Arsenic and Old Lace Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Arsenic and Old Lace
Year: 1944
Director: Frank Capra
Country: US
Language: English

Over the years I've soured on the filmography of Frank Capra. Most of his pictures, especially post-war, were far too sentimental. With It's A Wonderful Life he came off as dishonest and condescending; it was a picture nobody wanted at the time and it showed when the film wasn't able to make its money back until the 70's when it was presented by television stations around Christmas-time.  Two films, It Happened One Night and Arsenic and Old Lace, are the exception to my distaste for Capra-corn. I will review the latter now.

A drama critic (Cary Grant) learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family.

Arsenic is not just a good comedy, it may be the greatest comedy to ever be put to screen! Unfortunately Cary Grant considered his acting in this film to be horribly over the top and often called it his least favorite of all his movies. Screenwriter Julius J. Epstein complained to Frank Capra that Cary Grant's acting "was going overboard with the comedy." Capra agreed and told the writer that it would be toned down in the editing process. However, when World War II unexpectedly began, Capra left the studio to make propaganda films and could not oversee this picture's editing. I personally don't agree with the complaints made, because Grant's cheesy acting contribute very well to the comedic tone of the film. A toned down Grant might have made for a less entertaining experience. 

With Cary Grant's talent for madcap comedy, combined with the aunts' sinister plans and his wife's oblivious nature make Arsenic unpredictable, chaotic and remarkably fun. 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 this theatrical version does great justice to its stage origins. At the height of the Hays' code and the middle of WWII for most countries,  creating black comedy must have been incredibly difficult for Capra, but he pulled it off with astounding success.

I've seen Arsenic and Old Lace many times, none of which make me fail to laugh at the slightest. The cinematography, music, script and actors all combine to make one clever flick that is incredibly hard to forget. While I do think the film could have been slightly shorter, as it does get a tad tedious near the end, I still think this is quite a masterpiece. Praise it! 4,5/5