ARSENIC
AND OLD LACE ($25) is a true cinematic gem- a movie that is as funny
today as it was when it was released nearly sixty years ago. Despite the
laughter the film induces, I sometimes wonder how ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
made it to the screen. After all, the plot involves at least a dozen murders
that go unpunished- something that was almost unheard of during the days
of Hollywood censorship. Perhaps the Hayes office was willing to overlook
such immoral matters in the name of comedy.
Based
upon the hit Broadway play by Joseph Kesselring and brought to the screen
by legendary director Frank Capra, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE combines
elements of black comedy, slapstick and the shameless mugging of Cary
Grant to create one of the greatest laugh-fests to ever come out of Hollywood.
The plot of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE takes place in the genteel Brooklyn
of yesterday; a place of tree lined streets and beautiful old homes, churchyards
and cemeteries. On one such street is the home of the elderly Brewster
sisters, Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha (Jean Adair), who are two of
the kindest, most charitable women on the planet. Also in the home, lives
their nephew Teddy (John Alexander), a harmless eccentric, who thinks
he’s President Theodore Roosevelt.
ARSENIC
AND OLD LACE opens on Halloween, with the arrival of nephew Mortimer
Brewster (Cary Grant), who has just married Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane),
the girl who lives next door to his doting aunts. While delivering the
good news to Abby and Martha, Mortimer discovers a dead body hidden in
the window seat of his aunt’s home. Mortimer immediately jumps to the
conclusion that his brother Teddy has finally gone completely crazy and
has committed murder. However, Mortimer quickly discovers that Teddy is
not the culprit. It turns out that Aunt Abby and Aunt Martha have launched
a new charitable cause, in which they bring everlasting peace to lonely
old men by means of adding arsenic to elderberry wine and serving it to
the gentlemen in question. Of course, Mortimer is shocked and dumbfounded
to discover that his sweet old aunts are serial killers, with a dozen
bodies buried in the cellar of their Brooklyn home. Figuring that he can
pin the crimes on Teddy, who everyone knows to be crazy, Mortimer starts
making arrangements to send his brother off to a sanitarium. All that
is left is for Mortimer to do, before he can leave on his honeymoon, is
to get his aunts to give up their latest charitable cause. Unfortunately,
Mortimer’s other brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey) shows up after a twenty-year
absence, adding another stumbling block Mortimer’s honeymoon plans. Where
Teddy is only mildly crazy, Jonathan is a true homicidal maniac, arriving
with his very own dead body in tow. Also along for the ride is Dr. Einstein
(Peter Lorre), Jonathan’s personal plastic surgeon, whose latest efforts
have left Jonathan looking just a little too much like Boris Karloff for
everybody’s comfort.
As
grim as the proceedings may sound, there isn’t a moment that goes by in
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE that doesn’t generate a laugh. Director Frank
Capra applies just the right touch, keeping everything moving rapidly
and never allowing the atmosphere to become weighed down by the darker
aspects of the material. Capra gets fine performances from a superb troop
of actors, as well as allowing his star to get away with cinematic murder.
Grant is given enough leeway to take his character just slightly over-the-top,
reaction hilariously to the insanity all around him. Grant masterfully
performs double and triple takes, as well as providing some of the most
screamingly funny facial expressions ever captured on celluloid. Josephine
Hull and Jean Adair recreate their Broadway roles for the screen and are
absolutely are wonderful; never has such sweet innocence been so brutally
funny. Raymond Massey does a great job filling Boris Karloff’s shoes,
since dear old Boris wasn’t allowed to leave the stage production to participate
in the movie. Additionally, Massey’s makeup has a very Karloff/Frankenstein
monster quality that proves an effective punch line to the film’s running
joke. Even Peter Lorre gets his share of laughs as the disreputable doctor
traveling with the insane killer. The cast of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
also includes Jack Carson, James Gleason, Grant Mitchell, Edward McNamara,
Garry Owen and the ever-delightful Edward Everett Horton.
Warner
Home Video has done a terrific job of bringing ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
to DVD. The black and white film element used for the transfer is in marvelous
shape, or has been digitally cleaned up for this presentation. Either
way, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE displays very few blemishes, although
film grain does become noticeable from time to time. Pre-dating wide screen,
the movie is presented in its proper 1.37:1 theatrical aspect ratio, without
appearing over-matted. The image is crisp and very highly detailed, displaying
the pores in the actors’ faces, as well as the richness of fabrics and
set dressings. Blacks are a perfect velvety black and are shown off to
astonishing effect during a sequence in the film that is played completely
in silhouette. Contrast is excellent and the image faithfully renders
all of the shades of gray up to bright white. Digital compression artifacts
never distract one from the beauty of this presentation.
For a film approaching the sixty-year mark, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
features a Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack that is very clean and free
from distortion. Dialogue is crisp and is reproduced with absolute clarity.
Frequency range has the expected age limitations, however the track is
well worth amplifying for Max Steiner’s truly delightful musical score.
Unless one turns up the volume up to an excessive level, background hiss
remains relatively unperceivable. Subtitles are provided on the DVD in
English and French. The basic interactive menus provide access to the
standard scene selection and set up features, as well as some modest extras,
which include production notes on the film’s journey from stage to screen.
Despite
the passage of time, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE remains one of the funniest
films ever made. This classic film is well served by Warner Home Video’s
sparkling presentation on DVD. Absolutely recommended.
