Directed by:
Frank CapraCinematography:
Sol PolitoComposer:
Max SteinerCast:
Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Jack Carson, Edward Everett Horton, Peter Lorre, James Gleason, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, John Alexander (more)VOD (3)
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Frazzled drama critic Mortimer Brewster has two aunts who ply lonely geezers with poisoned libations, one sociopathic brother who looks like Boris Karloff, one bonkers brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, one impatient new bride — and only one night to make it turn out all right. (Criterion)
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Arsenic and Old Lace is seemingly the ideal Christmas movie. However, the hysterical screwball comedy does not do 1940s Hollywood any credit. This half-crazed, supposedly black-humor comedy is from the family of films like Bringing Up Baby that make me physically uncomfortable. Unfortunately, not even the lovely Priscilla Lane or the traditionally insane Peter Lorre can do anything in this no-holds-barred disaster with the worst Cary Grant performance ever. Poor Boris Karloff.
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This is one of those evergreens that I always come back to and it never disappoints me. The five stars are not so much for the film, but rather for the theatrical source full of amazing dialogues, great lines, and bizarre characters. Adding a quality cast was enough to ensure the film's success. As many others have noted, the final form of the film is perhaps too faithful to the theatrical version. It definitely wasn't an expensive film, but that's not really important for the result. Cary Grant is great and the others helped him out nicely. Overall impression: 95%.
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Gallery (51)
Photo © Warner Bros. Pictures
![Arsenic and Old Lace - Photos - Peter Lorre, Raymond Massey, Josephine Hull, Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Jean Adair](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/160/510/160510486_386b74.jpg)
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