MovieChat Forums > Gaslight (1944) Discussion > Overrated Oscar Winning Performance by I...

Overrated Oscar Winning Performance by Ingrid Bergman.


It was definitely Charles Boyer's show. He deserved the Oscar way more.

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In hindsight Bergman's performance was overwrought.


It's that man again!!

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I disagree. The film will work only if the two leads are flawless and they did. You can argue that Betgman should have won for Cassblanca, Notorious, Stromboli, Journey to Italy, Autumn Sonata in an ideal world as these are iconic performances and she was very good in them. The Rossellini films are rightfully considered masterpieces and influential films by critics and cinephiles by now.

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I COMPLETELY, THOROUGHLY DISAGREE WITH YOUR ASSESSMENT.

Bergman's performance was BRILLIANT. I'm watching it now, for at least the 200th time. Her eyes and face alone, with no words, expressed more than any DiNiro performance in his entire career. She emoted sheer terror, sadness, and brink-of-insanity madness with just her face. Watch the scene when Boyer is about to tell her that he has a "surprise" for her by wanting to take her out, and therefore his reason for rejecting the visit by the meddlesome older lady-neighbor. Bergman's expression of sheer self-doubt---about her sanity---and then switching to relief that she didn't "forget" about their evening out at all, because he hadn't told her until that moment, was poetic genius.

If you minimize her performance in this film, you know absolutely nothing about acting. Her Oscar was CLEARLY very well-deserved.

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