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Gaslight
This classic Victorian thriller was first produced in 1935. Jack Manningham is slowly, deliberately driving his wife, Bella, insane. He has almost succeeded when help arrives in the form of a former detective, Rough, who believes Manningham to be a thief and murderer. Aided by Bella, Rough proves Manningham's true identity and finally Bella achieves a few moments of sweet revenge for the suffering inflicted on her.
78 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1939
About the author
Patrick Hamilton
52 books301 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He was born Anthony Walter Patrick Hamilton in the Sussex village of Hassocks, near Brighton, to writer parents. Due to his father's alcoholism and financial ineptitude, the family spent much of Hamilton's childhood living in boarding houses in Chiswick and Hove. His education was patchy, and ended just after his fifteenth birthday when his mother withdrew him from Westminster School.
After a brief career as an actor, he became a novelist in his early twenties with the publication of Monday Morning (1925), written when he was nineteen. Craven House (1926) and Twopence Coloured (1928) followed, but his first real success was the play Rope (1929, known as Rope's End in America).
The Midnight Bell (1929) is based upon Hamilton's falling in love with a prostitute, and was later published along with The Siege of Pleasure (1932) and The Plains of Cement (1934) as the semi-autobiographical trilogy 20,000 Streets Under the Sky (1935).
Hamilton disliked many aspects of modern life. He was disfigured badly when he was run over by a car in the late 1920s: the end of his novel Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse (1953), with its vision of England smothered in metal beetles, reflects his loathing of the motor car. However, despite some distaste for the culture in which he operated, he was a popular contributor to it. His two most successful plays, Rope and Gas Light (1938, known as Angel Street in the US), made Hamilton wealthy and were also successful as films: the British-made Gaslight (1940) and the 1944 American remake, and Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948).
Hangover Square (1941) is often judged his most accomplished work and still sells well in paperback, and is regarded by contemporary authors such as Iain Sinclair and Peter Ackroyd as an important part of the tradition of London novels. Set in Earls Court where Hamilton himself lived, it deals with both alcohol-drinking practices of the time and the underlying political context, such as the rise of fascism and responses to it. Hamilton became an avowed Marxist, though not a publicly declared member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. During the 1930s, like many other authors, Hamilton grew increasingly angry with capitalism and, again like others, felt that the violence and fascism of Europe during the period indicated that capitalism was reaching its end: this encouraged his Marxism and his novel Impromptu in Moribundia (1939) was a satirical attack of capitalist culture.
During his later life, Hamilton developed in his writing a misanthropic authorial voice which became more disillusioned, cynical and bleak as time passed. The Slaves of Solitude (1947), was his only work to deal directly with the Second World War, and he preferred to look back to the pre-war years. His Gorse Trilogy—three novels about a devious sexual predator and conman—are not generally well thought of critically, although Graham Greene said that the first was 'the best book written about Brighton' and the second (Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse) is regarded increasingly as a comic masterpiece. The hostility and negativity of the novels is also attributed to Hamilton's disenchantment with the utopianism of Marxism and depression. The trilogy comprises The West Pier (1952); Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse (1953), dramatized as The Charmer in 1987; and in 1955 Hamilton's last published work, Unknown Assailant, a short novel much of which was dictated while Hamilton was drunk. The Gorse Trilogy was first published in a single volume in 1992.
Hamilton had begun to consume alcohol excessively while still a relatively young man. After a declining career and melancholia, he died in 1962 of cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure, in Sheringham, Norfolk.
He was born Anthony Walter Patrick Hamilton in the Sussex village of Hassocks, near Brighton, to writer parents. Due to his father's alcoholism and financial ineptitude, the family spent much of Hamilton's childhood living in boarding houses in Chiswick and Hove. His education was patchy, and ended just after his fifteenth birthday when his mother withdrew him from Westminster School.
After a brief career as an actor, he became a novelist in his early twenties with the publication of Monday Morning (1925), written when he was nineteen. Craven House (1926) and Twopence Coloured (1928) followed, but his first real success was the play Rope (1929, known as Rope's End in America).
The Midnight Bell (1929) is based upon Hamilton's falling in love with a prostitute, and was later published along with The Siege of Pleasure (1932) and The Plains of Cement (1934) as the semi-autobiographical trilogy 20,000 Streets Under the Sky (1935).
Hamilton disliked many aspects of modern life. He was disfigured badly when he was run over by a car in the late 1920s: the end of his novel Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse (1953), with its vision of England smothered in metal beetles, reflects his loathing of the motor car. However, despite some distaste for the culture in which he operated, he was a popular contributor to it. His two most successful plays, Rope and Gas Light (1938, known as Angel Street in the US), made Hamilton wealthy and were also successful as films: the British-made Gaslight (1940) and the 1944 American remake, and Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948).
Hangover Square (1941) is often judged his most accomplished work and still sells well in paperback, and is regarded by contemporary authors such as Iain Sinclair and Peter Ackroyd as an important part of the tradition of London novels. Set in Earls Court where Hamilton himself lived, it deals with both alcohol-drinking practices of the time and the underlying political context, such as the rise of fascism and responses to it. Hamilton became an avowed Marxist, though not a publicly declared member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. During the 1930s, like many other authors, Hamilton grew increasingly angry with capitalism and, again like others, felt that the violence and fascism of Europe during the period indicated that capitalism was reaching its end: this encouraged his Marxism and his novel Impromptu in Moribundia (1939) was a satirical attack of capitalist culture.
During his later life, Hamilton developed in his writing a misanthropic authorial voice which became more disillusioned, cynical and bleak as time passed. The Slaves of Solitude (1947), was his only work to deal directly with the Second World War, and he preferred to look back to the pre-war years. His Gorse Trilogy—three novels about a devious sexual predator and conman—are not generally well thought of critically, although Graham Greene said that the first was 'the best book written about Brighton' and the second (Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse) is regarded increasingly as a comic masterpiece. The hostility and negativity of the novels is also attributed to Hamilton's disenchantment with the utopianism of Marxism and depression. The trilogy comprises The West Pier (1952); Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse (1953), dramatized as The Charmer in 1987; and in 1955 Hamilton's last published work, Unknown Assailant, a short novel much of which was dictated while Hamilton was drunk. The Gorse Trilogy was first published in a single volume in 1992.
