Description

You'll die laughing!Frank Capra directs Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre and stellar cast in the hit Broadway farce about a nutcase family with well-intentioned homicidal tendencies. ... Read more

Reviews (108)

Grant, 2 Old Ladies & Elderberry wine=hilarity now on DVD!!
Frank Capra delivers a great film adaptation of Joseph Kesselring's Broadway hit, "Arsenic and Old Lace". Originally filmed in 1941 just prior to WWII, but not released until 1944 because of the contract agreement to allow the play to complete its Broadway run. (The play ran for 1,444 performances.)

Cary Grant in the leading role as nephew, Mortimer Brewster is at his comedic best in this black comedy of wine, family & insanity. His 2 fabulous Aunts played by Josephine Hull & Jean Adair were encored to the screen and are perfect in their roles. Boris Karloff's obligations prevented him from doing the movie and was replaced by Raymond Massey in the movie version as Grant madcap brother. The great ensemble cast also included Peter Lorre, Edward Everett Horton, Priscilla Lane & John Alexander as a delightful zany crazy, thinking he is President "Teddy Roosevelt".

Summary: It is Halloween, Mortimers wedding day & his life is about to change forever. Visiting his 2 Aunts (Hull & Adair) with his wife (Lane - Ministers daughter!) on their way to their honeymoon to Niagara Falls discovers a body in the window seat. Thinking his crazy cousin, (Alexander) has committed the crime approaches his Aunts. They not only know about the body, but they know who he was & how he died. Their elderberry wine laced with a mixture of arsenic. Oh by the way, he is the 12th to be buried in the cellar. What is Mortimer to do & is his entire family insane? We began a very entertaining & hilarious journey to answering these & many more questions.

This DVD is an excellent Black & White Full Screen (before WideScreen) transfer. Extras include Production notes.

"Arsenic and Old Lace" film adaptation is very close to the actual Broadway play & is a great classic to have in your DVD library. Enjoy.

Arsenic & Old Lace
Plot: Mortimer, a drama critic, has just got married and is about to go on his honeymoon when he discovers insanity runs in his family. His sweet maiden aunts poison lonely old men and have a number of corpses buried in the cellar.....

A film adaptation of the popular stage play, Arsenic and Old Lace is a hilarious movie perfect for people of all ages. The story of Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant), the youngest of three brothers who were raised by two dear, but eccentric, spinster aunts, who have a nasty little habit of "putting poor souls" out of their misery with a little arsenic-laced elderberry wine.

It is delightful to watch Mortimer go from a nice, normal, newlywed to a nervous, neurotic mess as he tries to figure a way out of the predicament his well-meaning aunts have placed them all in. Throw in one brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, another who is a psychopathic killer fashioned after Boris Karloff, and Peter Lorre as Dr. Einstein, a slightly intoxicated make-shift plastic surgeon, and you'll be laughing the entire way through.

All of the performances were wonderful, but Cary Grant's facial expressions, double takes, and hilarious body language are a joy to watch. A truly classic, funny movie.

"No, I'm not drunk, madame.......but you've given me an idea!" - Mortimer, seething in frustration as he tries to get past the operator, so that he can get his family committed into the HappyDale Sanitarium.

"Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops!" - Mortimer, trying to explain to his new bride why it would be best for her to leave him and never look back.

A fun Halloween story
I have seen this movie dozens of times on TV. The problem is they always cut out a lot of the little nuances that make the movie fun; sometimes it is curtail to the story. Now you can see the whole story in its entirety. Lots of sight gags and relies on many expressions to convey what they are thinking. If this looks like a play, that is because it is a play. It was written by Joseph Kesserling and opened in New York City 10 JAN 41. It ran for 1,444 performances. Boris Karloff was an investor and the star attraction so he could not be released for the movie.

The story takes place all on Halloween night in Brooklyn. Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) a critic, that wrote a scathing book about the negatives of marriage, gets married. He soon finds out about his families past and where the bodies are buried. Soon he is to be visited by his estranged or just strange brother (Raymond Massey). Seems that his brother and his brother's friend, Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre), has some secrets of their own. Keep your eye on the elderberry wine.

Capra's Classic Black Comedy.
"Arsenic and Old Lace", starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra, is taken from the stage comedy of the same name. Although the film was released in 1944, it was actually filmed in 1941, due to the stage show was still going at the time. The film also stars Priscilla Lane, along with Josephine Hull and Jean Adair, reprising their original Broadway roles as the two aunts.

