User Reviews

With many silly comedies of recent years, comedy has become the most underrated art form. People take comedy for granted. As if there's nothing to it. True, there are some people will just laugh at anything. In some cases, it doesn't take much to raise a chuckle out of a certain someone. But this is the kind of film that will make you fall on the floor laughing. Why? Because it makes use of every comic device you can think of. The timing, the delivery, the choreography. Absolutely perfect!

That's right, no cheap shots here. There are some absolutely brilliant scenes in this film that made me laugh out loud, while at the same time scream out "Capra's a genius!" If you wanna see what comedy is truly all about, watch the scene where Cary Grant (noted drama critic) is describing the story of a bad play he had just seen to Peter Lorre. As he's doing so, everything that happened in the story is going on right behind his back. Doesn't sound like much on paper, but you have to see it to believe it. There are also many great lines, including "Pull up a tombstone."

The acting is topnotch. I can't believe Grant felt this was the worst movie he's ever done (check the Trivia section). I actually liked the fact that this was a different role for him, as opposed to the suave, quiet, laid-back romantic he-man he usually plays. In this movie, we really get to see his knack for slapstick--and he's great at it! Every facial expression, every bulge of the eyes--he did it with such perfect timing. There's also a great scene where they all start fighting, and Grant sits on the stairs and smokes a cigarette while all this bedlam ensues. His deadpan expression during that scene is classic. I also have to give it up for everyone else in the cast--though Grant deserves the most acclaim.

There are lulls here and there, and the film runs a little long (though that wouldn't surprise me being that it was adapted from a stage play), but there are so many beautifully crafted, hilarious moments that I can't rate this movie as anything less than a must-see! I would go on and on about which scenes I found memorable, but I don't wanna spoil it for anyone. Just see it for yourself! Trust me, you'll die laughing!

My score: 9 (out of 10)

In Frank Capra's autobiography he explains that the reason he wanted to do Arsenic and Old Lace was that he was planning to go into the service, in preparation for the war he was sure coming. He wanted a surefire moneymaking hit that could be done on the cheap.

Arsenic and Old Lace was running on Broadway at the time and authors Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse had sold the film rights to Warner Brothers. Capra negotiated a deal with Jack Warner for a percentage and told him how he would do the film on the cheap, but not cut production values. Years of experience at Columbia had taught him how. The property was perfect since 90% of it is on one set, the Brewster living room.

So the shooting was for four weeks and a big percentage of the budget was spent on getting a name star for guaranteed box office, that of course being Cary Grant. Of course this being 1941 the shooting was interrupted briefly by the actual attack on Pearl Harbor. But the film wrapped up quickly and was not released to the public until 1944 after the show on Broadway closed. It was however shown to troops overseas as were several other Hollywood films before they reached the domestic market.

Of course with a Capra selected cast the film was a great triumph. Only Jean Adair and Josephine Hull as the Brewster sisters and John Alexander as "Theodore Roosevelt" Brewster repeated their Broadway roles. Capra had insisted on that.

I don't think Cary Grant was ever more frantic in his film career than in Arsenic and Old Lace. He's one bundle of perpetual motion as Mortimer Brewster theater critic and member of a family where insanity doesn't just run, it gallops. He's got two daffy old spinster aunts who poison lonely old men to cure their loneliness, a brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, and another brother who is a homicidal maniac. Quite a family tree. Grant's performance is so good, you can see the fevered workings of his mind in his facial expressions as he frantically tries to get his whole family committed before the aunt's deeds are discovered.

Of the supporting cast I think that Raymond Massey as the homicidal brother, Peter Lorre as his sidekick, and Jack Carson as the dense police officer truly stand out. They and the others play parts that seem tailor made for them.

Over fifty years later, Arsenic and Old Lace will still fracture the funny bone in you.

And I wouldn't bet we've still not seen the last Roosevelt in the White House.

