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Amazon.co.uk Review
In 1941, when Frank Capra filmed Arsenic and Old Lace, he was in the midst of his string of social-concern pictures. So this uncharacteristic property must have seemed like a vacation; it's a straight farce, played at full tilt and closely adapted from the Broadway play. Almost all of the action takes place on a single set: the old home of the Brewster sisters (Josephine Hull and Jean Adair), those dear, dotty old ladies who mix up a very special elderberry wine. Very special. As their nephew Mortimer (Cary Grant) discovers on the eve of his wedding, the two ladies have been spiking the wine with poison and sending lonely gentleman callers off to the great beyond. More specifically, they've been burying them in the cellar with the help of nutty Uncle Teddy, who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt (and thus digging the Panama Canal down in the basement). The ominous happenings are made more sinister with the arrival of another menacing relative (RaymondMassey) and his quack doctor (Peter Lorre), who look and act like refugees from a horror movie. Played completely over the top, this movie offers up lots of bracing slapstick, with Grant run to near exhaustion by the galloping insanity of his family. Although Capra shot the film in 1941, prior to his making military films during World War II, the film was not released until 1944; the contract stipulated that the movie not come out before the play ended its enormously successful run. --Robert Horton
Video Description
DVD Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Trailer
Languages in Mono: English, French, Italian
Subtitles: English, French, Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Romanian, Bulgarian, English for the hearing impaired, Italian for the hearing impaired.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
You would have to be suicidal or made of granite not to warm to Frank Capra's finest films. Everybody loves It's a Wonderful Life for its life-affirming humanity, but Arsenic and Old Lace is just a good old-fashioned farce which by 1944 standards must have seemed inky black in its treatment of death. The years have been kind to this film - it has matured beautifully and simply leaves a big wide smile on your face.
However, there is plenty more on offer: Cary Grant may be gloriously over the top, but the splendidly observed supporting performances can be treasured. In particular, Josephine Hull and Jean Adair at the two aunts, Raymond Massey as the homicidal brother and Peter Lorre as his fussy and fragile plastic surgeon.
This is simple escapist entertainment relying on age-old virtues of good script, timing, acting ability and top notch direction - who needs computer-generated special effects anyway!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) has a problem. He's a newspaper critic known for his complaints about marriage, who just got married. Before the news breaks he wants to tell his two nice, elderly aunts, but when he arrives at their home he discovers the aunts have a combination hobby and charity. They poison lonely old men, then have them buried in their basement by their addled brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. "Teddy" is concerned about all those yellow fever deaths, but digging the locks for the canal provides a logical burial place. When Mortimer discovers his aunts' 13th work of charity in a window seat, his troubles are just beginning. Showing up unexpectedly is Mortimer's criminal brother, Jonathan (Raymond Massey), an escaped psycho who, thanks to the botched facial surgery of his partner, Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre), now resembles Boris Karloff. And wandering in and out are some great character actors, including Jack Carson as a play-writing cop, James Gleason as a police superintendent, Edward Everett Horton as the head of a home for the insane, and Grant Withers as a bemused clergyman.
What could not be funny with such a setup and with such actors? Well...Cary Grant, in my view, nearly does the movie in. Grant (or Frank Capra) seems to think playing farce means squatting and walking like a chimpanzee, talking as loudly and fast as possible, and mugging broadly for the camera at every opportunity. There are many good things in this movie, but, for me, Grant overacts, something he rarely did in his other films. I suppose the blame rests with Capra.
Hull, Adair and John Alexander who plays Teddy originated their parts in the stage presentation. One of the funny conceits was that playing Jonathan on Broadway actually was Boris Karloff. I've been told that when the movie was filmed the stage play was still doing good business. The producers let the three take six weeks to make the movie, but wouldn't release Karloff. They thought he was too important for ticket sales. It's too bad. As good as Raymond Massey is in the role (he shows a real flair for deadpan humor), having the real Karloff become enraged because his surgeon botched the operation and made him look like Karloff would have been unusually funny.
What could not be funny with such a setup and with such actors? Well...Cary Grant, in my view, nearly does the movie in. Grant (or Frank Capra) seems to think playing farce means squatting and walking like a chimpanzee, talking as loudly and fast as possible, and mugging broadly for the camera at every opportunity. There are many good things in this movie, but, for me, Grant overacts, something he rarely did in his other films. I suppose the blame rests with Capra.
Hull, Adair and John Alexander who plays Teddy originated their parts in the stage presentation. One of the funny conceits was that playing Jonathan on Broadway actually was Boris Karloff. I've been told that when the movie was filmed the stage play was still doing good business. The producers let the three take six weeks to make the movie, but wouldn't release Karloff. They thought he was too important for ticket sales. It's too bad. As good as Raymond Massey is in the role (he shows a real flair for deadpan humor), having the real Karloff become enraged because his surgeon botched the operation and made him look like Karloff would have been unusually funny.
33 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a classic farce masterfully directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant as a lifelong batchelor trying to get married but having trouble with his literally insane family. That's about all you need to know to want to buy this movie BUT the big dissapointment with this movie is that it is in colour when it was shot in black and white. Why do they do this? Most people want to see a movie as the director meant it to be seen and before his death Frank Capra himself expressed his displeasure at the adding of colour to his classic movies and it is a classic. The choice is yours...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Brilliant farce and hilarious
I am in my 50's and although I love lots of modern films, I have quite a collection of pre 1950 films. Arsenic and old lace is one of my absolute favourite's. Read more
Published 2 months ago by BeanCounter
Madcap comedy
This movie was originally staged as a Broadway comedy, and it shows. Fast paced dialogue, sudden entries and exits, tons of dramatic irony and lots of physical humour all... Read more
Published 5 months ago by M. J. Wright
Arsenic and such waste.
I was discussing this film with a colleague prior to watching it. He was very non-commital about it not wishing to colour my perceptions. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Captain Chaos (Semper Vigilans)
Very good Image (audio tracks wrongly stated, though)
The picture quality is very good, and not just because the source material is over half a decade old. Read more
Published 6 months ago by D. Schulz
A Classic you must have
Not a dull moment in this film! You can't relax a minute or you will have to go back to see what you missed. The old ladies are just great!
Published 7 months ago by Kristina Suder
arsenic and old lace
did not think i would be able to get this film but amazon did.this is one of the long lost film which is very entertaing and fun to watch for all the family. Read more
Published 11 months ago by sandra
A Real Gem
This old movie is an absolute classic. It must be one of Cary Grants best and is just an all round family favorite. Highly recommended.
Published 20 months ago by Mrs. L. Robertson
Don't look in the window box !
This wasn't a favourite of Cary Grant. It seems he was a tad embarrased that he may have gone a bit over the top. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Allan Broadfield
Classic Comedy, Classic Cary Grant
Perhaps it is just my perverse nature, but while Some Like It Hot is seemingly universally acclaimed as "the funniest film ever" I have to say I prefer Arsenic And Old Lace. Read more
Published on 22 April 2010 by The Kinniburgh Kid
Cary Grant
If you like Cary Grant you will love this. The humour in this film is class! Oh Joy!
Published on 13 Mar 2010 by Harpy
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