Hamilton had begun to consume alcohol excessively while still a relatively young man. After a declining career and melancholia, he died in 1962 of cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure, in Sheringham, Norfolk.
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August 21, 2024
به نظرم قبل از خوندن کتاب چراغ گاز، حتما کتاب فریب نهان از آقای قربانی رو بخونید. چون در کتاب "فریب نهان، روشهای دستکاری احساسی و گریز از صداقت" کامل میتونید با واژهی دستکاری که به معنی برهم زدن نظم حاکم بر یک چیزی است، اشنا بشوید. چیزی که به عنوان فریب نهان معنا میشود: آدمها به شکلی پنهان و در جهت منافع خاصی، بدون توجه به نظر و اختیار طرف مقابل، احساسات او را تحریک و دستکاری میکنند. چنین فریب نهانی رواج بسیاری دارد. در کتاب فریب نهان، بعد از تعریف و شرح فریب نهان احساسی، در فصل دوم نشانههای فریب را میخوانیم. در فصل ششم با راهبردهای متداول فریب نهان احساسی، آشنا میشویم: مانند دلیلتراشی، مثلث سازی، عذاب وجدان، باجگیری عاطفی و ... که کامل اینها با مثال توضیح داده شدهاند...
حالا چراغ گاز یک داستان است به صورت نمایشنامه نوشته شده که داستان دستکاری و فریب احساسی نام گرفته.... آقای جک منینگهام سعی دارد با فریب و دستکاری کنترل خود را روی همسرش بلا به دست آورد. او را به جنون میرساند و آزار میدهد، مترجم با پانویسهایی که در آخر هر صفحه آورده، تمام دیالوگها را به کتاب فریب نهان ارجاع داده که باعث درک بهتر فریب نهان توسط جک منینگهام ، روی همسرش میشود.
من کتاب رو از انتشارات بینش نو خوندم.
حالا چراغ گاز یک داستان است به صورت نمایشنامه نوشته شده که داستان دستکاری و فریب احساسی نام گرفته.... آقای جک منینگهام سعی دارد با فریب و دستکاری کنترل خود را روی همسرش بلا به دست آورد. او را به جنون میرساند و آزار میدهد، مترجم با پانویسهایی که در آخر هر صفحه آورده، تمام دیالوگها را به کتاب فریب نهان ارجاع داده که باعث درک بهتر فریب نهان توسط جک منینگهام ، روی همسرش میشود.
من کتاب رو از انتشارات بینش نو خوندم.
November 4, 2024
۴.۵
یک نمایشنامه بسیار بسیار جالب و هوشمندانه.
همه اسم این نمایشنامه رو شنیدن، یا حداقل در مورد فیلمی که ازش اقتباس شده میدونن. حتی اگر اینا هم نباشه، دیگه در مورد کلمه «گسلایت کردن» شنیدن. خب این کلمه از این داستان اومده و به خوبی داشتن یه پارتنر ابیوسیو رو نشون میده، که چطور با منیپولیت کردن طرف مقابل باعث میشه طرف احساس کنه داره دیوانه میشه، یا حرفها، نظرات و مشاهداتش قابل استناد نیست.
البته داستان بیشتر از اینه، و یک پلات جنایی خیلی جالب هم داره. تعلیق بسیار خوبی داره، پیام بسیار جالبی داره و در کل خیلی دوستش داشتم. تنها چیزی که انتظارم رو یکمی برآورده نکرد این بود که خیلی کوتاه بود و تمام نمایشنامه فقط توی یک روز اتفاق میافته. انتظار داشتم یکمی طولانیمدتتر باشه. ولی خب باید محدودیت تئاتر رو هم درک کنیم و به نویسنده آفرین بگیم که تونسته تو این داستان کوتاه تمام جنبههای داستان رو به این خوبی جلو ببره.
یک نمایشنامه بسیار بسیار جالب و هوشمندانه.
همه اسم این نمایشنامه رو شنیدن، یا حداقل در مورد فیلمی که ازش اقتباس شده میدونن. حتی اگر اینا هم نباشه، دیگه در مورد کلمه «گسلایت کردن» شنیدن. خب این کلمه از این داستان اومده و به خوبی داشتن یه پارتنر ابیوسیو رو نشون میده، که چطور با منیپولیت کردن طرف مقابل باعث میشه طرف احساس کنه داره دیوانه میشه، یا حرفها، نظرات و مشاهداتش قابل استناد نیست.
البته داستان بیشتر از اینه، و یک پلات جنایی خیلی جالب هم داره. تعلیق بسیار خوبی داره، پیام بسیار جالبی داره و در کل خیلی دوستش داشتم. تنها چیزی که انتظارم رو یکمی برآورده نکرد این بود که خیلی کوتاه بود و تمام نمایشنامه فقط توی یک روز اتفاق میافته. انتظار داشتم یکمی طولانیمدتتر باشه. ولی خب باید محدودیت تئاتر رو هم درک کنیم و به نویسنده آفرین بگیم که تونسته تو این داستان کوتاه تمام جنبههای داستان رو به این خوبی جلو ببره.
October 25, 2016
Description: Years after her aunt was murdered in her home, a young woman moves back into the house with her new husband. However, he has a secret that he will do anything to protect, even if it means driving his wife insane.
"I believe I'm going to be
very interested in number twelve."
The Murder in Thornton Square 1940 (aka Gaslight) Full Film
With all the Trumpy gaslighting going on, it was good to re-visit the play which gave us the definition of psychological manipulation. Mr Mallen, in this version, has a white streak running through his hair and suspect it fired the imagination and gave rise to a highly popular story line for Catherine Cookson. In 1944, Hollywood remade the film:
Charles Boyer
Ingrid Bergman (oscar performance)
Joseph Cotten
Angela Lansbury
November 18, 2025
چراغ گاز اثری روان و خوشخوانه. همین نکته که اصطلاح gaslight که چند صباحیه مد شده، از این اثر برآمده، به خودی خود انقدر جذاب هست که آدم سراغش بره.
