Rating: 
Summary: Not bad
Review: This is a very well-written script and probably would be better as a play. It lacks the smoothness needed for the big screen. Strangely the worst part about the whole movie is Cary Grant's acting. He's one of the top 10 actors of all time, but he was way over the top in this thing. He appeared to think the movie was a big comedy, but the other actors treated it like a comedic drama, as they should have. Grant was way off the mark on this one.There are some mild spoilers here, but I wouldn't think they'd damage your pleasure before you watched it. Proceed at your own risk. The story is a little absurd, but that's where the comedy comes from. A newlywed dramatic critic (Cary Grant) in the big city lives with his two aunts (Josephine Hull and Jean Adair) and an uncle (John Alexander). Uncle Teddy is cookoo and thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. The aunts think he's the only one that's screwed up in the head, but, in fact, they are as well. For they have been murdering lonely elderly gentlemen in their own home and burying them in the cellar. When the nephew finds out, he goes a little weird himself in his attempt to figure out what to do about it. Everything gets worse when the long, lost, delinquent brother (Raymond Massey) returns home after a prison escape and is looking for a place to live and to bury his most recent victim. It's a plot that Hitchcock himself would have enjoyed, but there just wasn't clear direction of the acting and therefore no cohesiveness. Frankly, I think the movie is tremendously overrated. Not bad for a saturday night though.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic addition to any decent film buff's collection
Review: All time classic black comedy with excellent performances all around. I would have loved to see Boris Karloff actually in it, sadly contractual obligations made that impossible. This is one of my favorite Cary Grant performances, rating alongside "His Girl Friday" in charm and talent. It will always be funny in a timeless sort of way, since wacky relatives are something everyone can identify with.
Rating:
Summary: As Funny and Bleak as Dr. Strangelove
Review: I'm a bit lost when I read comparisons of this movie with Harvey, in which James Stewart plays an alcoholic with an invisible friend. Arsenic and Old Lace is one of the most frantic black comedies I have ever seen (killing is humorous in this movie). The presence of a character who thinks he is president Teddy Roosevelt and who buries the bodies of the victims in the basement (Panama) gives this film political overtones that, to my mind, makes it a precursor to Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. In many ways it's darker and funnier than Dr. Strangelove. It's a great film, and it's hard to believe it was directed by Frank Capra, who also directed It's a Wonderful Life.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and Macabre, Entertaining with a Morbid Plot
Review: ARSENIC AND OLD LACE is hilarious, Cary Grant giving a wonderfully exaggerated performanc. Grant adds to the feeling of restlessness and stress as the fast paced and macabre comedy events happen. Peter Lorre, Jean Adair,Josephine Hull, and Raymond Massey add to the fun. This brilliantly funny movie is clever, ingenious, and entertaining. Priscilla Lane is amusing as Mortimer's(Grant) clueless fiancee, unknowing of the mad Brewster family running amock.
Rating:
Summary: Another Stage Hit Becomes a Screen Classic
Review: A number of classic movies have resulted from adaptations from hit stage plays. "Harvey" and "Life With Father" come to mind. "Arsenic and Old Lace" is another. From beginning to end, there is never a dull moment in this mad-cap comedy. Don't turn your head, you will miss something. It starts with the marriage of critic Mortimer Brewster, whose new bride lives just across the cemetary from Mortimer's sweet old spinster aunts. Jean Adair and Josephine Hull are wonderful as the aunts, whose secret charity is poisoning elderly bachelor men that they lure to their house by advertising for a boarder. When Mortimer finds a body in the windowseat, things are off and running. Throw in Mortimer's brother, Teddy, who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, Mortimer's other brother Jonathan, an escaped murderer, Jonathan's accomplice, a plastic surgeon, and a gabby local policeman who writes plays, and the result is a truly hilarious comedy. "Harvey" and "Arsenic and Old Lace" are among my all-time favorite movies. They are also, as far as I know, the only two movies to feature Josephine Hull in a leading role. I don't think this is entirely a coincidence. Miss Hull is simply wonderful in both movies and it is a shame that she didn't do more work in films. If you like movies that make you laugh, you shouldn't be without this one (or Harvey, either). Get them both and settle in for some real treats. And that's no trick.
Rating:
Summary: Just like wine
Review: I'll make it short: it's just like wine, the older, the better. If you like high black humor - or any kind of humor for that matter - you must not miss this movie. Just make sure you'll see it in its original black and white version!
