MovieChat Forums > Gaslight (1944) Discussion > One of the most despicable villains I've...

One of the most despicable villains I've ever seen ...


Seriously, what a hateful bastard, he made the film almost painful to watch ... oooh Bergman, poor fragile little thing ... amazing performances from both of them, Bergman's performance kind of reminded me of Joan Fontaine in Suspicion, in fact, the whole movie had a Hitchcockian feeling, probably the most Hitchcockian non-Hitchcockian film ...

... and honorable mention for Angela Landsbury who deserved her oscar nomination as the cute wise-cracking maid, she really stole the show!

"Darth Vader is scary and I The Godfather"

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It was almost Hitchcockian! I wanted to kill Serges Bauer with my bare hands! LOL!

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Yes. Boyer was completely despicable and very painful to watch. However, the same villain in the 1940 version of Gaslight was even worse- and of lower character, if that is possible- and made me actually yell curses at the screen (not a usual practice, I assure you). I'd probably rank him as the worst screen villain I have witnessed.

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Gosh he was a bastard...i hated him so much that i wanted to kill him myself.


There's no place like home.

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I disagree. He was not that bad! As I watched the movie the first time, I kept asking "why is he doing this to Paula? Why is he so cruel?", because there was no evident reason for such treatment of her. But at the end you find out that he has been doing this cruel thing to her for a reason, so that it has not been gratuitously cruel. He has to convince her that she is not fit to go out and socialize, nor to have guests at home, because each night he has to go to attic and look for the jewels. Very cleverly the film had led the viewer to think that he was going there to drive her mad with footsteps in the dark "haunted house". But this is revealed as untrue at the end.

He never struck her, nor displayed any pleasure in what he was doing to her. He did not want or intend to kill her. So I don't think his villainy is the worst ever depicted, not as bad as in "Psycho" or "Dial M for Murder".

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You spoiler makes him even more despicable. To torment an innocent young woman into madness so callously for gain is reprehensible. Norman Bates was insane and Tony Wendice was a garden variety villain. But Boyer actually stalked and married her, planning to destroy her sanity. Far worse.

I guess it's like looking at clouds. You see one thing and I see another. Peace.

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The fact that he's so casually dispose of someone's mental health just to get his hands on the jewels really does make him horrible. It's the disregard that makes it poignant. If he hit her it would be less nasty imo. However, I do agree that his evil is mitigated by the fact that he clearly is himself somewhat mad. His fever for the jewels is beyond his control. But his method of obtaining them reveals his character to be subtle and corrupt - a true villain.


"I'll book you. I'll book you on something. I'll find something in the book to book you on."

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He never struck her, nor displayed any pleasure in what he was doing to her. He did not want or intend to kill her. So I don't think his villainy is the worst ever depicted


Boy, I do! Ask any former POW, kidnap or abuse victim, and they'll tell you that physical violence pales in comparison to psychological torment. Physical abuse is a blunt-force tactic; it's obvious and self-limiting in that sooner or later, you die. Psychological torment is insidious, and can last for a lifetime. So, stabbing someone in a shower is (relatively) more merciful than conspiring to slowly burn out someone's soul by making them question their own reality.

Think of it this way: Why is Chinese water torture so horrible? It's not because the water drops themselves hurt, but because that incessant dripping sensation gradually drives you crazy.

Try this, turn on an alarm clock or some other repetitive, annoyingly loud noise and listen to it for 2 hours while doing nothing else. If you are somehow able to last half that time, ask yourself if you wouldn't rather high-hive a hot stovetop than experience that again.


Kel
http://imdb.com/name/nm1485711/
Professional [?] on closed course. Do not attempt

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Sometimes the ruthlessness to do what he did to Paula as a means to an end can be worse than deriving pleasure from the acts.

___
This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

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Agreed. The most punchable villain in film history. The heavy-lidded condescending eyes, the disapproving arched eyebrows, the sonorous intonation with that regal accent. Plus the abrupt outbursts. He was condescending and passive-aggressive from the beginning, but she was too naive to notice. He's a human checklist of the manipulative, subtly abusive spouse, or even friend or coworker. Anyone who suspects a person in their life acts like this at all should get rid of them.

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Seriously people being gaslighted is the WORST feeling. If you have ever had a "loved one" do this to you, it takes years to get over. And you know if you Google who gaslights the number one answer is sociopaths/psychopaths. They do it on purpose and it is very hard to detect until the get cocky and go overboard. It is the most extreme example of emotional abuse.

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Excellent comment. I was just thinking the same thing. "Gaslighting" is a typical pastime for psychopaths. And yes they almost always eventually give themselves away. If the victim has a strong mind and a healthy dose of cynicism, these losers usually get found out much faster. And once you know what the psychopath has been up to, once you're over the shock, you begin to see how ridiculous they are. At which point you're able to just laugh off their hijinx until they go away. Sadly Paula was so young and so vulnerable. She made an excellent mark.

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