از اون دست نمایشنامههای ساده و خوبیه که میتونه آدم رو توی دنیای مطالعه نگه داره و اگه بهش 3 دادم بابت نقص عجیبوغریبی نیست، بلکه یک 3 کاردست برای اثریه که خستگیِ مطالعهٔ جستهوگریختهای که گاهبهگاه به آثارِ سرطانِ سختخوان و کم ارزش میانجامه رو، میشوره و میبره.
چراغ گاز یه پیرنگ پلیسی سر راست و کلاسیک داره که ترکیبش با ایجاد مفهوم گسلایت در رفتار یک جنایتکار با همسرش، ترکیبی نه چندان تازه و عمیق، ولی دنبالکردنی و دلنشین میسازه؛ درست مانند دیدن اپیزود یک سریال خوش ساخت ساده و عادی بعد یه روز طولانی کاری.
ترجمه هم روان و خوب بود.
از اون دست نمایشنامههای ساده و خوبیه که میتونه آدم رو توی دنیای مطالعه نگه داره و اگه بهش 3 دادم بابت نقص عجیبوغریبی نیست، بلکه یک 3 کاردست برای اثریه که خستگیِ مطالعهٔ جستهوگریختهای که گاهبهگاه به آثارِ سرطانِ سختخوان و کم ارزش میانجامه رو، میشوره و میبره.
چراغ گاز یه پیرنگ پلیسی سر راست و کلاسیک داره که ترکیبش با ایجاد مفهوم گسلایت در رفتار یک جنایتکار با همسرش، ترکیبی نه چندان تازه و عمیق، ولی دنبالکردنی و دلنشین میسازه؛ درست مانند دیدن اپیزود یک سریال خوش ساخت ساده و عادی بعد یه روز طولانی کاری.
ترجمه هم روان و خوب بود.
September 20, 2020
- HellohermajestystheatrebruceherehowmayIhelpyou?
- Good evening. I would like to speak to the general manager.
- That's me.
- You are the general manager?
- Yup.
- Well then Mr... ah... Bruce, am I correct in thinking that you will be presenting a performance of Gas Light later this evening?
- Starting in one hour and twenty-seven minutes. We still have some ticks left if you can get here in time. Good seats.
- Mr... ah... Bruce, I am calling to request that you cancel the performance forthwith.
- Is this something about covid? Cause we did all that last week, our clearances are up to date mate, you can check if you like.
- This is not about the Chinese virus. I am a legal representative of President Donald J. Trump, and I am calling to request that you cancel with immediate effect a performance which is highly injurious to the reputation of my client.
- You gotta be fucking kidding me.
- Mr Bruce, I am not "kidding you". I--
- You're a Pom. You can't be Trump's fucking lawyer mate.
- Mr Bruce, I am indeed British by origin, as you so astutely observe. I am a naturalised American citizen. My name is Geoffrey Runne, and I am the only partner in the firm of Sue, Grabbit and Runne who is conversant with Australian law. If you check your email you will see the message I sent to you earlier.
- Hold the line a mo Geoff... where the fuck is it... Jesus fucking Christ, you're legit. Fuck me.
- I would prefer not to, Mr Bruce.
- But Geoff, what the fuck is this about for fuck's sakes?
- Mr Bruce, is it or is it not true that the male lead in your performance will be made up to look like President Trump?
- What the fuck are you talking about?
- Do I understand you to mean that you claim it is not true?
- Of course it isn't fucking true, you Pommy wanker. What the fuck do you mean?
- Very well, Mr Bruce, deny it if you will. And do you also deny that the female lead is made up to look like the United States of America?
- How the fuck would we make her up to look like the United States of fucking America?
- So you deny that she will be wearing a red, blue and white dress with a crown resembling the one worn by the Statue of Liberty?
- Listen fuckwit, she's wearing a blue dress but there's no red, no white, no fucking--
- So you admit that at least one of the colours is present?
- Okay Hercule fucking Poirot, you got me with the blue dress.
- Thank you, Mr Bruce. Also, is it true that the male lead is presented as an incurable philanderer, who spends virtually the entire play sexually harassing his young female employee?
- Of course it's fucking true. That's what the character does right, it's in the fucking script. So fucking what?
- Mr Bruce, would you call the President of the United States an incurable philanderer, who is well known for sexually harassing his female employees?
- Well since you ask, I would, but he fucking denies it.
- You are right, Mr Bruce. None of these allegations are true. Nonetheless, they have been made so frequently, and so persistently, that many members of the public incorrectly believe them to be true.
- Matey, you are fucking insane.
- Mr Bruce, shall we stop wasting each other's time. Over the last four years, the word 'gaslighting' has been used so many times in connection with President Trump that it is virtually impossible for anyone to hear it without thinking of him. When you decided to stage this play, did you, or did you not think of him?
- I suppose I might have fucking thought of him.
- Did you, or did you not, Mr Bruce? Yes or no.
- Okay, I fucking thought of him.
- Thank you Mr Bruce, you have been very helpful. Now I am asking you once again to cancel your production. I would like to add that our attitude to damages will depend on the nature of your reply.
- ...
- Hello, Mr Bruce? Are you still there? I am waiting for your reply.
- Well Geoff, I'm wondering what your attitude to damages will be when I say that my reply is fuck off.
- I am sorry that we could not reach an amicable agreement, Mr Bruce. I look forward to seeing you in court.
[Click]
- Okay mate you were right. I owe you a cold one.
- Yeah, you can't buy publicity like that.
- Good evening. I would like to speak to the general manager.
- That's me.
- You are the general manager?
- Yup.
- Well then Mr... ah... Bruce, am I correct in thinking that you will be presenting a performance of Gas Light later this evening?
- Starting in one hour and twenty-seven minutes. We still have some ticks left if you can get here in time. Good seats.