Cary Grant should have had his second Academy Award before he filmed Arsenic and Old Lace. After, he should have taken home his third for best Actor in one of his best comedic performances in his amazing career. Arsenic and Old Lace takes place pretty much in one location. A stage comedy, the movie does justice to its original theatrical version. Cary Grant makes you laugh, even an audience 50 and 60 years after its original release. The story of innocent guilt and laughable situations, other movies like What's Up Doc, Marvin's Room, and even Lake Placid (with its moments of ignorance and bliss) have all stolen moments of Arsenic and Old Lace. No one but Cary Grant could have starred in this movie. A delightful performance and an over the top comedic talent was showcased in this comedy classic.

For those who enjoy dark comedy, it's hard to see how anything could be funnier than "Arsenic and Old Lace". With Cary Grant's talent for madcap comedy, with hilariously sinister performances by Raymond Massey and Peter Lorre, with two adorable old ladies who have a very dark secret, plus half-a-dozen other eccentric characters, all involved in a complicated and unpredictable plot, this is a comic masterpiece. Director Frank Capra keeps everything moving and adds his own touch, keeping some dark material entirely light-hearted.

This is the kind of movie for which mere analysis cannot do justice to how well everything fits together. The characters, cast, and writing are all perfect, and the crazy story gives every character some great moments. There is plenty of witty dialogue, lots of funny slapstick and physical humor, and quite a few wild plot developments. None of it is meant to be plausible, but it is all hugely entertaining, and done with such skill that it is easy to suspend disbelief. If you happen not to have seen this before, stick with it for the first few minutes, until you arrive at the home of Cary Grant's two aunts, and then things will take off quickly.

If you enjoy morbid humor, "Arsenic and Old Lace" is an absolute must-see.

One of the great black comedies. If Boris Karloff had joined his fellow Broadway cast members - Jean Adair, Josephine Hull and John Alexander - I think it would have been an even better movie. Raymond Massey, unquestionably a good actor, did his best, but didn't quite seem to get the joke, or maybe was overwhelmed by having to incarnate Karloff. But it's a quibble, really, and we're more than compensated by the the rest of the cast.

Cary Grant motors the piece along at a terrific pace. He's a joy to watch, with his double-, triple-, even quadruple- and quintuple-takes. Hull and Adair are equally wonderful in their different ways, the former all floaty and tip-toe, the latter hysterically earnest - one of my favourite moments is Adair's superb double-take when she notices, on the dining-room table, a shoe she doesn't recognise.

Peter Lorre, Jack Carson, Edward Everett Horton, James Gleason, and the rest, are all everything they should be, and Priscilla Lane is splendidly dewy-eyed and pouty as the love-interest.

I've seen Arsenic and Old Lace countless times. I've never tired of it, always look forward to it, and highly recommend it.

I didn't really know what to expect going into this. I have seen a lot of Cary Grant's movies, but none of them prepared me for this dark comedy. Grant is hilarious as the frantic Mortimer Brewster, who finds a body in his aunt's home and tries to get to the bottom of how it got there. There are so many scenes in this film that had me laughing my head off. Much of the credit goes to the actors who all play their parts well, but Frank Capra did a fantastic job with this. A fast pace and great timing and reaction shots made this film that much better. Overall, i would recommend this to nearly everyone. If you don't laugh during this film, I would say that you should check if you still have a pulse.

Comedy and suspense. At first I thought the film was a romantic comedy but when we moved on to the second part we began to perceive the macabre tone of the plot. The horror of the film starts from the dialogues of the Brewster sisters that are soft and macabre and until a certain moment I wonder if all that is a joke to scare Mortimer and him marry his beloved Elanie because there is a dialogue between them that says "This is part of the plan we have for Mortimer". The film through Jonanthan references the already classic Frankenstein at the time. A really creepy thriller film, I believe that if the film hadn't appealed so much to comedy, it would have gotten better and more macabre.

The film shows that even without jumpscares or special features it is possible to tell a horror story without even showing dead people, blood everywhere, witches, murderers, spirits, ghosts, demons, just telling a story of sick human beings.

