Arsenic and Old Lace

 

 

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This movie will be appreciated by the older generation. The most humerous and unexpected scene is at the very end.Arsenic & Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace starring a bevy of fine performers,was released three years after it was in the can.A remake of a Broadway play of the same name by J. Kesselring,it lifted three of the plays three principals John Alexander,(Teddy Brewster),Jean Adair(Martha Brewster) and Josephine Hull(Abby Brewster) and plunked them down amongst a stellar cast of Hollywood thesps such as Cary Grant(Mortimer Brewster),Priscilla Lane(Elaine Harper),Raymond Massey(Jonathan Brewster),Peter Lorre(Dr Einstein),Edward Everette Horton(Dr Witherspoon),Jack Carson(Officer O'Hara) and many other fine supporting players.The film makers also wanted Boris Karloff to reprise his Broadway role as Jonathan Brewster but he refused the offer(he had a monetary interest in the play).
The story involves writer Mortimer Brewster(Grant)who writes books on the pitfalls of marriage.It opens with him and his girlfriend Elaine(Lane)trying to get hitched!It is against his better judgment but Cupids' arrow is firmly planted and there's no escape for him.On the way to their honeymoon destination of Niagara Falls,the now married couple stop off at Elaine's home, which is also near Mortimers' aunts home.They both part to break the news to their relatives;Elaine to her father and Mortimer to his aunts Abby and Martha.
His aunts are elated at the news but Mortimer is dumbfounded upon finding a body in the window seat.His aunts are nonplussed as they calmly tell him they poisoned the former lodger plus 12 more that are now buried in the basement.
Going back and forth between total apoplexy and controlled confusion Mortimer tries to somehow get a handle on events as they unfold.
It seems Mortimer' brother Teddy(who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt,complete with horn blowing and a charge up San Juan Hill!),has been the digger of the graves for all of the former lodgers of his aunts;each grave a lock for the Panama Canal and each person a yellow fever victim! During all this a not so patient taxi driver awaits the newly wedded couple's departure,the local constabulary drops in and out,Elaine is repeatedly shunted aside as Mortimers' mind wanders aimlessly from one crisis to another and through it all Mortimers aunts try to carry on with their lives as "normal".To top matters off completely,Mortimers' other brother Jonathan(Massey),a sadistic killer wanted around the world,accompanied by a Dr Einstein(Lorre),drop in with a body of their own!Jonathan decides his aunts home would be a perfect spot for the doctor to do another operation on his face and as a place to hide.However they also stumble onto the awful truth of what his aunts have been up to with their former boarders and have no intention of going anywhere despite Mortimer's objections.
Jonathan ties his hapless brother up and intends to add him to the body count right under the noses of the local police.But they finally cotton on to things and Jonathan is arrested after a bitter struggle.Mortimer through alot of paper signing and phone calls gets his brother Teddy and(unexpectedly)his aunts, committed to the Happydale Sanitarium.The film fades out with the couple in happily ever after land.
Arsenic and Old Lace starts out at a relatively even pace,but when Elaine and Mortimer arrive at their respective homes the film takes off and there is no looking back.As the movie and events unfold it is Grant who becomes the storm within the calm,with often hilarious results.He becomes the reluctant victim of events and information that he tries his best to comprehend,but never really gets a solid grip of until the end of the film.Grant does play his part well and as much as I think this era was the finest of his career,there are moments when he goes just a little over the top with his reactions.Also Capra well,being Capra,has a tendency to over tell a story and like many other of his films the details can bog the pace down somewhat;and this is no exception.
What saves this black comedic farce is the stellar supporting players.Josephine Hull as Aunt Abby with her tip toe trots to the door,Raymond Massey as menacing a maniacal killer as any you will ever see,John Alexander playing a part he was born to play as an ersatz Teddy Roosevelt,Lorre,doing what Lorre does best and veteran character actor Edward Horton,always a delight in just about everything he did.
About the DVD release itself,it is a bare horse;no extras at all.The print used here is a good one and quite clear and crisp.It is housed in a snap jacket.
In conclusion while this well known movie farce is good it is not perfect by any means.Along with Grants' moments of over the top joie de vivre,Capra's heavy handedness gets in the way again and even the stellar cast can't over come the film's paucity and less than judicious editing.However in the end it is the beautiful cast,their chemistry and superior acting chops that pull this film up by its' collective boot straps and lands it around the four star category for this reviewer.I recommend this film to all.

I have seen this movie dozens of times on TV. The problem is they always cut out a lot of the little nuances that make the movie fun; sometimes it is curtail to the story. Now you can see the whole story in its entirety. Lots of sight gags and relies on many expressions to convey what they are thinking. If this looks like a play, that is because it is a play. It was written by Joseph Kesserling and opened in New York City 10 JAN 41. It ran for 1,444 performances. Boris Karloff was an investor and the star attraction so he could not be released for the movie.

The story takes place all on Halloween night in Brooklyn. Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) a critic, that wrote a scathing book about the negatives of marriage, gets married. He soon finds out about his families past and where the bodies are buried. Soon he is to be visited by his estranged or just strange brother (Raymond Massey). Seems that his brother and his brother's friend, Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre), has some secrets of their own. Keep your eye on the elderberry wine.

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2.0 out of 5 stars 1944 farce not my cup of tea
i tried to watch this movie,but i couldn't get through it.that's not
because its a bad movie.rather,it's because movies were much different
back in 1944. Read more

Published on Sep 4 2007 by falcon

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Hoot!
Watching this movie has become a Hallowe'en tradition in our family, just as "The Bishop's Wife" is now a Christmas tradition. Read more

Published on July 13 2006 by Seamatron

4.0 out of 5 stars Arsenic and Old Lace - Zany, Whacky Comedy
A great stage play transferred directly to film. Stereotypical characters that do wild and crazy things. Read more

Published on Nov 20 2005 by Bill Fletcher

1.0 out of 5 stars Abrasive and unfunny.
I seriously don't know why anybody would like this movie. It was highly recommended to me by somebody I know, so I sat down to watch it one night. Read more

Published on Oct 9 2004 by Esn024

5.0 out of 5 stars 1944 masterpiece with Cary Grant
This is the original film adaptation from the smash hit Broadway play by Joseph Kesselring. Frank Capra (believe it or not) directed this ditzy black comedy based on two sweet... Read more

Published on Dec 27 2003 by Peggy Vincent

5.0 out of 5 stars A Halloween Classic!
It has become a tradition in my house to watch ARSENIC AND OLD LACE every Halloween. The tale of the two Miss Brewsters who poison lonely old men as a charity act is so familiar... Read more

Published on Nov 5 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars A Halloween Classic!
It has become a tradition in my house to watch ARSENIC AND OLD LACE every Halloween. The story of the two Miss Brewsters who murder lonely old men as a charity is so familiar that... Read more

Published on Nov 5 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Oldie but Goodie
I watched this film for the first time with my history teacher and a few of my other friends on the last day of school. Read more

Published on July 15 2003 by Katie S. 14

5.0 out of 5 stars One Of Carey Grant's Best Movies!
Arsenic and Old Lace is one of my favorite movies and is in my opinion one of Carey Grants best movies, it is so hilarious, Carey Grant was very funny and so were the two sweet... Read more

Published on Jun 25 2003 by buffy--angel--charmed--fan

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hilarious Murder Mystery!
Thsi film is absolutly hilarious. Aunt Abby and Aunt Martha are two harmless litlle old ladies whom everyone has something nice to say about. Read more

Published on Jun 6 2003

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