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Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) is getting married to a lovely
girl named Elaine (Priscilla Lane). Normally marriages are
not noteworthy, but this one is especially intriguing since
Mortimer has written books denouncing holy matrimony. A couple
members of the press happen to be lurking about at the marriage
license office, which influences Mortimer to be very secretive
about what he is doing. Unfortunately he must try to share
his secret with the deaf man behind the counter who is holding
his marriage license.
But they do get married, and they traverse back to Mortimer's
aunts' house. Mortimer met Elaine because she lives right
next to his aunts. All that separates the two houses is a,
gulp, cemetery. Anyway, they are planning to leave for Niagara
Falls, and the taxi is waiting for them to collect their things.
The taxi might have a long wait. You see, something is amiss
in the Brewster house, and I'm not just talking about the
Brewster who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt. Just when things
are looking really bad to Mortimer, the situation gets worse
when a couple visitors arrive to the house (Raymond Massey
and Peter Lorre).
I am not overly fond of Frank Capra movies thanks to their
propensity towards sentimentalism. But two that I do like
- ARSENIC AND OLD LACE and IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT - exhibit
an edginess not often found in his other films. This edginess
in ARSENIC was really a function of the outlandish plot. If
they tried to play it seriously it would be laughable, so
the only logical recourse is the dark comedy, with an emphasis
on comedy.
The screenplay for ARSENIC is playfully self-referential.
The whole Boris Karloff running gag worked so well that when
I was a kid watching the film I actually thought that was
Boris Karloff. I wasn't much for reading credits back then.
Peter Lorre also gets to ham it up playing the archetypal
Peter Lorre character. Had he been the right age Lorre would
have made an interesting Gollom in the upcoming LORD OF THE
RINGS.
Capra's use of lighting and sound are worth mentioning. The
horror aspect of the film was something that Capra was not
used to exploring, but his use of shadows to heighten tensions
in a couple short sequences is done with great skill. It is
too bad that the cemetery was not taken advantage of by adding
a "boo" scene in which lighting would play a key
part. Instead the cemetery acts as window dressing in its
role as an avenue between the two houses. The sound sets the
mood of the film. The musical passage accompanying the sudden
appearance of Raymond Massey is appropriately over-the-top.
Adding to the humor in the film is the repeated sound of the
whistle, which conveys innocence and love amidst the turmoil
and chaos that suddenly befuddles Grant.
While not in the same class as the great silent comedians,
Cary Grant was a very talented physical comedian. Some of
that is on display here, although Grant mugs at the camera
a little too much. I wonder if Grant was actually taller than
Raymond Massey. In one scene Grant is supposed to look much
shorter than Massey, but in a later scene when the two are
standing next to one another they are the same height. Most
likely Massey was wearing boots so that he would look more
physically imposing next to Grant, who was no lightweight.
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE was based on a Broadway play of the
same name. The play starred Boris Karloff, who was not allowed
to act in the movie version since he was still acting in the
play. But the two aunts were allowed to leave the play to
act in the movie. The movie was shot in 1941, but could not
be released until the enormously successful play finished
its run three years later. I never would have guessed that
ARSENIC was adapted from a play. Capra did a very good job
of diminishing the "stage-y" aspects of the story
by shooting in different locations including exteriors. He
even begins the movie at a baseball game, although I found
this scene to be quite unnecessary. One difference between
the play and the movie is that the play contains the hilarious
"I'm a bastard!" line (if you've seen the movie
you know what I am talking about) that the paragons of virtue
on the censorship board prevented from being in the finished
film.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Warner has received raves for the image quality of the NORTH
BY NORTHWEST DVD. Warner must really like Cary Grant,
because ARSENIC AND OLD LACE has received similar treatment.
The picture did not seem quite as sharp as another Warner
release from that era, THE MALTESE FALCON, but unlike that
film Arsenic does not suffer from many age-related blemishes.
Occasionally a small speck will appear, but these blemishes
are very minor. Evidently the same digital cleanup technology
that was used on NORTH BY NORTHWEST has also been used here,
unless the source element was in spectacular shape. The quality
displayed here would seem to bode well for Warner's inevitable
release of CITIZEN KANE next year.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The mono sound is clear and distinct, with no harshness evident,
not even in the music. Any kind of wide range is lacking,
but the audio sounds very natural, and that is about all you
can ask for from a 1940s film. There is some background hiss
present, but it is not distracting if you are paying attention
to the movie instead of nitpicking about the sound.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? Alas, the only supplement is a short description of the background
of the film and some quick notes about its adaptation from
the play...
Parting Thoughts
If you are a "meat and potatoes" type of person who enjoys
Capra films, then you will be very happy with this release.
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE couldn't look any better.
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