Typically, the day that a man
is married is a carefree day. He celebrates life with his new bride
and everything looks fantastic. That is, unless you happen to be
Mortimer Brewster. In 1944, a film emerged that danced along the
borderline of marital bliss and family insanity. Assembling a cast
that included Cary Grant, Peter Lorre, Raymond Massey and Jack Carson,
director Frank Capra set a classic film into motion. He presented
us with a dose of Arsenic...and Old Lace.
Cary Grant is Mortimer
Brewster, a dramatic critic who marries and decides to visit his
aunts Abby and Martha (played by Jospehine Hull and Jean Adair)
before taking a honeymoon. This is no ordinary family visit. Brewster's
two innocent looking aunts have a secret, they've been killing different
men and burying them in the cellar. They don't,
however, find anything wrong with it! They believe they're doing
the men a "service" by putting them out of their misery.
Naturally, they decide who's miserable and who isn't. As
if this isn't enough to drive a man out of his wits, Brewster's
delusional brother lives at the house as well. Uncle "Teddy"
(played by John Alexander) is convinced that he is actually
President Theodore Roosevelt, and belts out a thunderous "chhhaaarrrgggeeeee!!!!!"
every time he runs up the living room stairs. Brewster decides that
his special brother needs to be put away, somewhere that
will keep him from interacting with ordinary society. While trying
to maintain his own sanity, Brewster juggles back and forth between
concealing his aunts' dirty deeds and dealing with Uncle Teddy.
Little does he know that his troubles will soon escalate. Brewster
has another brother, Jonathan (played by Raymond Massey),
that no one has seen in quite some time. Jonathan shows up at the
aunts' house with his nervous sidekick Dr. Einstein (played
by Peter Lorre). Jonathan is a career criminal, and has actually
bumped off a few people of his own! He uses Dr. Einstein's services
to change his facial appearance, to go undetected among the policeman
looking for him. The trouble, however, is that Jonathan's latest
"face" strongly resembles Boris Karloff. With a famous
look, it will not be easy to blend in, and he knows it. Mortimer
is dead center in this circus of insanity. He and his brother Jonathan
do not seem to like each other; nevertheless, Jonathan vows to carry
out his latest crime regardless of Mortimer's attempt to stop him.
Meanwhile, the aunts have not changed their minds about the mercy
killings, and actually seem to enjoy it. Neighborhood policeman
Patrick O'Hara (played by Jack Carson) is completely aloof.
He drops in to visit a few times, and despite the obvious mayhem
going on, he is more concerned with pitching his own writing ideas
to Mortimer for criticism. Brewster now finds himself among three
homocidal lunatics, a deranged Teddy Roosevelt wannabe, a shaky
mad scientist of a doctor and an oblivious, bumbling idiot cop.
All he wanted to do was drop in to say hello!
Arsenic and Old
Lace has found its way into the annals of film history.
From its synopsis alone, one might assume that they are about to
witness a suspense thriller, or even a horror movie. To the contrary,
its sheer absurdity is what has made it a comedy classic. Cary
Grant is the "every man" in this film. He has
a playboy mentality, and has no plans on settling down until he
finds a woman who changes his mind. He has a suave cool about
him. To the outside world, he is almost unable to shake or frighten.
Classic Hollywood was full of that rugged tough-as-nails demeanor.
The idea that two little old ladies could jostle one of these "men
of steel" is nothing short of ridiculous. Yet, we see it happen
very quickly. Grant has top billing but the co-stars are what really
made this film take off. Peter Lorre, a career
character actor, provided the uncertainty needed to keep us wondering.
He starts out as a loyal counterpart to Raymond Massey's character.
As the movie progresses, we start to wonder if Lorre will change
sides, or simply just run away. His paranoia is too much for him
to handle and his whole existence is a look over his own shoulder.
Jack Carson is another fantastic ingredient. He
seems to play characters that never get what they want. Here, he
dreams of writing but can't find someone to take his dreams seriously.
He is more of a laughing stock than he is a visionary. His place
in life as a policeman has been set, though it's obvious that law
enforcement takes a backseat to his passion. A year later in Mildred
Pierce, he plays Wally Fay, a guy who bends over backwards
for Joan Crawford's character, and is always rejected by her. This
is a personality that Carson perfected, a perpetual 2nd place, a
back burner man. Raymond Massey as Grant's psychotic
brother Jonathan is spectacular. He plays one of those rare characters
that leave the viewer on their seat's edge. Everything triggers
his rage, and nothing is taken lightly. He is an egomaniac with
self confidence issues. This is evident when he argues that he has
more murders to his credit than his aunts have. When Lorre disagrees
with him, he becomes desperate to prove his numbers.
