Movie to watch on Halloween - 2
Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 American screwball black comedy crime film directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant. The screenplay was composed by the twin brothers Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein (who also wrote together with Howard E. Koch the scenario for the movie Casablanca) and that script was firmly based on the Joseph Kesselring's 1941 play with the same name.
It's considered a great Halloween movie due to its charmingly macabre plot, spooky-yet-cozy setting, and black-and-white gothic aesthetic, which create a fun, campy, and ultimately comfortable viewing experience perfect for the season. The movie's humor comes from the absurd situation of a newlywed trying to navigate past his aunts' so-called mercy killings with arsenic-laced elderberry wine.
The story goes that on Halloween day Mortimer Brewster (played by Grant), a theater critic and author who has repeatedly denounced marriage as "an old-fashioned superstition", marries Elaine Harper played by a lovely Priscilla Lane, his neighbor and a minister's daughter. Grant himself wasn't happy at all with his performance in the movie, calling it the worst of his career. He thought he was best playing cool, hands-in-pockets types and you do get the sense that he's just not that comfortable here. “I simply cannot do this kind of comedy,” he told director Capra.
The key actor who was not allowed out of his Broadway play contract for the movie production because he was way too vital to the play's success was Boris Karloff, who played Jonathan Brewster in the orginal play. Raymond Massey, who got that movie part instead of Karloff, treated it as a long running joke having to always look like Boris Karloff. In the movie itself, which was released in 1944, Massey's character reacts violently whenever someone mentions he resembles the actor, creating one amazing gag where he becomes enraged after another character makes this comparison.
In the movie Peter Lorre plays the part of a surgeon (Dr. Einstein) who helps his travelling companion and serial murderer Jonathan Brewster to dispose of the bodies. He's an alcoholic who speaks with a heavy German accent. He is Jonathan's partner in the sense that he keeps providing plastic surgery makeovers for Jonathan so he can easily evade police. His latest work, however, was inspired by his watching a movie while drunk, then performing his surgery on Jonathan. What makes Lorre so funny here is his masterful underplaying. Personally, I think that Lorre and Grant are just brilliant.
Themes of insanity and the macabre are interwoven with humor, creating a unique exploration of morality, family loyalty, and the absurdity of life. The play balances these elements, inviting audiences to reflect on the nature of good and evil within a family context. The contrast between the over-the-top reactions of the protagonist (Mortimer) and the chillingly polite demeanor of his murderous aunts adds to the unique, darkly funny, and ultimately charming viewing experience
[media=https://youtu.be/DP6QsaNWGlk]
It's considered a great Halloween movie due to its charmingly macabre plot, spooky-yet-cozy setting, and black-and-white gothic aesthetic, which create a fun, campy, and ultimately comfortable viewing experience perfect for the season. The movie's humor comes from the absurd situation of a newlywed trying to navigate past his aunts' so-called mercy killings with arsenic-laced elderberry wine.
The story goes that on Halloween day Mortimer Brewster (played by Grant), a theater critic and author who has repeatedly denounced marriage as "an old-fashioned superstition", marries Elaine Harper played by a lovely Priscilla Lane, his neighbor and a minister's daughter. Grant himself wasn't happy at all with his performance in the movie, calling it the worst of his career. He thought he was best playing cool, hands-in-pockets types and you do get the sense that he's just not that comfortable here. “I simply cannot do this kind of comedy,” he told director Capra.
The key actor who was not allowed out of his Broadway play contract for the movie production because he was way too vital to the play's success was Boris Karloff, who played Jonathan Brewster in the orginal play. Raymond Massey, who got that movie part instead of Karloff, treated it as a long running joke having to always look like Boris Karloff. In the movie itself, which was released in 1944, Massey's character reacts violently whenever someone mentions he resembles the actor, creating one amazing gag where he becomes enraged after another character makes this comparison.
In the movie Peter Lorre plays the part of a surgeon (Dr. Einstein) who helps his travelling companion and serial murderer Jonathan Brewster to dispose of the bodies. He's an alcoholic who speaks with a heavy German accent. He is Jonathan's partner in the sense that he keeps providing plastic surgery makeovers for Jonathan so he can easily evade police. His latest work, however, was inspired by his watching a movie while drunk, then performing his surgery on Jonathan. What makes Lorre so funny here is his masterful underplaying. Personally, I think that Lorre and Grant are just brilliant.
Themes of insanity and the macabre are interwoven with humor, creating a unique exploration of morality, family loyalty, and the absurdity of life. The play balances these elements, inviting audiences to reflect on the nature of good and evil within a family context. The contrast between the over-the-top reactions of the protagonist (Mortimer) and the chillingly polite demeanor of his murderous aunts adds to the unique, darkly funny, and ultimately charming viewing experience
[media=https://youtu.be/DP6QsaNWGlk]
