Arsenic and Old Lace

Frank Capra's hilarous Screwball comedy.

Mortimer Brewster, a writer and drama critic, secretly marries Elaine Harper on Halloween day. They plan to travel to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon, but first, Mortimer visits his adorable elderly aunts, Abby and Martha Brewster, who are known for their charitable deeds in the neighborhood. He also meets his insane brother Teddy, who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt and is digging locks for the Panama Canal in the basement.

Upon discovering a dead body hidden in the window seat, Mortimer learns that his aunts have been murdering poor men out of charity, serving them poisoned wine. Teddy then buries the corpses in the locks, believing they had yellow fever. As Mortimer plans to send Teddy to the Happy Dale Sanatorium, his other insane and cruel brother, Jonathan Brewster, unexpectedly arrives with his alcoholic partner, Dr. Einstein, looking for a place to dispose of his own victim's corpse.

Based on a stage play, "Arsenic and Old Lace" is a side-splitting comedy that showcases Capra's talent for blending dark humor with endearing characters. Josephine Hull and Jean Adair deliver outstanding performances as the well-meaning but lethal aunts, while Cary Grant's exaggerated reactions to the unfolding chaos contribute to the film's hilarity. The result is a timeless classic that continues to entertain audiences with its clever writing and memorable performances.

par Lore 56 weeks ago