Posted on 08/31/2021 10:08:17 AM PDT by TedMartin
This is during the 1944 classic's ending, on the roof:
Ingrid Bergman: "This night will be a long night."
Joseph Cotten: "But it will end. Starting to clear. In the morning when the sun rises, sometimes it's hard to believe there ever was a night. You'll find that too."
We are currently in the long psychological night but we are beginning to see the dawn. When I saw the word gaslighting I always just considered the act of gaslighting itself, which is a form of lying. But I did not consider the long buildup to an end. Watching the movie, I was struck by the narrative and the similarities between the heroine/victim and the citizens of California, and the villain and the vested interests, typified by Gavin Newsom.
In the movie, (apology for the spoilers) the Victorian heroine, dreamy and vulnerable, is first won over by a very attentive and concerned man. He pays great attention to detail and only voices his own desires in passing as dreams. After the heroine is hooked , they marry, and he gains his desire, which is living in her house, he begins to notice things 'wrong' with her that he criticizes or corrects.
He appears to be solicitous but does not help reverse her psychological decline which she thinks is her own fault. Her dream turns into a nightmare as she becomes mentally worse and worse and physically in the dark exemplified by the gas lighting which inexplicably goes down and off at night, when she is most vulnerable and alone. She is saved from a terrible fate by a detective who knew her aunt, and discovers that her husband, motivated by greed, has concocted the marriage and engineered her mental decline just to gain entrance to the house to find priceless jewels hidden by the aunt.
But when we started to see that our governor had done sleight of hand with us--clearly shown by the French Laundry incident--our guilt started dropping off and our anger began to build. Now that our detectives--Kevin Kiley, Larry Elder, talk show hosts, Internet writers, and others--have pointed out the machinations, we are ready for a divorce or a parting of the ways.
What is the California dream? It has changed over time but here is one definition from Wikipedia:
"[It is] the highest possible standard of life for the middle classes, and indeed for the skilled blue collar workers and farm owners as well.The California Dream meant an improved and more affordable family life: a small but stylish and airy house marked by a fluidity of indoor and outdoor space, such as the ubiquitous California bungalow and a lush backyard—the stage, that is, for quiet family life in a sunny climate. It meant very good jobs, excellent roads, plentiful facilities for outdoor recreation, and the schools and universities that were the best in the world by the 1940s. Cultural phenomena which have fed into the California Dream include the rise of the Hollywood film industry, Silicon Valley, California's aerospace industry, the California wine industry and the Dotcom boom."
On the state website, compliments of Gov. Newsom, it reads:
"The California Dream — the idea that every person can achieve a better life, regardless of where they start out."
Pretty bland and not striving at this point, although net gain is something.
Our existing water infrastructure can be repaired and replaced; other practical alternatives developed. Our forests can be maintained and reseeded. Our businesses can thrive again, especially small ones, by dismantling much of the needless bureaucratic impediments and extra taxes. Our tax structure can be revised. Our bureaucracy can be cut.
Our commissions can really perform. Our sleazy pols can be voted out and replaced with better ones. Our educational systems can be pared, expanded to include alternatives, and staffed with thinkers other than the far left dominators now in place. Our legal and police systems can be improved. Perhaps most significant, our housing stock which provides us with the basis for our wealth can be invigorated by paring down laws, encouraging builders, supporting infrastructure for new developments, and seeing that the homeless have roofs over their heads, with appropriate services. We can't give this up.
This will take extra action for most of us, not simply voting but participating in the needed changes, either with money, sweat equity or both. It's worth it and that relaxing drink by the poolside or watching the sun set over the ocean will be the sweeter for a day's work well done. If you think this is corny, well it is. Corny is defined by Merriam-Webster as: "mawkishly old-fashioned : tiresomely simple and sentimental."
Sometimes the simple is a distillation of the truth into a phrase. But it has to mean something. Sentiment is feeling. At its best it carries the values of the good. Old-fashioned is not the trend in California which overwhelmingly values the new. But in truth many old values are still solid. So let's be corny and revive the California Dream.
Hopefully. We will see come September 15th.
Don’t forget about Angela Lansbury.
I just watched that and commented that that is exactly what the left are doing here in our country, psycho,logically abusing everyone till they are brainwashed to beleive that they are the problem.
After I chose that for a movie to watch on our anniversary, my wife told me it was a very poor choice.
“We as Californians had a dream and welcomed a governor who could help us better ourselves and our situation—at least some of us did.”
Spineless jellyfish.
Will the American People wake up in time to save themselves--and their children???
Pray that they will.
Excellent film.
Loved the acting and flow of the scenes.
Charles Boyer and Ingrid were fantastic.
The LEFT are trying to do much more than Gas Light, they are trying to kill us off.
Buckle up and be prepared Patriots.
It was just on TCM. We recorded it.
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