- Mr... ah... Bruce, I am calling to request that you cancel the performance forthwith.
- Is this something about covid? Cause we did all that last week, our clearances are up to date mate, you can check if you like.
- This is not about the Chinese virus. I am a legal representative of President Donald J. Trump, and I am calling to request that you cancel with immediate effect a performance which is highly injurious to the reputation of my client.
- You gotta be fucking kidding me.
- Mr Bruce, I am not "kidding you". I--
- You're a Pom. You can't be Trump's fucking lawyer mate.
- Mr Bruce, I am indeed British by origin, as you so astutely observe. I am a naturalised American citizen. My name is Geoffrey Runne, and I am the only partner in the firm of Sue, Grabbit and Runne who is conversant with Australian law. If you check your email you will see the message I sent to you earlier.
- Hold the line a mo Geoff... where the fuck is it... Jesus fucking Christ, you're legit. Fuck me.
- I would prefer not to, Mr Bruce.
- But Geoff, what the fuck is this about for fuck's sakes?
- Mr Bruce, is it or is it not true that the male lead in your performance will be made up to look like President Trump?
- What the fuck are you talking about?
- Do I understand you to mean that you claim it is not true?
- Of course it isn't fucking true, you Pommy wanker. What the fuck do you mean?
- Very well, Mr Bruce, deny it if you will. And do you also deny that the female lead is made up to look like the United States of America?
- How the fuck would we make her up to look like the United States of fucking America?
- So you deny that she will be wearing a red, blue and white dress with a crown resembling the one worn by the Statue of Liberty?
- Listen fuckwit, she's wearing a blue dress but there's no red, no white, no fucking--
- So you admit that at least one of the colours is present?
- Okay Hercule fucking Poirot, you got me with the blue dress.
- Thank you, Mr Bruce. Also, is it true that the male lead is presented as an incurable philanderer, who spends virtually the entire play sexually harassing his young female employee?
- Of course it's fucking true. That's what the character does right, it's in the fucking script. So fucking what?
- Mr Bruce, would you call the President of the United States an incurable philanderer, who is well known for sexually harassing his female employees?
- Well since you ask, I would, but he fucking denies it.
- You are right, Mr Bruce. None of these allegations are true. Nonetheless, they have been made so frequently, and so persistently, that many members of the public incorrectly believe them to be true.
- Matey, you are fucking insane.
- Mr Bruce, shall we stop wasting each other's time. Over the last four years, the word 'gaslighting' has been used so many times in connection with President Trump that it is virtually impossible for anyone to hear it without thinking of him. When you decided to stage this play, did you, or did you not think of him?
- I suppose I might have fucking thought of him.
- Did you, or did you not, Mr Bruce? Yes or no.
- Okay, I fucking thought of him.
- Thank you Mr Bruce, you have been very helpful. Now I am asking you once again to cancel your production. I would like to add that our attitude to damages will depend on the nature of your reply.
- ...
- Hello, Mr Bruce? Are you still there? I am waiting for your reply.
- Well Geoff, I'm wondering what your attitude to damages will be when I say that my reply is fuck off.
- I am sorry that we could not reach an amicable agreement, Mr Bruce. I look forward to seeing you in court.
[Click]
- Okay mate you were right. I owe you a cold one.
- Yeah, you can't buy publicity like that.
January 8, 2024
This is Hamilton's original play that was later turned into a film - it's pure melodrama but no less creepily disturbing for that. The menace of psychological violence just leaps from the page as a man deliberately tries to prove to his abused wife she is losing her mind... And what an ending!
September 6, 2023
A simply fantastic, unsettling play.
February 23, 2025
نمایشنامه چراغ گاز یک اثر معروف است . از روی این اثر هم فیلم سینمایی ساخته شده و هم بارها بر روی صحنه تئاتر رفته است
در ایران هم بارها نسخه سینمایی آن پخش شده و هم تله تئاتر ایرانی آن ساخته و نمایش داده شده است
مترجم این کتابی که من در دست داشتم با همین رویکرد که گویا همه خوانندگان این نمایشنامه از قبل کل داستان را می دانند از همان ابتدا و در پیشگفتار داستان را لو می دهد و با افزودن پا نوشتهای بسیار در طول کتاب به تحلیل روانشناسانه شخصیتها در کتاب می پردازد که به نظرم زیادی و اعصاب خورد کن است
با این حال از نظر ترجمه یک ترجمه خوب و روان داشت
در ایران هم بارها نسخه سینمایی آن پخش شده و هم تله تئاتر ایرانی آن ساخته و نمایش داده شده است
مترجم این کتابی که من در دست داشتم با همین رویکرد که گویا همه خوانندگان این نمایشنامه از قبل کل داستان را می دانند از همان ابتدا و در پیشگفتار داستان را لو می دهد و با افزودن پا نوشتهای بسیار در طول کتاب به تحلیل روانشناسانه شخصیتها در کتاب می پردازد که به نظرم زیادی و اعصاب خورد کن است
با این حال از نظر ترجمه یک ترجمه خوب و روان داشت
May 25, 2025
چقدر قشنگ گسلایت رو به تصویر کشید :)))
واقعا جالب بود برام که این واژه رو از روی این نمایشنامه برداشتن
ریتم و داستانش عالی بود🤌🏻🥹
واقعا جالب بود برام که این واژه رو از روی این نمایشنامه برداشتن
ریتم و داستانش عالی بود🤌🏻🥹
January 3, 2019
Como a literatura é maravilhosa, e como ela nos faz sentirmos tão insignificante . Nunca conseguiremos ler nem um décimo das maravilhas que estão ao nosso dispor, nossa vida é curta, não temos tempo para isso. Só Agora descobri esse maravilhoso livro, uma peça na verdade, escrita por Patrick Hamilton há mais de oitenta anos atrás. Um enredo maravilhoso, um suspense magnífico, a cada página você é afogado por uma atmosfera de opressão, te dá falta de ar, a cada página seu coração quase sai pela boca. Magnífico, extraordinário.
