as a promotional tool for those lesser-known artists than a coherent artistic effort. Even so, there are a few strong moments that elevate it from the slightly more mediocre Revenge of the Dreamers II.
“Syre is the nice one, kind of the more sensitive one. And Erys is just kind of like, doesn’t really care at all.” Jaden’s own description of his latest album, ERYS, is surprisingly apt, though not necessarily in the way he meant it to be. The “I don’t care” factor is indeed quite high on this one, but make no mistake: much of ERYS is just filled with a bunch of generic, flavourless trap beats (‘i-drip-or-is’, ‘Again’) that have little to nothing to offer. Plus, isn’t ‘Got It’ basically a sad rip-off of Charli XCX’s ‘I Got It’, or is it just me? In any case, Jaden isn’t afraid to experiment on ERYS, to invariably questionable results. Out of nowhere, we get a punk song (‘Fire Dept’) – yes, you read that right – a couple of painfully autotuned and overly-long emo rap songs, one after the other (‘Blackout’ and ‘Pain’, each close to 7 minutes long), not to mention the 8-minute faux-experimental closer ‘ERYS’. There are a few bright spots, fortunately, like the hard-hitting ‘NOIZE’ feat. Tyler, the Creator, or ‘Own My Own’ feat. Kid Cudi, which sort of has that abrasive Kids See Ghosts vibe to keep it going. But apart from that, ERYS is quite an unentertaining mess.
Jesca Hoop effortlessly mixes old and new worlds, both musically and lyrically. While Stonechild is the California folk singer’s fifth studio album, many became aware of her work after the critical success that was her 2017 album Memories Are Now. The approach here is similar, but where Memories Are Now combined traditional folk songwriting with a raw, sometimes distorted acoustic guitar sound, Stonechild is more polished, while mixing in subtle electronic elements. But it still inhabits the same dark place, ancient but somehow distinctly modern. Produced by PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish, that PJ Harvey influence immediately makes itself apparent on the dramatic opener ‘Free of the Feeling’ (as well as later on with ‘Red White and Black’), but the rest of the album delves into a more traditional sound while exploring themes such as the dark side of motherhood. ‘Old Fear of Father’ acts as a chilling thesis for the album, as Hoop sings about how misogyny passes on from generation to generation – “I love my boys more than I love my girls/ Try not to show it, she knows like I knew/ I have my father’s legs, long kissed with summer/ Old fear of Father keeps me in Mother’s mirror”. There’s great storytelling here, too, like on the poignant ’01 Tear’, as well as smart commentary on contemporary society and virtual reality on the stunning single ‘Outside of Eden’ featuring This is the Kit. But there’s also one surprisingly personal moment, the track ‘Shoulder Charge’ (feat. Lucius), where Hoop beautifully evokes feelings of alienation and being an outsider, ending on a hopeful note: “And what a fucking relief/ That nothing one can go through/ Has not been shared by two.”
Are you a fan of boundary-pushing electropop in the style of Grimes and Purity Ring? Or perhaps just a lower-case ‘i’ enthusiast? Then don’t miss out on the new album by BABii, a UK artist who fuses sweet vocals with dark subjects to create a particularly captivating brand of left-field futuristic pop. What separates BABii from the many indie pop musicians mixing dreamy vocals with layered synths is the tight songwriting and electronic flourishes influenced by the likes of Iglooghost, the experimental producer with whom she has toured and collaborated, as in opener ‘SYMMETRii’. HiiDE is also surprisingly cohesive and mature for a debut album, while still being playful and creative, mysterious but open-hearted. ‘CARNiiVoRE’ brilliantly explores the idea of falling in love with someone you know is going to hurt you through the metaphor of a prey animal falling in love with its predator. Other moments are more emotionally direct – “And I miss you/ And I don’t want to” she sings on ‘SKiiN’, one of the highlights of the album. BABii often treats her voice like another instrument, like on the spacy closer ‘SEiiZure’, or the slower-paced ‘POiiSON’, with its quietly entrancing bass-line and affecting chorus. It’s a shame the album is only 35 minutes long – we can’t wait to hear more from her.
