Review of Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) by Paul N — 06 Feb 2009
An over the top production that undoubtedly maintains much of the overstatement of the original Broadway play (the aunts in the movie are the same actresses from the stage production). Everything is amped up - really an example of physical comedy, though not the slapstick that is so often linked with physical comedy.
Capra does a good job of managing an amazing amount of action and storyline in a very condensed amount of time - essentially a 12-hour period (or less). Frankly the character setup for Mortimer is rather unnecessary to the movie as a whole, as it's an angle that really isn't brought into play much.
If you like over the top comedies, this is for you. A collection of outlandish characters thrust together into a single living room for the span of an evening. While it's an interesting concept, it just didn't impress me all that much.
This review of Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) was written by Paul N on 06 Feb 2009.
Arsenic and Old Lace has generally received very positive reviews.
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