Arsenic And Old Lace (1944)

In my opinion this is one of the best black and white films and is directed of one of the most popular directors of the age. Frank Capra was an Italian American director who is famous for ‘it’s a wonderful life’ and ‘mr Smith goes to Washington’.

Arsenic and old lace is a hilariously spooky film filled of hereditary madness and long lost relatives. Adapted form the stage play, it stars Cary Grant as Mortimer Brewster, Raymond Massey as Jonathan Brewster, Josephine Hull as Abby Brewster and Jean Adair as Martha Brewster.

Set around hallowe’en in New York Mortimer Brewster agrees to marry Elaine Harper, he then goes to see his aunts, Martha and Abby, they have lodgers frequently staying at their house. When Mortimer makes a startling discovery he has to try and find the madness in his family form his new wife. This becomes complicated however when his long lost brother returns from prison with his plastic surgeon, Dr Einstein. Chaos quickly follows when the family also have to control their cousin who believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt a previous president of America.

This film uses camera angles that make it seem like the original stage play. There are very few set changes, this makes you feel like an audience member in a theatre. There is very little music in this film, relying heavily on the actors to carry the humour and tension of the film. However, I feel they do this incredibly well and this film is a prime example of filmmaking of the era.

I would recommend this film to my grandma as she loves black and white films, especially murder mysteries.