This is my all-time favorite classic movie. It has an very sophisticatedly entertaining plot line, the casting is superb, the pace is breathtaking, and it deals with a subject (euthanasia) that is still controversial today. The story is a fine example of "black comedy", where a socially unacceptable idea is shown in a very entertaining manner.

The story is set up brilliantly right from the get-go; where a 'certifiable' publicly-acclaimed bachelor is secretly getting married. The personality of the cast is excellent. I know that Cary Grant reckoned this was his worst movie, saying it was more of a "Jimmy Stewart-type part"; but his spot-on comic timing and professional style hamming plays the role to perfection. Also co-starring in the movie is a brilliant Peter Lorre as a maniac doctor and Raymond Massey as the psychotic brother. Most critics have attacked this film by saying the script refers to the psycho being a Boris Karloff look-alike, highlighting the fact that Boris played the role is the original stage play. However Massey plays the role to deadpan perfection, and the humor of the scenario still works.

My favorite scene is the self-referential one where Mortimer (a theater critic)is describing "bad plays (and movies)". If you watch the background action, and pay attention to the dialog, the ironic situation is brilliantly realized. This film also has my personal favorite quote, said by Cary Grant as Peter Lorre frantically tries to warn him of impending doom; "Stop underplaying - I can't hear you!"

Must have been a delight to experience in all its theatrical staged glory before being made for the silver screen where it just about saves itself from the gallows by virtue of its originality and some accomplished performances, the least of which is the rather irritating Archibald Leach.

"Arsenic and Old Lace", one of the best stage comedies that were seen on Broadway, gets the royal treatment via Frank Capra, a man that was born to direct the movie version, if ever there was a man to do so. The play written by Joseph Kisserling was given an excellent screen play treatment by the Julius and Philip Epstein team, two great movie adapters of all time.

This is a combination of a madcap and a screwball comedy. The first best thing in the film are the star turn performances by two of the original actresses that created the roles of Aunt Abby and Aunt Martha, Josephine Hull and Jean Adair, respectively. Just to see the Brewster sisters in action is worth the price of admission. These two women had the roles of a career by bringing life into the two kinds souls living in Brooklyn and doing good, as well as "helping lonely old men" to find happiness.

The second best reason for watching the film is Cary Grant. This is without a doubt one of the actor's best achievements in his long career in the movies! Mr. Grant plays Mortimer Brewster, a man that hates the idea of getting married and losing his freedom. That is, until the beautiful Elaine comes along. Mr. Grant is a joy to watch in the film, no matter what he is doing, at any given moment. His expressions, as well as his timing is impeccable, something one expects of all of Mr. Capra's movies.

The Brewster household is the center of the action, but for a stage play, it never seems confining, or theatrical, even though it's basically shot in one single set. This appears to be the Brooklyn area near the Heights where one can see the majestic bridge in the distant. Maybe around Old Fulton Street, or that area, where the River Cafe is located now.

Mr. Capra was able to assemble such a wonderful group of the best actors working in movies. Lovely Priscilla Lane is the woman that conquered Mortimer's heart. Raymond Massey is Jonathan, the Dracula-like sinister figure that is Mortimer's brother. Also, John Alexander, is seen as "Uncle Teddy", the man with a Teddy Roosevelt's complex. Peter Lorre makes a good contribution as Dr. Einstein.

Jack Carson and John Ridgley are seen as the police working the area where the Brewster live. The supporting players are amazing: Edward Everett Horton, Garry Owen, Grant Mitchell, James Gleason, and although seen briefly, the great Charles Lane, who is one of the photographers pursuing Mortimer and Elaine when they are getting the marriage license. Mr. Lane appeared in hundred of films and is still alive, 100 years young! In a way, it's ironic Mr. Lane survived almost all the people in the film!

An excellent film by that American master, Frank Capra!

Arsenic and Old Lace is a farce directed by Frank Capra with an underlying dark comedy. It does feature a tad too much mugging to the camera and its theatrical roots are hard to hide.

Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) is a famous drama critic known for his anti marriage stance. Which explains why he is trying to get a marriage licence incognito. He is getting married to the girl next door, Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane.)

Before he goes off to Niagara Falls for his honeymoon he brings her to her family home to announce his nuptials only to discover that his two kindly understated elderly aunts have been putting arsenic in their homemade wine and knocked off lonely old men and buried them in the cellar with the help of a delusional uncle who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt and keeps blowing the bugle.

It gets worse, this is the night that his long lost older brother has returned, preferably escaped or on the run from somewhere. Jonathan Brewster (Raymond Massey) has turned up with a Dr Einstein (Peter Lorre.) Jonathan has had plastic surgery which has made him look like Boris Karloff and it seems he has also brought a corpse with him.

Mortimer fears for his new bride's safety and in the ensuing mayhem a flatfoot calls to look into the madcap Brewsters.

The film is fun, at times frenetic but is really too long for this type of comedy. Cary Grant just about gets away with the mugging to the camera, Lorre and Massey are sinister and funny together. Lane is sidelined too much. The film just feels a little too sloppy and out of control. An honourable failure.

On Halloween day, the writer and drama critic Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) secretly marries his next door neighbor Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane) and they decide to travel to Niagara Falls in honeymoon. Mortimer has written many books criticizing the institution of marriage and his weeding would be a scoop for the reporters and paparazzos.

Mortimer and Elaine take a taxi to Brooklyn to bring their luggage and Mortimer visits his adorable elderly aunts Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha Brewster (Jean Adair), who raised him and are considered Good Samaritans in the neighborhood, renting rooms and giving meals to the poor. His aunts live with his insane brother Teddy (John Alexander), who believes that is Theodore Roosevelt and is digging locks for the Panama Canal in the basement of the house. When Mortimer is ready to go, he finds a dead body hidden in the window seat and his aunts explains that they have murdered the poor men for charity to stop their suffering serving wine spiked with arsenic and other poisons. Then Teddy buries the corpses in the locks believing that they had yellow fever.

Mortimer decides to send Teddy to the Happy Dale Sanatorium but things get worse when his other insane and cruel brother Jonathan Brewster (Raymond Massey), who had disappeared twenty years ago and has the face of Boris Karloff, unexpectedly appears in the house with his alcoholic partner, the plastic surgeon Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre), expecting to find a place to dispose the corpse of his victim. The place transforms in a nuthouse.

"Arsenic and Old Lace" is a hilarious screwball comedy by Frank Capra based on a theater play. The plot and the characters are very funny with Josephine Hull and Jean Adair performing two innocent serial-killers believing that the death of their victims is charity. Cary Grant exaggerates in his reaction and he seems to be crazier than his insane relatives, but the result is wonderful. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Este Mundo é um Hospício" ("This World is a Sanatorium")

This is a sensational adaptation of Kesselring's novel hit smash playwright, filmed in 1941 but shown in 1944 .This madcap and frenetic comedy concerns a couple justly married , Mortimer Brewster (Gary Grant) and his wife (Pricilla Lane) . They go home two old aunts , two apparently kind ladies (Josephine Hull , Jean Adair) who poison single old men and bury the bodies into their basement that is also used as place of Canal Panama by a nutty tenant who believes to be Theodore Roosevel (John Alexander). Meanwhile , there appears Jonathan (Raymond Massey) , a Boris Karloff-alike and a doctor (Peter Lorre), plastic surgeon , as a Dr. Frankenstein-alike . Besides , a police officer (Jack Carson) and later a lieutenant (James Gleason) enter at the household and the things go wrong for Mortimer.

