The Film Noir Foundation co-presented an October screening and panel discussion of the 1944 classic Gaslight at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD, as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We talk with the event's organizer, Aha! Moment Founder Tali Elitzur (aka the Noir Talk host's better half), about the origins of her idea for the event (2:15), as well as how therapists define and deal with the pattern of emotional abuse known as "gaslighting" (4:50).
Film writer and historian Imogen Sara Smith, who introduced the screening and participated in the panel discussion, joins us to talk about the 1944 movie and its portrayal of an abuse victim's experience (10:50), how Gaslight fits in as a film noir (17:20), and how the 1940 British movie version compares with the Hollywood version (27:00).
Author and domestic violence survivor Paula Lucas, the Founder of Pathways to Safety International, recounts her own experience with gaslighting (44:10) and describes how accurately the patterns of abuse are portrayed in the movie (51:50). We wrap up with how some of the recent high-profile stories of sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement can impact the fight against abuse going forward (53:30).
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Details on the October screening, including full audio of the post-movie panel discussion, are available here: https://www.ahamomentdc.org/events/gaslight/
Pathways To Safety International: http://pathwaystosafety.org/
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Music: Themes from Le Doulos (by Paul Misraki), Gaslight 1944 version (Bronislaw Kaper), and Gaslight 1940 version (Richard Addinsell).
Dialogue from Gaslight (1944), with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer.