THE DVD
Arsenic
and Old Lace was released on DVD in 2000 by Turner Home
Entertainment. There are no bonus features on the disc, but the
video transfer is crisp and the audio is more than adequate. Overall
this is a beautiful presentation that can be enjoyed for years to
come.
THE CONCLUSION
Frank
Capra made this film in 1941, but it wasn't released until 1944.
The performances were over the top, most likely to compensate for
the country's depression during World War II.
It is a dark comedy best suited for a rainy night with the smell
of popcorn floating around the room. With Grant, Lorre, Massey
and Carson on board, not much can go wrong. This movie is proof
that people are not always how they appear. For all fans of true
classic film, this one gets the green light, the stamp of approval
and the go ahead!
don't,
however, find anything wrong with it! They believe they're doing
the men a "service" by putting them out of their misery.
Naturally, they decide who's miserable and who isn't. As
if this isn't enough to drive a man out of his wits, Brewster's
delusional brother lives at the house as well. Uncle "Teddy"
(played by John Alexander) is convinced that he is actually
President Theodore Roosevelt, and belts out a thunderous "chhhaaarrrgggeeeee!!!!!"
every time he runs up the living room stairs. Brewster decides that
his special brother needs to be put away, somewhere that
will keep him from interacting with ordinary society. While trying
to maintain his own sanity, Brewster juggles back and forth between
concealing his aunts' dirty deeds and dealing with Uncle Teddy.
Little does he know that his troubles will soon escalate. Brewster
has another brother, Jonathan (played by Raymond Massey),
that no one has seen in quite some time. Jonathan shows up at the
aunts' house with his nervous sidekick Dr. Einstein (played
by Peter Lorre). Jonathan is a career criminal, and has actually
bumped off a few people of his own! He uses Dr. Einstein's services
to change his facial appearance, to go undetected among the policeman
looking for him. The trouble, however, is that Jonathan's latest
"face" strongly resembles Boris Karloff. With a famous
look, it will not be easy to blend in, and he knows it. Mortimer
is dead center in this circus of insanity. He and his brother Jonathan
do not seem to like each other; nevertheless, Jonathan vows to carry
out his latest crime regardless of Mortimer's attempt to stop him.
Meanwhile, the aunts have not changed their minds about the mercy
killings, and actually seem to enjoy it. Neighborhood policeman
Patrick O'Hara (played by Jack Carson) is completely aloof.
He drops in to visit a few times, and despite the obvious mayhem
going on, he is more concerned with pitching his own writing ideas
to Mortimer for criticism. Brewster now finds himself among three
homocidal lunatics, a deranged Teddy Roosevelt wannabe, a shaky
mad scientist of a doctor and an oblivious, bumbling idiot cop.
All he wanted to do was drop in to say hello! 
about
him. To the outside world, he is almost unable to shake or frighten.
Classic Hollywood was full of that rugged tough-as-nails demeanor.
The idea that two little old ladies could jostle one of these "men
of steel" is nothing short of ridiculous. Yet, we see it happen
very quickly. Grant has top billing but the co-stars are what really
made this film take off. Peter Lorre, a career
character actor, provided the uncertainty needed to keep us wondering.
He starts out as a loyal counterpart to Raymond Massey's character.
As the movie progresses, we start to wonder if Lorre will change
sides, or simply just run away. His paranoia is too much for him
to handle and his whole existence is a look over his own shoulder.
Jack Carson is another fantastic ingredient. He
seems to play characters that never get what they want. Here, he
dreams of writing but can't find someone to take his dreams seriously.
He is more of a laughing stock than he is a visionary. His place
in life as a policeman has been set, though it's obvious that law
enforcement takes a backseat to his passion. A year later in Mildred
Pierce, he plays Wally Fay, a guy who bends over backwards
for Joan Crawford's character, and is always rejected by her. This
is a personality that Carson perfected, a perpetual 2nd place, a
back burner man. Raymond Massey as Grant's psychotic
brother Jonathan is spectacular. He plays one of those rare characters
that leave the viewer on their seat's edge. Everything triggers
his rage, and nothing is taken lightly. He is an egomaniac with
self confidence issues. This is evident when he argues that he has
more murders to his credit than his aunts have. When Lorre disagrees
with him, he becomes desperate to prove his numbers.