This is one of the best black comedies of all time with dark humor , frantic situations and awesome performances . Top-notch Gary Grant , he gives an authentic recital, he puts faces , grimaces , and overacting but he's splendid. Raymond Massey and Peter Lorre in sinister roles are magnificent. Excellent the sweet spinster aunts , Hull and Adair , repeating their Broadway acting , equally John Alexander as the insane cousin with trumpet included . Furthermore , agreeable secondary role by the usual Edward Everett Horton who is in charge of a mental hospital . The film is well adapted by Julius and Philip Epstein - Casablanca's screenwriters- . Adequate musical score by the classic composer Max Steiner and atmospheric cinematography by Sol Polito. The pic was perfectly directed by the master Frank Kapra who previously got a lot of experience in silent comedy and slapstick vein , working for Mack Sennett and Harry Langdon. Also exhibited in horrible computer colored adaptation . It's a must-see for classic movies buffs and Gary Grant fans.

Cary Grant believes he overplayed his character in 'Arsenic and Old Lace', and I agree, he's over-the-top. At times his frantic jumping around and shocked facial expressions are funny, such as when he tells his aunts early on that they really oughtn't to be poisoning their visitors by saying "Look, you can't do things like that! Now, I don't know how I can explain this to you, but it's not only against the law, its wrong! It's not a nice thing to do. People wouldn't understand. He wouldn't understand. What I mean is, well, this is developing into a very bad habit!" … all while hunched over and gesticulating. This is a loud movie, with one brother believing he's Teddy Roosevelt yelling 'Charge!' as he runs up the stairs and slams his bedroom door repeatedly, characters rapidly entering scenes in a pell-mell confusion of trying to hide bodies, threaten each other, commit others to mental institutions, etc etc. It's also all over the map.

At first I thought Capra may have threaded the needle and been able to deliver both a dark comedy and a drama, since Raymond Massey's glowering and Peter Lorre's simpering are quite sinister, and a nice counterpart to Cary Grant and the sweet old ladies played so wonderfully by Josephine Hull and Jean Adair. However, the movie dragged on, and was far too long at 118 minutes. Some may like the madcap frenzy Capra created based on the stage play, and I have to say there are some nice moments and lines ("Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops."), but overall the movie gets to be a little much, and doesn't stand the test of time, at least for me.

I have watched this movie many times over the years. It is different from movies produced and shown today in that something doesn't explode in every other scene and it actually has dialog. That's right, you really need to listen to what the characters are saying to really enjoy the movie fully. For example, one of my all-time favorite lines is subtly spoken by Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) when he tells his fiancée, Elaine (Priscilla Lane), in the following brief exchange: " I can't marry you, Elaine." "But why, Mortimer?" "Because insanity runs in my family ... (a quick look over his shoulder) ... In fact, it practically gallops!" Get this movie and watch it - be prepared to laugh!

Mortimer Brewster, a New York critic of both drama and marriage, has finally married Elaine Harper, the girl next door. But before heading off to Niagra Falls for the honeymoon, Mortimer stops in to see his aunts, Abby and Martha Brewster, two sweet little old ladies who donate toys to charity and care for their nephew Teddy, a bugle blowing nutbag who thinks he's Theodore Roosevelt. But Abby and Martha aren't as sweet and innocent as they seem. Mortimer soon discovers, to his horror, that his dear old aunties have a dozen bodies buried in the basement. It seems the Brewster sisters have a new hobby - luring lonely old men into their home and serving them Elderberry Wine spiked with arsenic poison. To make matters worse, Mortimer's deranged and very dangerous brother Jonathan shows up. Jonathan, on the run from the law, has a dead body in the trunk of his car, a drunken plastic surgeon at his side and a face that looks like Boris Karloff. Mortimer frantically attempts to deal with dead bodies, insane asylum directors, attempted murders and a new bride all on a single crazy Halloween night.

This is a must-see Halloween movie, filled with Gallows humor, leaf-strewn graveyards, pumpkins and death. Cary Grant delivers a performance unlike any other he has ever done - manic, panicked, hysterical and almost as insane as his screen family. John Alexander is flawless as Teddy; bugles, pith helmet and all. Jean Adair and Josephine Hull are so sweet and cute and so absolutely morbid you'll forgive them anything. Raymond Massey as Boris Karloff lookalike Jonathan is simultaneously menacing and amusing, and Peter Lorre as his drunken German sidekick Dr. Einstein is a riot, bugging his eyes and flinching through the entire film in a most endearing way.