Bella Manningham, é manipulada psicologicamente por seu marido Mr. Manningham, que faz de tudo , para fazer com que ela pense estar ficando louca. Com que intenção será?
Mas entra em cena o detetive Rough, que vai fazer de tudo para acabar ainda mais com nossos nervos. Quem achar que estou exagerando em tudo o que disse acima, leia o livro e comprove
Bella Manningham, é manipulada psicologicamente por seu marido Mr. Manningham, que faz de tudo , para fazer com que ela pense estar ficando louca. Com que intenção será?
Mas entra em cena o detetive Rough, que vai fazer de tudo para acabar ainda mais com nossos nervos. Quem achar que estou exagerando em tudo o que disse acima, leia o livro e comprove
November 10, 2022
The impetus for reading this is a rather circuitous one - when recently Dame Angela Lansbury passed, I realized I had never seen her Oscar-nominated film debut in "Gaslight', although I had been privileged to see her several times live on stage (most notably in Sweeney Todd). So I watched the film for the first time, and vaguely remembered seeing the stage version back when I was an undergrad at Cal Berkeley, under its alternate title, Angel Street (there was a short-lived summer program there called the Old Chestnut Drama Guild that did melodramas from the early part of the century).
Anyway, I wanted to revisit the play version, as it seemed quite different from the film - and indeed, although the bones of the story are the same, there were quite a few changes made in order to 'open up' the film. The detective character is also quite altered, probably to better suit the talents of Joseph Cotton. Regardless, I think the stage play is rather creaky at this point, over explaining much that is fairly obvious to the audience, so seems a bit hackneyed and longwinded - but still an enjoyable read. Oddly, this script version includes some kudos on the original NY production (which starred Vincent Price as the villainous husband!), including a rather long enthusiastic one from Eleanor Roosevelt!
Anyway, I wanted to revisit the play version, as it seemed quite different from the film - and indeed, although the bones of the story are the same, there were quite a few changes made in order to 'open up' the film. The detective character is also quite altered, probably to better suit the talents of Joseph Cotton. Regardless, I think the stage play is rather creaky at this point, over explaining much that is fairly obvious to the audience, so seems a bit hackneyed and longwinded - but still an enjoyable read. Oddly, this script version includes some kudos on the original NY production (which starred Vincent Price as the villainous husband!), including a rather long enthusiastic one from Eleanor Roosevelt!
November 22, 2025
Gaslight, based on a play by Patrick Hamilton
A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
Gaslight is a first rate drama.
It is included on the New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made List:
- http://www.listchallenges.com/new-yor...
It is directed by the genius George Cukor.
The man behind such classics as:
- My Fair Lady, The Philadelphia Story, Adam’s Rib and more
In the leading roles we have Ingrid Bergman, who won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a leading role.
Indeed, her portrayal of Paula Alquist is sublime.
In the other leading role we have Charles Boyer as Gregory Anton.
And he is terrific as well.
Paula Alquist is a young woman who is taking singing lessons in the first scenes of the film, with a famous professor.
Accompanying her on the piano is Gregory Anton.
In a discussion with the professor, the singer mentions the fact that she will never achieve the status of her aunt.
The older man is sure that there is something very important that is distracting his pupil, perhaps she is in love?
- Well, as soon as the singer is out the door, we see her talking and embracing the piano player and planning a trip
In the train, an English woman talks to Paula about a mysterious murder that took place right across from her house.
As the young woman is getting ever more upset, the details of the crime are revealed, as long as they are known.
But the station of her destination is here and Paula descends in Como, where she is met by the man she loves.
Gregory Anton is a very challenging role, for this is a sophisticated, educated, talented player and composer.
His manners are refined, his charm is impressive, the appearance is that of an aristocrat and he is definitely a gentleman.
Only it becomes clear that behind this attractive façade, we have a devilish individual with dark purposes in mind.
He insists that he would like to live in London, where the homeless are unhappy, but which is the best place to be for people who have a home, on a square.
Paula Alquist has the proper mansion, left as inheritance to her by the opera celebrity, her aunt who was killed right near the home of the woman in the train.
Once they are married and moved into the London home, Gregory Anton is showing his true colors, right as Paula finds a letter and he shouts that she needs to give it to him and the audience can see this is a villain.
He accuses is wife of stealing paintings, losing precious objects and imagining things like footsteps at night.
His plan is to drive the poor spouse crazy, in a sort of reverse of the Pygmalion Effect, a psychological phenomenon that has proved that if you believe strongly that someone is able to achieve success, that happens.
When he gives his wife a brooch, he then steals it to claim she is so mad she does not know what she is doing.
In a sort of climax, in the middle of a concert with a large crowd in attendance, Gregory Anton claims his watch had been stolen.
He knows this will provoke a crisis and a breakdown of his spouse, especially after he checks her purse and finds his watch there.
Brian Cameron is a detective that had been puzzled by the killing of the famous opera singer and he represents the only hope for Paula.
She is isolated in the house and her resilience is fast breaking up, faced with a continuous attack from Gregory.
Capital film.
A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
Gaslight is a first rate drama.
It is included on the New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made List:
- http://www.listchallenges.com/new-yor...
It is directed by the genius George Cukor.
The man behind such classics as:
- My Fair Lady, The Philadelphia Story, Adam’s Rib and more
In the leading roles we have Ingrid Bergman, who won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a leading role.
Indeed, her portrayal of Paula Alquist is sublime.
In the other leading role we have Charles Boyer as Gregory Anton.
And he is terrific as well.
Paula Alquist is a young woman who is taking singing lessons in the first scenes of the film, with a famous professor.
Accompanying her on the piano is Gregory Anton.
In a discussion with the professor, the singer mentions the fact that she will never achieve the status of her aunt.
The older man is sure that there is something very important that is distracting his pupil, perhaps she is in love?
- Well, as soon as the singer is out the door, we see her talking and embracing the piano player and planning a trip
In the train, an English woman talks to Paula about a mysterious murder that took place right across from her house.