Mortimer and Elaine (Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane) play newlyweds, who are about to go on their honeymoon. Mortimer first arrives back at his aunts' house, who he had grown up living with, where he finds out that the two old ladies have been bringing lonely, elderly men into their house, and killing them by putting poison into wine, and then having them buried down in the cellar. More trouble comes when Mortimer's psychopathic murdering brother, Jonathan (Raymond Massey), and his partner, Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre) come about to make even more trouble, when they need to get rid of their own murdered victim, having escaped from jail. Jonathan comes back looking like Boris Karloff, after his partner's attempts at trying to remodel his face, as one of his many disguises. Then there's the poor new wife, who is continually being avoided by her new husband, while trying not to let her know what's going on.

The film has one of the funniest scripts, and some of the most amusing, and odd characters one could find. Ranging from the aunts who think they are doing the right thing, to the mentally insane nephew, who believes he's Teddy Roosevelt. The lines in the movie are somewhat unforgettable, and it's a great movie for many repeated viewings. Actually, I find myself liking it the more I watch it.

As for the DVD presentation from Warner Brothers, there is a serious lack of extras. Apart from the odd trailer, which you find on most DVDs, that's basically it. What can be noted though, is the very nice looking, clean print used for this decent transfer. The mono sound is very clear also, which helps when you have a film with so many jokes to be heard, on a very regular basis. So apart from the disappointing extras, this is a recommended buy, which every fan of classic movies should add to their collection.

first cary movie i saw
This is the first cary grant movie i saw. For the first one i saw i think this is a outstanding film. One of the things i thought it would not be was funny. But that changed my views from the beginning.
I can not say much else but a outstanding film. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The Statue of Liberty Will Never Be the Same Again
Sixty years since it's initial theatrical release, Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur has unfortunately aged into an obviously dated, formalistically predictable, and slightly uneven innocent man thriller that still entertains only due to luminous directorial touches of the Master of Suspense. Starring Robert Cummings, Priscilla Lane, and Otto Krueger (playing the devilishly unpatriotic Charles Tobin), the film does boast a superior supporting cast, numerous Hitchcock narrative touches, many typically overacted performances, a reliably schmaltzy romance, many instances of incredibly defined suspense, and an undeniably brilliant ending Hitchcock Set piece that definitely rates up their with Vertigo's Church Tower, North By Northwest's Mount Rushmore, Foreign Correspondent's Windmill, or any of the Bird's attack sequences.

Though apparently Hitchcock's first truly American Innocent Man chase picture, Saboteur remains one of Hitchcock's least enduring of his 40's thrillers. Regrettably for the film's appeal, Saboteur showcases American characters, American landscapes, and routinely American clichés that just don't mesh as well as they aught to in a Hitchcock forum. Hitchcock did eventually direct the Ultimate American Chase Picture with North By Northwest (1959) starring Cary Grant, Eve Marie Saint, James Mason, and Martin Landau, but Saboteur ultimately remains as a colorfully memorable side note in the Master's exemplary career as a filmmaker.

Recommended for fans or students of Hitchcock, 40's Cinema, and WW2 propaganda films. Can't wait to see the Saboteur on DVD.

This is GREAT not GOOD!
Saboteur is pure Hitchcock but most people always say that it is uneven but it is just the opposite! The climax and the ball scene are purely magic. Just watch the sweat and stuttering Cummings shows as he and Lane try to convince a group of well to do party goers that a plot is out on their lives and america as we know it! Cummings and Lane are so at ease that their acting seems effortless! The plot is Hitch all the way with turns and twists that you never expect coming! I have to say the opening alone is worth the price Hitchcock was a technical genius and by placing the screen so far from the action it makes this wartime thriller even more vast and apealing ,making the viewer seem miniscule to the plot and the action on the screen larger than life, genius! This film has it all the romance, fast paced action, and nail bitting action we have all grown to love from a Hitchcock movie. The Statue Of Liberty climax, leaves your heart in your mouth! Little by little, Cummings looses his gripe on a suspects sleeve and the threads pop, stitch by stitch until...

Good.
'Saboteur' is yet another fantasic mystery from Alfred Hitchcock. Although I don't remember the storyline too much, I remember liking it enough to give it a four-star review.