This is a must see film, no matter your genre preference. There's something for everyone here: quick-witted comedy, true romance, grisly deeds, everything! Fans of Grant and Lorre must not miss this film. 10 stars!

Arsenic and Old Lace is the most important contender for the funniest movie ever made !! Every single aspect and element in this movie is just perfect. And I'm NOT exaggerating... If I have to rate all the different elements of cinema separately, I would rate them all 10 out of 10. Acting, directing, plot, location, dialogues, sense of humor...all brilliant and in the right proportions. Frank Capra was responsible for several milestones and masterpieces in the history of cinema but - in my opinion - Arsenic and Old Lace beats them all. Yes, I DO think it's even better than 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' !!! Arsenic and Old Lace is just everything you could possibly wish for in a motion picture. A must see that comes with the highest possible recommendation.

Explaining the plot a bit would almost be impossible to do. The story goes about so many things. Don't be alarmed, it's not at all hard to follow or something. As a viewer, you're just being overwhelmed by a series of hilarious plot twists and intelligent side-characters and their backgrounds. So much that it is almost impossible to mention it all. And besides, it's better that you start watching it without knowing too much about the story anyway. Just sit back and enjoy being pleasantly surprised. I can't imagine that there are people out there who didn't fully enjoy this movie !! It comes really close to perfection, and the intelligence and originality of it will never again find an equal. Nowadays comedies are all low-brainers ( or even no-brainers ) that handle about dumb teenagers or dick and fart jokes. Arsenic and Old Lace is a comedy that is mainly story-driven and brought to an even higher level thanks the flawless acting performances.

Yes...let's talk about the cast a bit !! Cary Grant plays the role of his life in my opinion. Sure, he played many other brilliant roles but his character Mortimer Brewster is just the most memorable of them all. Grant's comedy talent was never stressed better than in this film. His facial expressions are hilarious and his the amazingly funny lines sound brilliant coming out of his mouth. The girl who played his wife Elaine ( forgot her name ) is very beautiful and a great match for him. And I was very enthusiast to see Peter Lorre in this film. He's in my top 5 list of greatest actors who ever lived and anyone who saw this movie will agree with me on that. He's just perfect as Dr. Einstein. I can keep on rambling about the cast but I think you get the whole picture... FLAWLESS !!!

Black comedy is one of the hardest subgenres of cinema to make a good movie out. Not many directors and scriptwriters have enough talent to take a subject like murder, death or insanity and make a masterpiece out of it. Stanley Kubrick did it with 'Dr. Strangelove' and Frank Capra did it with this one ... I think these men are the exception. Only these guys can make you laugh hysterically with subjects like this. Finally one more note : This is also a perfect movie to watch if you're a fan of classic horror movies and thrillers. First of all because of the tribute role by Peter Lorre of course but also because of the constant morbid atmosphere hanging around the movie...And, naturally, because of the character of Jonathan Brewster which clearly is a direct tribute to Boris Karloff...They even say so most of the times.

What the hell are you waiting for ?? Go watch it right now !

Grant hated his performance as Mortimer Brewster, but audiences loved it. Although he is known best as the supreme lead romantic actor (the man every man wish to be and the man every woman wanted to be with), his first love was doing comedy. Even in a Hitchcock thriller like "North by Northwest", Grant relished the chance to evoke laughter in his scene as a drunk.

Based on the hit stage play, "Arsenic and Old Lace" is the quintessential dark comedy of its era. Josephine Hull and Jean Adair are priceless as the well-meaning sisters whose "ministry" is mercifully ending the lives of their lonely, elderly guests and burying them their basement. Raymond Massey is the menacing Johnathan Brewster. Pricilla Lane is winningly cute as Mortimer's confused bride-to-be. Peter Lorre is the shifty but sympathetically conflicted Dr. Einstein. And if you haven't seen John Alexander as the delusional Teddy Brewster, you're in for an unforgettable treat!