As the young woman is getting ever more upset, the details of the crime are revealed, as long as they are known.
But the station of her destination is here and Paula descends in Como, where she is met by the man she loves.
Gregory Anton is a very challenging role, for this is a sophisticated, educated, talented player and composer.
His manners are refined, his charm is impressive, the appearance is that of an aristocrat and he is definitely a gentleman.
Only it becomes clear that behind this attractive façade, we have a devilish individual with dark purposes in mind.
He insists that he would like to live in London, where the homeless are unhappy, but which is the best place to be for people who have a home, on a square.
Paula Alquist has the proper mansion, left as inheritance to her by the opera celebrity, her aunt who was killed right near the home of the woman in the train.
Once they are married and moved into the London home, Gregory Anton is showing his true colors, right as Paula finds a letter and he shouts that she needs to give it to him and the audience can see this is a villain.
He accuses is wife of stealing paintings, losing precious objects and imagining things like footsteps at night.
His plan is to drive the poor spouse crazy, in a sort of reverse of the Pygmalion Effect, a psychological phenomenon that has proved that if you believe strongly that someone is able to achieve success, that happens.
When he gives his wife a brooch, he then steals it to claim she is so mad she does not know what she is doing.
In a sort of climax, in the middle of a concert with a large crowd in attendance, Gregory Anton claims his watch had been stolen.
He knows this will provoke a crisis and a breakdown of his spouse, especially after he checks her purse and finds his watch there.
Brian Cameron is a detective that had been puzzled by the killing of the famous opera singer and he represents the only hope for Paula.
She is isolated in the house and her resilience is fast breaking up, faced with a continuous attack from Gregory.
Capital film.
September 25, 2019
From BBC Radio 4:
Set in Victorian London, a wife notices that after her husband leaves each evening, the gaslight drops as if somebody else is in the house, turning on another light. Is this true, or is she going mad? Then she receives a stranger who tells her a peculiar story......
Classic mystery by Patrick Hamilton.
https://archive.org/details/Gaslight_...
Set in Victorian London, a wife notices that after her husband leaves each evening, the gaslight drops as if somebody else is in the house, turning on another light. Is this true, or is she going mad? Then she receives a stranger who tells her a peculiar story......
Classic mystery by Patrick Hamilton.
https://archive.org/details/Gaslight_...
August 24, 2025
How iconic!
I knew the term gaslighting came from a play but never thought of reading it until I saw a TikTok recommended it!
This is also my first play ever, and I loved the audio performance! Fun! Clever!
I knew the term gaslighting came from a play but never thought of reading it until I saw a TikTok recommended it!
This is also my first play ever, and I loved the audio performance! Fun! Clever!
April 12, 2024
Gaslight (1940-British release/1944-American release)
March 21, 2019
A decent psychological thriller, with some intense bursts of suspense. But still having Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer in my mind’s eye enacting the eponymous psychological phrase as victim and perpetrator, reading the actual play (all scant 82 pages of it), was oddly disappointing.
“Gaslighting”, forever nowadays associated to the abusive behaviours of a particular type of narcissistic and sociopathic predators fully intending to drive another person to insanity, is a term still used frequently in the psychological literature.
However, the social mores depicted in the play, way of speaking and strict gender separation of roles are thankfully outdated. No surprise here, the action happens before electricity was invented!
The husband is a horrible brute and master manipulator, and this play being the originator of the phrase, the whole devastating psychological impact of “gaslighting” is fully realised by the author.
But unfortunately, having the wife at the beginning of the play appearing as a stupid hysterical with no backbone whatsoever and scared shitless of her own servants, thus unintentionally feeding her husband’s contempt, is not that helpful, and somehow it diluted the impact of the plot for me. I found myself unable to root for her from the beginning, and that caused some conflict with the text. I think the author makes her character rather unsympathetic, although obviously not as much as the husband’s. If the existence of a contemptible villain is a trademark of the genre, in this book that role is filled by the abusive husband, and the fact that she has her sweet revenge at the end, was very satisfying.
It is only by persevering with the reading that you come to realise that the full doormat role she adopts might not be her personality, but the lamentable outcome of this sustained abuse. You can tell later that her confidence in herself is non-existent, and that this is comes from systematically being made to doubt herself.
I picked this as it fitted one of the reading challenge categories this year very well, and because I got tickets to see the play in the theatre next month. But this category could also be a good prompt and perfect timing to revisit Catch-22 before the new TV series is released. I hope I will manage to re-read that one as well before the end of the year.
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2019 #49. A book that has inspired a common phrase (e.g. Big Brother, from 1984).
Around The Year In Books 2019 #29. A book published before 1950. (1939)
“Gaslighting”, forever nowadays associated to the abusive behaviours of a particular type of narcissistic and sociopathic predators fully intending to drive another person to insanity, is a term still used frequently in the psychological literature.
However, the social mores depicted in the play, way of speaking and strict gender separation of roles are thankfully outdated. No surprise here, the action happens before electricity was invented!
The husband is a horrible brute and master manipulator, and this play being the originator of the phrase, the whole devastating psychological impact of “gaslighting” is fully realised by the author.
But unfortunately, having the wife at the beginning of the play appearing as a stupid hysterical with no backbone whatsoever and scared shitless of her own servants, thus unintentionally feeding her husband’s contempt, is not that helpful, and somehow it diluted the impact of the plot for me. I found myself unable to root for her from the beginning, and that caused some conflict with the text. I think the author makes her character rather unsympathetic, although obviously not as much as the husband’s. If the existence of a contemptible villain is a trademark of the genre, in this book that role is filled by the abusive husband, and the fact that she has her sweet revenge at the end, was very satisfying.
It is only by persevering with the reading that you come to realise that the full doormat role she adopts might not be her personality, but the lamentable outcome of this sustained abuse. You can tell later that her confidence in herself is non-existent, and that this is comes from systematically being made to doubt herself.
