Arsenic & Old Lace (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
Director Frank Capra's sophisticated filmed-in-1941 but released in 1944 black comedy 'Arsenic & Old Lace' showcases Cary Grant's fantastic display of comedic timing. Grant stars as drama critic Mortimer Brewster, an author known for his anti-marriage stance. But despite his views on marriage & losing his freedom, Mortimer changes his mind when he meets & falls for Elaine Harper (pretty Priscilla Lane), who grew up with him in Brooklyn.
Trouble brews when Mortimer ties the knot on Halloween at city hall & heads home to tell his 2 beloved, somewhat batty spinster aunts, Martha & Abby (Jean Adair, Josephine Hull). Much to his - and our - surprise, when home, he finds a dead man sitting by the window. To that, Mortimer then learns that his aunts are sweet, but homicidal(!) maniacs when he discovers their bizarre hobby -- killing lonely old male visitors with poison -- mercy killings, once would say! With the aid of their mentally-challenged brother who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt (John Alexander), these dead men have been buried over the years in their cellar.
Worse yet, insanity runs in the family. While Mortimer tries to get 'Teddy' to sign himself in to a sanitarium, much to his chagrin, he discovers that his deranged older brother, Jonathan (Raymond Massey) has escaped from an Indiana insane asylum and, is one the loose ... seeking to kill him. In tow, Jonathan has his creepy, alcoholic associate, a phony plastic surgeon, Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre), who has altered Jonathan's appearance to make him look like Boris Karloff -- yes, you're reading all of this correctly, ha. Chaos & frivolity abounds; culminating in an ironic, darkly humorous ending.
What a NUTTY film. I'm not normally fond of tirelessly bonkers films such as this, but I kinda sorta dug its lunacy in the end. Though Cary Grant didn't love this move or his "over-the-top performance", I thought he was just great. Better yet are the lovely vintage actresses Jean Adair & Josephine Hull, who play 'batty' better than anyone. They are so seemingly harmless & sweet that the fact that they kill elderly gentlemen is just comic genius. That makes the script seem like it is in bad state, but it is deftly handled with such wicked cynicism that you can't help but love the audacity.
I also enjoyed Raymond Massey {I always do, anyway} as Mortimer's creepy brother who is disfigured to look like Boris Karloff; funny enough, Karloff DID play the role of Jonathan on stage, but wasn't available to play the role in this film. Other roles played by the likes of James Gleason, John Ridgely, Edward McWade, Jack Carson & the great Edward Everett Horton pepper the screen. Cinematographer Sal Polito makes good use of the setting. Max Steiner's music aids the proceedings. And director Frank Capra keeps things moving in a fairly seamless, snappy way. Fun film.
Trouble brews when Mortimer ties the knot on Halloween at city hall & heads home to tell his 2 beloved, somewhat batty spinster aunts, Martha & Abby (Jean Adair, Josephine Hull). Much to his - and our - surprise, when home, he finds a dead man sitting by the window. To that, Mortimer then learns that his aunts are sweet, but homicidal(!) maniacs when he discovers their bizarre hobby -- killing lonely old male visitors with poison -- mercy killings, once would say! With the aid of their mentally-challenged brother who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt (John Alexander), these dead men have been buried over the years in their cellar.
Worse yet, insanity runs in the family. While Mortimer tries to get 'Teddy' to sign himself in to a sanitarium, much to his chagrin, he discovers that his deranged older brother, Jonathan (Raymond Massey) has escaped from an Indiana insane asylum and, is one the loose ... seeking to kill him. In tow, Jonathan has his creepy, alcoholic associate, a phony plastic surgeon, Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre), who has altered Jonathan's appearance to make him look like Boris Karloff -- yes, you're reading all of this correctly, ha. Chaos & frivolity abounds; culminating in an ironic, darkly humorous ending.
What a NUTTY film. I'm not normally fond of tirelessly bonkers films such as this, but I kinda sorta dug its lunacy in the end. Though Cary Grant didn't love this move or his "over-the-top performance", I thought he was just great. Better yet are the lovely vintage actresses Jean Adair & Josephine Hull, who play 'batty' better than anyone. They are so seemingly harmless & sweet that the fact that they kill elderly gentlemen is just comic genius. That makes the script seem like it is in bad state, but it is deftly handled with such wicked cynicism that you can't help but love the audacity.
I also enjoyed Raymond Massey {I always do, anyway} as Mortimer's creepy brother who is disfigured to look like Boris Karloff; funny enough, Karloff DID play the role of Jonathan on stage, but wasn't available to play the role in this film. Other roles played by the likes of James Gleason, John Ridgely, Edward McWade, Jack Carson & the great Edward Everett Horton pepper the screen. Cinematographer Sal Polito makes good use of the setting. Max Steiner's music aids the proceedings. And director Frank Capra keeps things moving in a fairly seamless, snappy way. Fun film.