ARSENIC
AND OLD LACE ($25) is a true cinematic gem- a movie that is as funny
today as it was when it was released nearly sixty years ago. Despite the
laughter the film induces, I sometimes wonder how ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
made it to the screen. After all, the plot involves at least a dozen murders
that go unpunished- something that was almost unheard of during the days
of Hollywood censorship. Perhaps the Hayes office was willing to overlook
such immoral matters in the name of comedy.
Based
upon the hit Broadway play by Joseph Kesselring and brought to the screen
by legendary director Frank Capra, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE combines
elements of black comedy, slapstick and the shameless mugging of Cary
Grant to create one of the greatest laugh-fests to ever come out of Hollywood.
The plot of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE takes place in the genteel Brooklyn
of yesterday; a place of tree lined streets and beautiful old homes, churchyards
and cemeteries. On one such street is the home of the elderly Brewster
sisters, Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha (Jean Adair), who are two of
the kindest, most charitable women on the planet. Also in the home, lives
their nephew Teddy (John Alexander), a harmless eccentric, who thinks
he’s President Theodore Roosevelt. 
ARSENIC
AND OLD LACE opens on Halloween, with the arrival of nephew Mortimer
Brewster (Cary Grant), who has just married Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane),
the girl who lives next door to his doting aunts. While delivering the
good news to Abby and Martha, Mortimer discovers a dead body hidden in
the window seat of his aunt’s home. Mortimer immediately jumps to the
conclusion that his brother Teddy has finally gone completely crazy and
has committed murder. However, Mortimer quickly discovers that Teddy is
not the culprit. It turns out that Aunt Abby and Aunt Martha have launched
a new charitable cause, in which they bring everlasting peace to lonely
old men by means of adding arsenic to elderberry wine and serving it to
the gentlemen in question. Of course, Mortimer is shocked and dumbfounded
to discover that his sweet old aunts are serial killers, with a dozen
bodies buried in the cellar of their Brooklyn home. Figuring that he can
pin the crimes on Teddy, who everyone knows to be crazy, Mortimer starts
making arrangements to send his brother off to a sanitarium. All that
is left is for Mortimer to do, before he can leave on his honeymoon, is
to get his aunts to give up their latest charitable cause. Unfortunately,
Mortimer’s other brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey) shows up after a twenty-year
absence, adding another stumbling block Mortimer’s honeymoon plans. Where
Teddy is only mildly crazy, Jonathan is a true homicidal maniac, arriving
with his very own dead body in tow. Also along for the ride is Dr. Einstein
(Peter Lorre), Jonathan’s personal plastic surgeon, whose latest efforts
have left Jonathan looking just a little too much like Boris Karloff for
everybody’s comfort.
As
grim as the proceedings may sound, there isn’t a moment that goes by in
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE that doesn’t generate a laugh. Director Frank
Capra applies just the right touch, keeping everything moving rapidly
and never allowing the atmosphere to become weighed down by the darker
aspects of the material. Capra gets fine performances from a superb troop
of actors, as well as allowing his star to get away with cinematic murder.
Grant is given enough leeway to take his character just slightly over-the-top,
reaction hilariously to the insanity all around him. Grant masterfully
performs double and triple takes, as well as providing some of the most
screamingly funny facial expressions ever captured on celluloid. Josephine
Hull and Jean Adair recreate their Broadway roles for the screen and are
absolutely are wonderful; never has such sweet innocence been so brutally
funny. Raymond Massey does a great job filling Boris Karloff’s shoes,
since dear old Boris wasn’t allowed to leave the stage production to participate
in the movie. Additionally, Massey’s makeup has a very Karloff/Frankenstein
monster quality that proves an effective punch line to the film’s running
joke. Even Peter Lorre gets his share of laughs as the disreputable doctor
traveling with the insane killer. The cast of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
also includes Jack Carson, James Gleason, Grant Mitchell, Edward McNamara,
Garry Owen and the ever-delightful Edward Everett Horton.
Warner
Home Video has done a terrific job of bringing ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
to DVD. The black and white film element used for the transfer is in marvelous
shape, or has been digitally cleaned up for this presentation. Either
way, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE displays very few blemishes, although
film grain does become noticeable from time to time. Pre-dating wide screen,
the movie is presented in its proper 1.37:1 theatrical aspect ratio, without
appearing over-matted. The image is crisp and very highly detailed, displaying
the pores in the actors’ faces, as well as the richness of fabrics and
set dressings. Blacks are a perfect velvety black and are shown off to
astonishing effect during a sequence in the film that is played completely
in silhouette. Contrast is excellent and the image faithfully renders
all of the shades of gray up to bright white. Digital compression artifacts
never distract one from the beauty of this presentation. 
For a film approaching the sixty-year mark, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
features a Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack that is very clean and free
from distortion. Dialogue is crisp and is reproduced with absolute clarity.
Frequency range has the expected age limitations, however the track is
well worth amplifying for Max Steiner’s truly delightful musical score.
Unless one turns up the volume up to an excessive level, background hiss
remains relatively unperceivable. Subtitles are provided on the DVD in
English and French. The basic interactive menus provide access to the
standard scene selection and set up features, as well as some modest extras,
which include production notes on the film’s journey from stage to screen.
Despite
the passage of time, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE remains one of the funniest
films ever made. This classic film is well served by Warner Home Video’s
sparkling presentation on DVD. Absolutely recommended.