Film Review: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Some of the greatest triumphs of Classic Hollywood were built on Broadway. One such example can be found in Arsenic and Old Lace, a 1939 stage play by Joseph Kesselring, known for having been performed 1,444 times since its 1941 premiere and becoming one of the most popular Broadway works of its time. It served as the basis for the eponymous film comedy directed by Frank Capra, known as one of his last great works.

The plot takes place on Halloween in Brooklyn, in a house belonging to members of the Brewsters, an old family descending from Mayflower colonists and with a long tradition of eccentricity. The protagonist, played by Cary Grant, is Mortimer Brewster, a famous dramatic critic also known for a book in which he criticised and mocked the institution of marriage. His bachelor days, however, come to an end after marrying Elaine Harper (played by Priscilla Lane), a beautiful woman from the neighbouring house. Before going on a honeymoon to Niagara Falls, he returns to his Brooklyn home to bring the news to his two beloved aunts – Abby (played by Josephine Hull) and Martha (played by Jean Adair). There he accidentally discovers a dead body hidden in a window seat and, at first, believes that it was the work of his brother Teddy (played by John Alexander), a lunatic who believes that he is US President Theodore Roosevelt.

Much to his shock, Mortimer is told by Abby and Martha that the man was killed by them and that he is only one of twelve old, lonely bachelors they have invited and poisoned with elderberry wine in order to “put them out of their misery”. Things get further complicated when the Brewsters’ home is visited by Mortimer’s brother Jonathan (played by Raymond Massey), a serial killer who has escaped from an asylum in Indiana and who is accompanied by Dr. Herman Einstein (played by Peter Lorre), an alcoholic plastic surgeon who had Jonathan’s face changed to resemble Boris Karloff’s.

Arsenic and Old Lace is based on the stage play, but it doesn’t look that way. This happens despite almost the entire plot taking place in the seemingly limited setting of the Brewsters’ home. Capra uses different settings in the introductory scenes that describe Brooklyn or take place in the marriage license bureau, which is shown as an institution used by people of different races, something quite bold by the standards of 1940s America. That, however, proves to be a minor detail that merely gives flavour to a film that would otherwise take place in a single location. That location is created with one of the most elaborate and expensive sets in Classic Hollywood, which, on the other hand, allowed Capra to employ the camera in different fashions and styles and make Arsenic and Old Lace into one of the best-directed films of its time.

The script by twin brothers Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein of Casablanca fame is very effective in delivering a powerful combination of screwball comedy and more generic black humour. The dialogue is snappy, although not always comprehensible to modern viewers (like Teddy expressing the conviction that he will be “the last Roosevelt in the White House”, an obvious joke referencing Theodore’s cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was President at the time of production). But the pace is quick, the film is never boring, and the two-hour running time – something quite unusual for a comedy – passes very quickly.

A lot of credit for that should go to the excellent cast, much of which was not actually Capra’s first choice or had to replace the cast from the Broadway production, which had still been performed during the shooting. This included Cary Grant in one of his funniest and most energetic roles, although Grant himself later expressed displeasure with it and considered his performance too hammy. On the other hand, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair and John Alexander were allowed to play their stage roles in Capra’s film, and their performances were superb. Boris Karloff, who had played Jonathan in the stage version as a sort of internal joke, with his character made to resemble his iconic monster from Frankenstein, was not allowed to leave the play and had to be replaced by Raymond Massey, who was good, but not as good as Karloff himself would have been. Peter Lorre, one of the greatest character actors of Classic Hollywood, delivered another magnificent performance in the relatively small but effective and incredibly funny role of Jonathan’s alcoholic accomplice. Priscilla Lane, on the other hand, is more or less reduced to eye candy and barely appears in the film, although she does a decent job with what she is given.

Despite those shortcomings, Arsenic and Old Lace is a very good film, and its place in film history books becomes even more impressive when the complicated circumstances of its production are taken into consideration. The film rights for the play were purchased by Warner Bros. almost immediately after its triumphant premiere, and production began in 1941, but on the condition that the film premiere had to occur only after the play closed down on Broadway. That meant that the film had to wait until 1944 to be released. Grant, unhappy with his performance, wanted Capra to reshoot all of his scenes, and Capra was initially inclined to do so, but the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led to Capra joining the US Army Signal Corps (where he would direct his famous propaganda serial Why We Fight), and those reshoots never happened. Perhaps that was a blessing in disguise, allowing today’s audience to enjoy an untouched comedy that appears as entertaining today as it was eighty years ago.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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