Review of IMDb Top 250 Films - Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

I intend to conduct a review of the top 250 films on the IMDb database. At a rate of two per month this will still take forever as the list constantly changes. I don't claim to be a very knowledgeable or intellectual film critic but have tremendous confidence in my ability to discern good direction, script and acting, and to expose films which have enjoyed / endured an undeserved reputation in my perhaps arrogant opinion. There may be a few minor spoilers in my reviews.

Arsenic and Old Lace - Rating: 4.25 out of 6

This film is slightly superior to the similar-styled comedy Bringing Up Baby for which I gave 4 out of 6, yet it does not merit, and I would feel uncomfortable giving it, a rating of 4.5 out of 6.

This is unfortunate because the first 75% of the film is very entertaining indeed with a wealth of highly memorable characters, notably the spinster Brewster sisters. The initial setting up of the characters up to and including the twist involving the sisters is a joy, a classic in fact, with a wickedly witty script and superb comic acting and timing. The several minutes where Cary Grant's Mortimer Brewster questions the sisters about their little secret is the highlight of the film, belly-laughingly and timelessly funny (Josephine Hull's Aunt Abby in particular adds immeasurably to the humour here) although the sisters' incredulity at Brewster's (incredulous!) reaction seems a little silly and more unbelievable than the secret itself! It is a precursor of the silliness to come.

It is unfortunate that the film does not continue as a straight dramatic comedy. The addition of rogue brother Jonathan as the new main plotline indicates to the audience that this film is, in fact, a farce (and indeed it started out as a play). Nevertheless, it is to Raymond Massey's great credit as Jonathan and Peter Lorre as his weasly camp sidekick Dr Einstein that the middle portion of the film does not lose momentum. Peter Lorre's performance especially is superb, along with Hull's the best in the film, and were it not for Massey's mesmeric hypnotising eyes, it would be difficult to drag one's eyes away from him!

But it really is now like having Boris Karloff in the house and what was a beautifully light, funny comedy progresses - literally just after half way through the film - into a farce which gets progressively sillier and more madcap: the sisters have less opportunity for their subtle comedy play and Grant's neglect of his wife after she tells him Jonathan tried to strangle her, well, it's supposed to be funny but the "humour" is blunt, unnecessary and in keeping with the general silliness. The Teddy character too becomes a little tiresome and superfluous, and the contrast between Grant's comic performance and Massey's straight one can be a bit jarring. But, away from the plot, the second half of the film does have some great moments, the best being the aside where Grant pokes Massey's leg, and until the final 20 minutes both script and direction more than maintain our attention!

After Grant's character is captured, however, everything becomes ridiculous, everyone goes crazy and the film loses its class. The final 20 minutes in particular are all over the place, not at all worthy of what has gone before, and the addition of the inspector and then the doctor into the house during the final 10 minutes is a very big mistake, crowding the film and boring us. So the loose ends are wrapped up in a hurry and the film almost literally peters out. A shame but sadly not (apparently) untypical of many early films, such as (indeed) Bringing Up Baby!