Enjoy the Brewster sisters' hospitality, but I don't advise drinking the wine!!!

A presumably sane young drama critic (Cary Grant) visits the home of his two elderly aunts. Upon arrival, he finds that his two dear, sweet, lovable aunts have embarked on what they see as their mission of mercy ... killing lonely old men, by giving them arsenic-laced wine. Our sane young drama critic soon learns that insanity runs in the family.

Five years ago, the American Film Institute selected America's 100 funniest movies. "Arsenic And Old Lace" (1944) came in at Number 30. And that's not surprising. A lot of people enjoy this dark, screwball comedy, with its slapstick, its fast pace, its sharp dialogue, and its engaging characters. A lot of viewers like it simply because of Cary Grant.

The film's underlying premise is really great. And I must confess that Aunt Abby (Josephine Hull) and Aunt Martha (Jean Adair) are cute and entertaining. (Interestingly, the film portrays them as usually together and almost always in agreement with each other. It's like they function as a single entity). And the other denizen of the house, Uncle Teddy (John Alexander) is also a hoot.

But I'm not a big fan of Cary Grant. His performance here is exaggerated. His hyper and jerky behavior is distracting and grating. The plot gets ever sillier as it moves along, and downright tedious toward the end. Lastly, I have never cared much for films that are so top heavy with dialogue.

The best part of the film is the cinematography. Most of the scenes take place in a big living room, at times with lights out. The B&W lighting is very stark with high contrast, which renders a suitably sinister atmosphere.

"Arsenic ..." is not my cup of tea. But, for viewers who like talky stage plays with an accent on macabre humor, this film is a fine choice. Could I interest you in a glass of elderberry wine, perhaps?

"All I did was cross the bridge and I was in Brooklyn."-Mortimer Brewster

So much physical comedy in this Halloween farce about two sweet old ladies in New Jersey who are performing a civil service, or so they think.

"He'll be very happy at Happydale."-Mr. Witherspoon

This film takes place during the course of one Halloween night that starts with critic and playwright (the foremost on bachelorhood) in line to get married at the justice of the piece. After they marry, it is off to Brooklyn to tell his two sweet aunts the good news. The plan is to go to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon...but then the madness begins.

This is a fun, funny and delightful film especially if you like Cary Grant.

Arsenic and Old Lace, the tale of two spinster ladies who innocently decide to kill single lonely old men to `put them out of their misery' is an absolute comedy classic. There is not one character in this film that doesn't illicit at least a few laughs throughout the film. Cary Grant once again displays his comedic chops and plays the role of the nephew brilliantly. His two brothers are also hilarious, one who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt and the other who `bears a strange resemblance to Boris Karloff'. It is sheer brilliance when actors expand from their usual genre, so Raymond Massey and Peter Lorre's performances are a sheer delight.

This is one of those films that everyone should see once in their lifetime. Not for its profundity or for its message, but because it is a diagram for how comedies should play out.

--Shelly

Newly-married Mortimer Brewster visits his two aunts in Brooklyn. To everyone they are sweet, generous, caring old ladies but Mortimer soon discovers that they are serial killers. What's worse, the body of their latest victim is hidden in a chest in their living room, where anyone could find it. Mortimer does his best to dispose of the evidence but his plans are impeded when his psychopathic, also-serial-killing brother, Johnny, comes to visit, along with his plastic surgeon, Dr Einstein.

The great Frank Capra, more renowned for classic, largely sentimental, dramas like 'It's A Wonderful Life', "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', 'Mr. Deeds Goes To Town' and 'Meet John Doe" turns his hand to comedy, and the end product is a bit hit and miss. At its best the movie is a funny, off-the-wall dark comedy. At its worst it is plain silly, and dull. Unfortunately there's an equal measure of both, and they come in waves.