Rating:
Summary: COLOR VERSION IS WONDERFUL...!
Review: We all know of this film and the b/w version..but I have the colorized version, and the copy I have is just beautiful! I am a great old-time movie fan, but I am one that if it is done with care I believe in colorizing the old b/w features. The version I have is superb in it's adding of color. Note the fireplace scene when even the bricks and plaques are individually colored. All scenes from the close-ups to long shots have been carefully colorized in making this classic film now even better!
Rating:
Summary: Non-stop dark comedy--for everyone
Review: Arsenic and Old Lace has been a family Halloween tradition for years. In some ways it might be called the original horror spoof: Two sweet old ladies poison lonely old men as a "charity" and bury them in the cellar, and no sooner does their stable nephew find out about this (while preparing to leave for his honeymoon) than his long-lost homicidal brother returns with a face like Frankenstein's monster. Cary Grant knew his way around a comedy, so it's easy to believe when his character Mortimer grows more and more frazzled throughout the night, jumping from one problem to the next so quickly that he can't even remember he's just been married that day. In his place, juggling four insane relatives (three of them killers), a handful of cops, and two dead bodies, we'd all feel the worse for wear. The pace is quick, almost frantic at times; complications and plot twists come faster than anyone in the movie can handle them. The only characters who aren't perturbed and thrown completely out of their elements by the affair are the rest of the Brewster family, who are all crazy anyway. The dark comedy genre is full of films that are a little too graphic or disturbing for kids (and even some adults), but this one's not quite so dark, and wildly funny enough to entertain all ages. And no matter how young or old you are, no matter how normal a family you have, you won't be able to help but chuckle when the harried Mortimer takes a breather to explain to his new wife: "Insanity runs in my family.... It practically gallops." The DVD transfer is flawless; the clarity is wonderful. Pop some popcorn and watch it with the whole family.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful Classic Comedy
Review: While I am not a particular advocate of older classics and the movie's premise is a little hard to take, I found this film delightful. This is classic comedy at its best. It is a relief from the slapstick coming of age comedies of today. Many may be familiar with the stage play. This 1944 version is an outstanding adaptation to film. The story line revolves around the sweet old Brewster sisters (Josephine Hull and Jean Adair) and their efforts to solve loneliness of older bachelors with elderberry wine spiked with arsenic. The sisters' nephew Mortimer (Cary Grant) discovers their secret. Mortimer is not unreasonably concerned that the insainity runs in the family, especially given that his older brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey) is a murderous escaped convict and his uncle Teddy (John Alexander) is convinced that he's really Theodore Roosevelt, (running around the house yelling "CHAAAAARGGGE"). Mortimer isn't keen on starting a family with his new bride, Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane) with the family trait hanging over his head. One would expect Grant to carry the show with his dry wit (his response to the unexpected, different body in the window seat is arguably the finest sight gag in any movie) but the real stars of the movie are Josephine Hull and Jean Adair (who for some reason are always way down in the list of characters). They steal every scene they are in. The only weakness is casting Peter Lorre as Dr. Einstein, Raymond Massey's sidekick. He adds moodiness to his scenes that detract from the picture's light heartiness. But even he over acts his part and makes it into a parody of his other films. Pick a time when you need to escape and watch it with some friends. If you can get through the entire movie without laughing out loud, you are really depressed.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC MYSTERY/ COMEDY Combo!
Review: Cary Grant plays Mortimer Brewster a mild-mannered writer, on the brink of marrying the girl nextdoor, Priscilla Lane ( Elaine Harper/Elaine Brewster) However, Mortimer has discovered some shocking truths about his guardians: Josephine Hull (Aunt Abby Brewster ) and Jean Adair ( Aunt Martha Brewster ). They like to murder old men with a homemade batch of Elderberry Wine and Arsenic. ADD Raymond Massey ( Jonathan Brewster ), Peter Lorre (Dr. Einstein ), Jack Carson ( Officer O'Hara )--how to push a play, Edward Everett Horton ( Mr. Witherspoon )--so much for his nursing home, James Gleason ( Lt. Rooney )--perfect cop image, and John Alexander ( Theodore 'Teddy Roosevelt' Brewster ) --charge! We wear out the tape quite often here. Can't wait for DVD copy for Christmas. Enjoy!
| 