I picked this as it fitted one of the reading challenge categories this year very well, and because I got tickets to see the play in the theatre next month. But this category could also be a good prompt and perfect timing to revisit Catch-22 before the new TV series is released. I hope I will manage to re-read that one as well before the end of the year.
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2019 #49. A book that has inspired a common phrase (e.g. Big Brother, from 1984).
Around The Year In Books 2019 #29. A book published before 1950. (1939)
August 12, 2011
I wanted to read this play after reading about "gaslighting" which is a form of psychological abuse which involves trying to convince a person that they are losing their sanity. I absolutely loved the interaction between the characters, the ongoing tension, and best of all is Mrs Manning's monologue at the end, but I guess thats a vindictive part of me that enjoys seeing a downtrodden lady getting her own back. Short, but thoroughly enjoyable, I would love to able to get hold of the British film released in 1940.
October 10, 2018
A woman fears she is losing her mind, as her husband threatens to have her committed, but what’s really going on? This old-fashioned thriller was a suspenseful read. Gaslight (also titled Angel Street) was the basis for the Oscar winning movie with Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, and Angela Lansbury. (The author also wrote the play, Rope, which was made into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock).
Want to Read
October 26, 201625 OCT 2016 - a recommendation through Bettie. The film showcases a great cast. The book should be fun to read. Many Thanks!
Cach the film on Youtube here - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SPcYkxm...
30 OCT 2016 - a great film with a great cast. 4 stars. Thank you, Dear Bettie.
Cach the film on Youtube here - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SPcYkxm...
30 OCT 2016 - a great film with a great cast. 4 stars. Thank you, Dear Bettie.
March 18, 2025
تمیز
نسبتا قدیمی و کلاسیک و به دور از ترفند و توئیستهای عجیب غریب
خوشریتم
نسبتا قدیمی و کلاسیک و به دور از ترفند و توئیستهای عجیب غریب
خوشریتم
January 20, 2024
I did not know that this was the play that was first before the Movie Gas Light. It is awesome and worth rereading.
November 25, 2023
The last couple of pages made me chuckle :)
May 23, 2025
از دل درام چراغ گاز یک اصطلاح روانشناختی بیرون آمده و حالا این اصطلاح تبدیل به یکی از دقیق ترین توصیف ها برای سوءاستفادهی روانیای که آرام، بی صدا و با لبخند اتفاق می افتاد شده : گسلایتینگ.
جک یه سایکوپات کامل با ظاهری منطقی و آرام، تجربههای حسی همسرش بلا را مدام زیر سؤال میبره. نور چراغ کم میشود؟ «فقط خیالته.» چیزی گم شده؟ «فراموشکاری خودته.» هر جملهی بهظاهر بیاهمیت، بخشی از یک بازی بزرگتره. بازنویسی واقعیت برای فردی که دوستش داری ، تا جایی که خودش را فراموش کند.
نمایش دقیقاً سازوکار گسلایتینگ را اجرا میکنه : انکار مداوم، وارونهنمایی و شکافکنی. جک ادای نگرانی را درمیآورد، اما هدفش ویرانیست و همسرش بلا که قربانی گسلایتینگه در سکوت، آرام آرام در خودش گم میشه تا لحظهای که ناگهان، خودش را به یاد میاره.
در این نمایش ما با دو محور همزمان پیش میریم،
اولی، گسلایتینگ ؛ وقتی جک، همسر بلا، آرام و بیوقفه واقعیت را به نفع خودش بازنویسی میکند
و دومی، جنایتیست که از سالها قبل در پسزمینهی خانه باقی مانده و حالا قاتل به صحنهی جرم برگشته. درام بهشکلی کلاسیک، اما مهارشده، حرکت میکند: سرنخها کمکم جمع میشن و گذشته در زمان حال، فاش میشه. و شخصیتهایی وارد ماجرا میشن که حقیقت را به لبهی نور میارن. چیزیکه خواندن این درام رو برام جذاب تر میکرد ساختار دقیقیش بود، هر صحنه مثل حلقهای از زنجیره که بهآرامی، ولی بدون توقف، دور گلوی شخصیت اصلی بسته میشه. تا وقتی که بلا در پایان، با دیالوگی دوباره صدای خودش پیدا میکنه. نه فقط برای افشای حقیقت بلکه برای بازسازی خودِ ازدسترفتهاش.
چهار از پنج برای ساخت روایتی هوشمندانه از سلطهی پنهان و افشای تدریجی جنایتی که در دل این بازی روانی تنیده شده بود.
جک یه سایکوپات کامل با ظاهری منطقی و آرام، تجربههای حسی همسرش بلا را مدام زیر سؤال میبره. نور چراغ کم میشود؟ «فقط خیالته.» چیزی گم شده؟ «فراموشکاری خودته.» هر جملهی بهظاهر بیاهمیت، بخشی از یک بازی بزرگتره. بازنویسی واقعیت برای فردی که دوستش داری ، تا جایی که خودش را فراموش کند.
نمایش دقیقاً سازوکار گسلایتینگ را اجرا میکنه : انکار مداوم، وارونهنمایی و شکافکنی. جک ادای نگرانی را درمیآورد، اما هدفش ویرانیست و همسرش بلا که قربانی گسلایتینگه در سکوت، آرام آرام در خودش گم میشه تا لحظهای که ناگهان، خودش را به یاد میاره.
در این نمایش ما با دو محور همزمان پیش میریم،
اولی، گسلایتینگ ؛ وقتی جک، همسر بلا، آرام و بیوقفه واقعیت را به نفع خودش بازنویسی میکند
و دومی، جنایتیست که از سالها قبل در پسزمینهی خانه باقی مانده و حالا قاتل به صحنهی جرم برگشته. درام بهشکلی کلاسیک، اما مهارشده، حرکت میکند: سرنخها کمکم جمع میشن و گذشته در زمان حال، فاش میشه. و شخصیتهایی وارد ماجرا میشن که حقیقت را به لبهی نور میارن. چیزیکه خواندن این درام رو برام جذاب تر میکرد ساختار دقیقیش بود، هر صحنه مثل حلقهای از زنجیره که بهآرامی، ولی بدون توقف، دور گلوی شخصیت اصلی بسته میشه. تا وقتی که بلا در پایان، با دیالوگی دوباره صدای خودش پیدا میکنه. نه فقط برای افشای حقیقت بلکه برای بازسازی خودِ ازدسترفتهاش.