Wartime Fear on the Silver Screen...
Amidst World War II Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) gets falsely accused for blowing up an aircraft factory on the west coast, however, he has one clue which he intends to follow up on. This clue takes him to to the deserts of the United States where he finds reluctant help through a blind man and his daughter Patricia (Priscilla Lane). It seems like the clues lead toward the Big Apple where Barry intends to find the saboteur who really blew up the airplane plant. Saboteur is a suspenseful film that was made during World War II when there was an actual fear for saboteurs, traitors, and spies. This fear must have enhanced the suspense that the film provides, and it is still a thrilling cinematic experience that leaves the audience agape from the beginning to the end.

a great and well worth seeing film!
This is a great film. It's vert adventurous, dramatic, and romantic. Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane make a lovely couple. It's a great film. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

All the Way Up, and All the Way Down
That's the symbolism at the end of "The Roaring Twenties", my all-time favorite James Cagney movie. What a joy to watch Cagney as he plays Eddie Bartlett, a doughboy who can't get a job after WWI, and who stumbles into the racketeering world by accident. It's a world about tuxedo clad toughs who pack heaters and gats, and speakeasies raided by cops on the make, two-timing ingenues and shady ladies with hearts of gold. And ultimately, a world set right by truth, justice, and the repeal of Prohibition. Supporting Cagney's gangster protagonist is a wonderful ensemble cast. Gladys George has been around the block, but gets stuck on Eddie; Priscilla Lane is the baby face that Eddie's ga-ga about, who sings "Melancholy Baby", "It Had to Be You" and other great songs of the period; Frank McHugh is Eddie's sidekick from the trenches to the big time; and Humphrey Bogart is the rat fink who chisels and kills with very little effort or remorse. "The Roaring Twenties" is a great movie about a good boy who fell in with the wrong crowd, expertly put over by that prince of the gangster movies, James Cagney. Take it out for a little ride back to your VCR.

Big Shots
The Roaring Twenties came at the end of the gangster cycle of movies in the Thirties, and it's a fitting end. The film takes sort of a documentary approach to the era of Prohibition, from its beginning to its finish after fourteen years. At the same time, it chronicles the rise and fall of a gangster played by James Cagney, who becomes a big shot, only to lose it all. Cagney is, as usual, riveting in his role, with some great scenes at the end of the movie. Priscilla Lane is the idealized love of his life who can never return his love because of her dislike for his lifestyle. Gladys George is excellent as Panama Smith, a speakeasy hostess who really is Cagney's soulmate, even though he doesn't realize it. Humphrey Bogart has another one of the bad guy gangster roles that he had a lot of in the Thirties. The movie is well directed and moves along quickly, and although it doesn't really offer anything new to the gangster film genre, it does give the viewer a good overall look at the era, with a finale that is truly memorable. It's worth seeing.

How about a DVD???
I caught this most poignant of gangster films on TV a few weeks ago, and I was so moved by James Cagney's performance...it is a cryng shame that only a handful of his movies have been released on DVD. Please, Warner Brothers, how about giving this gem a shot at the big-time?

we won't honor them on Veterans Day
This Movie is about three World WarI veterans who come back forgotten. One becomes a lawyer, the two others Gangsters. This movie stars James Cagney as Eddie Bartlett, and Humphrey Bogart as some guy named George. It takes place in April, 1918,7 monthes before the World WarI armistace. In the beginning it shows Bogart in a foxhole, and then Cagney jumps in. Cagney lights 2 cigars for both of them and then another main character(Lloyd)jumps in. After the war Eddie is forgotten. He lives with his friend Danny Green, (Frank McHugh) and he can't seem to find a job. Then Danny lets him drive his taxi cab at night. One night Eddie takes a bag to a bar. He does not know what it is but it really is liquor. The police find it and throw him in jail. A woman named Panama, who he met in the bar where the cops got him, bails him out of jail. After that Eddie changes from a taxi driver to a boot legger. Later in the movie he meets up with George. At first they are buddies, then George plots to get Eddie killed, but Eddie kills him. Then when Eddie is running down the street he is shot. Panama is there. When a cop asks her what his job was she said: "HE USED TO BE A BIG SHOT"

A Great Final Scene
THE ROARING TWENTIES is a gangster film about life in New York City during the Prohibition years after World War I. James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart star as two former army buddies who turn to crime during lean times. A strong supporting cast includes Priscilla Lane, Gladys George, Frank McHugh and Paul Kelly.

The climatic scene is perhaps one of the most famous ones directed by Raoul Walsh. He also directed THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE, THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON and HIGH SIERRA. ... Read more