The best moments generally involve Johnny and Dr Einstein. Their schtick is more darkly serious, but in being serious they're very funny. Some great dark comedy moments involving them.

The worst bits involve Cary Grant / Mortimer Brewster. The character is over-the-top and overacted by Grant, to the point of irritation. In addition, Teddy Roosevelt was initially interesting as a one-off comedic device, but quickly grew irritating due to overuse, and, well, for being irritating. Until Johnny and Dr Einstein entered the movie, I was starting to lose interest, that's how irritating and dull the remaining characters and sub-plots are.

So it become a roller-coaster of very funny scenes and eye-rollingly bad, irritating scenes.

Overall, reasonably fun and funny, but certainly not deserving of its 'classic' tag.

A roller coaster of a movie!

Besides heaping all of the normal accolades on this film, I would like to point out what I feel is one of the greatest moments in cinema history. A daring move that only Cary Grant could pull off - I have no idea if it was in the script but it feels like a Grant improv.

The climactic scene at the end of the movie where Cary is tied up, about to be murdered when the police come and the climactic fight scene breaks out. This is a life and death fight - the climax of the movie ! Chaos ensues...chairs flying, bodies flying and what does our friend Mr Grant do? After freeing himself from his bonds he goes and sits on the staircase - still in harm's way of the brawl and with a classic Grant gesture of "don't bother me" he says the immortal line..."everybody off" . At that point he pulls out his cigarette case and lights up. He completely pulled himself out the movie ! Sitting there puffing away on a cigarette without care for the bedlam or threat to his life that whirled around his character in cyclonic fashion....."everybody off"...what a line !

"Arsenic And Old Lace", despite its cute premise, and the fact that the movie stars Peter Lorre AND Cary Grant, is not my favorite Capra movie that I've seen. I mean it's good for a chuckle or too, but doesn't really hold up well. Cary Grant, who is just WAY too "Look at the goofy situation I'm in!", stars as a newlywed who stops by his Aunts to pick up a manuscript he's been working on. He finds more than what he bargained for. When he finds a body instead. What's even more peculiar is that his Aunts cheerfully admit that they did the dirty deed, and leave the body for Teddy Roosevelt to bury in one of his locks in the Panama Canal (don't ask). During all of this, his long lost brother and a weasely doctor come by, on the lam, themselves carrying a body, and so the whole thing becomes a cat and mouse, bait and switch thing, that somewhat tries to resolve itself but leaves us wanting the whole thing to end just so we can stop watching Grant mug for the camera all the time. The best thing about this, is the interesting atmospheric lighting there is in some scenes, and the very unexpected scare in the middle of this. But other then that, it's pretty bland.

AP NEWS, Dallas, TX - A man was found murdered Saturday night in his home. According to police, his wife returned home at about 11.15 pm from a night out and found her spouse dead in his home theater. He had been beaten severely, suffering extreme trauma to the head.

Police and paramedics arrived and the victim was pronounced dead on the scene. Homicide detectives concluded that all evidence pointed to Frank Capra's film ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, which the man had watched on his dvd player while his wife was out. The film apparently reached out from the television and killed the victim with an astonishing array of blunt trauma instruments: loud, annoying characters, poor comic timing, tepid pacing, stagebound theatrics, clumsy physical comedy, initially [mildly] amusing bits run into the ground repeatedly, and, most lethal of all, forced farce.

"If only the film had been 30 minutes shorter, the victim might have lived," claimed the county coroner. "He just couldn't take it for 118 minutes. Frankly, I don't know anyone who could."

The district attorney will not charge anyone with the murder, being that all parties involved in making the film are deceased. The family of the victim is considering civil action versus Warner Home Video.

"It just goes to show, anyone can be a killer, regardless of reputation," said the chief investigator. "Here we have a classic, a very highly ranked movie. Who could have known it could have been so lethal. We see it all the time in this business."

Services are set to be held Tuesday at Burkshire Memorial Park. There will be no viewing as the casket will be closed.