چهار از پنج برای ساخت روایتی هوشمندانه از سلطهی پنهان و افشای تدریجی جنایتی که در دل این بازی روانی تنیده شده بود.
June 8, 2020
gaslighting
noun [U]
the action of tricking or controlling someone by making them believe things that are not true, especially by suggesting that they may be mentally ill
Narcissists don't care about you. They only care about themselves and what they can get from you. When confronted, they twist it back to you and try to blame you, make you feel guilty, or point out your shortcomings. Or, even worse, they will try to make you doubt your insanity.
Gas Light, a psychological thriller that is perhaps best known as the 1944 movie with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, is another Hamilton play whose adaptation is better. Although I prefer Rope (more interesting psychologically and more suspenseful), they're both pretty underwhelming on paper. I'm not sure if actually seeing the plays on stage would help, but in any case I recommend watching the movies instead (there's also a British 1940 version of Gas Light).
noun [U]
the action of tricking or controlling someone by making them believe things that are not true, especially by suggesting that they may be mentally ill
Narcissists don't care about you. They only care about themselves and what they can get from you. When confronted, they twist it back to you and try to blame you, make you feel guilty, or point out your shortcomings. Or, even worse, they will try to make you doubt your insanity.
Gas Light, a psychological thriller that is perhaps best known as the 1944 movie with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, is another Hamilton play whose adaptation is better. Although I prefer Rope (more interesting psychologically and more suspenseful), they're both pretty underwhelming on paper. I'm not sure if actually seeing the plays on stage would help, but in any case I recommend watching the movies instead (there's also a British 1940 version of Gas Light).
Want to Read
May 10, 2023To-read before reading The Stradivarius
May 27, 2018
A weak 3-star rating for me. I suspect it might work if I saw it performed instead of reading, but even so I suspect some aspects would feel dated.
It was more of a conventional thriller and less of a psychological study than I had expected. The famous gaslights do appear, but are not as central to the plot as the title might suggest.
It was more of a conventional thriller and less of a psychological study than I had expected. The famous gaslights do appear, but are not as central to the plot as the title might suggest.
September 18, 2021
The play that gave us the term “gaslighting” for the purposeful act of tricking someone into questioning their sanity. The villainous Mr Manningham does a real number on his wife and the two WWII era filmed versions are decent.
April 20, 2017
Good play but a bit obvious, the ending is very predictable I believe.
Read
November 6, 2025Gaslight (1944) starring the lovely Ingrid Bergman is one of my favourites among Gothic Noir movies that Hollywood churned out in 1940s-1950s following the success of Hitchcock's adaptation of Rebecca. The term "gaslighting" that we know and use today is in fact originated from this movie which tells about the psychological torture that the heroine has to endure from being manipulated into questioning her own memory, perception, and sanity by her husband (for his own wicked reason typical of victorian husband in gothic genre ), set in the late 19th century England. And this attempt of her husband to drive her insane is somehow inextricably linked with the widely used source of lighting at the time which is a gaslight. Thus, the term gaslighting was born.
This book is more than a novelization because the author elaborates and expands what has been left out of the story because the limited screentime which consequently adds depth to the characters. I loved the writing that is appropriately written like a victorian literature eventhough it was actually published in 1960s and also loved the suffocating claustrophobic atmosphere that matches well with its movie counterpart (it takes place virtually inside the couple's London a terrace/row house). But what's more amazing (yet mistifyingly) is how it felt like like i was being gaslit myself along with the heroine while reading this book.
This book is more than a novelization because the author elaborates and expands what has been left out of the story because the limited screentime which consequently adds depth to the characters. I loved the writing that is appropriately written like a victorian literature eventhough it was actually published in 1960s and also loved the suffocating claustrophobic atmosphere that matches well with its movie counterpart (it takes place virtually inside the couple's London a terrace/row house). But what's more amazing (yet mistifyingly) is how it felt like like i was being gaslit myself along with the heroine while reading this book.
April 15, 2020
This is a play that has long been on my TBR, but I had difficulty tracking down a copy. It is the play from where the term gaslighting originates for obvious reasons. I’m glad I finally read it because it was indeed very good.
The MC is a youngish married woman who seems to be losing her mind, or at least that is what her husband says. Items have gone mysteriously missing. Pictures are removed from walls. Lights go up and down on their own and, according to him, it is all her fault. At the end of Act I, the husband storms out of the house threatening to put her in an asylum.
Act II introduces us to a retired inspector who has long desired to catch a murderer that had got away while he was yet a rookie on the force. He reveals that he suspects the husband of being this killer came back to the house where his crime took place to find a cache of hidden rubies that eluded him so many years ago. He also reveals that the marriage is illegitimate as the man already has a wife and that he believes the man is intentionally trying to make the wife think she is crazy through emotional manipulation in order to put her away.
Act II concludes with … well I guess you’ll have to read or see the play for yourself to find out. But I will say, I very much enjoyed the ending.
The MC is a youngish married woman who seems to be losing her mind, or at least that is what her husband says. Items have gone mysteriously missing. Pictures are removed from walls. Lights go up and down on their own and, according to him, it is all her fault. At the end of Act I, the husband storms out of the house threatening to put her in an asylum.
Act II introduces us to a retired inspector who has long desired to catch a murderer that had got away while he was yet a rookie on the force. He reveals that he suspects the husband of being this killer came back to the house where his crime took place to find a cache of hidden rubies that eluded him so many years ago. He also reveals that the marriage is illegitimate as the man already has a wife and that he believes the man is intentionally trying to make the wife think she is crazy through emotional manipulation in order to put her away.
Act II concludes with … well I guess you’ll have to read or see the play for yourself to find out. But I will say, I very much enjoyed the ending.
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