Movie Reviews 510 – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Think of director Frank Capra and a few titles will immediately come to mind. It’s a Wonderful Life is the perennial de rigueur Christmas movie and the de facto movie about the shenanigans going on in the US Capitol has got to be Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. But between those two impassioned sentimental classics Capra directed a comedy for the pure fun of it. Arsenic and Old Lace based on a Broadway play does not get the same attention and yet from an entertainment point of view it is easily one of his funniest films.

Cary Grant plays critic and writer Mortimer Brewster, nephew to Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha (Jean Adair), two of Brooklyn’s sweetest little old ladies. An unabashed bachelor and author of the renown Bachelors Bible, Mortimer has reluctantly thrown in the towel to marry childhood sweetheart and neighbour Elaine (Priscilla Lane) despite misgivings about some of his family. Not his aunts mind you but mostly uncle “Teddy” (John Alexander) who believes he is president Theodore Roosevelt, often on one of his foreign expeditions, famously charging in The Battle of San Juan Hill every time he goes up the house stairway.

About to embark on his honeymoon Mortimer makes the grisly discovery of a body in a window seat and naturally concludes that uncle Teddy is responsible, presumably having finally gone over the edge and now needing to be institutionalized. But then comes the shocking confession from his aunts that they dispatched the poor soul themselves so that he could find peace and tranquility rather than live a troubled life. It seems the gals have been quite busy over the years and have amassed a throng of bodies, all neatly buried in the basement by Teddy digging out his own Panama canals. The old biddies have concocted an elderberry wine with arsenic and melange of other deadly toxins that they have mercifully offered to traveling salesmen and other convenient elderly visitors over the years.

As Mortimer descends into a frenzy trying to sort out the problems at home, essentially forgetting all about newlywed Elaine, another surprise walks into the house. Mortimer’s long lost and presumed dead brother.  Jonathan Brewster (Raymond Massey), the black sheep of the family now on the run, is escorted by his friend Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre) a plastic surgeon who has promised to rectify his own botched job disfiguring Jonathan.

Grant a bit uncharacteristically sheds his usual suave and demure roles for one that is frantic and on edge throughout the film. As the confusion over bodies mount Mortimer tries to get Teddy certified while at the same time keeping his aunts at bay from dishing out yet more elixir to unsuspecting visitors. A lot of the fun is delivered by running gags in the movie from a cab driver diligently waiting in front of the home, a slew of incessant comparisons of stitched and scarred Jonathan to Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein and evading the inquisitive new beat cop (Jack Carson) still adjusting to the women’s eccentricities who keeps making a pitch to Mortimer for his own script. There are a myriad of intricate merging plot angles with each character knowing only bits and pieces, but nobody knowing the entire situation. Mortimer even manages to include self-referential material as he discusses a play which recites some of the actual ongoing events, doing so not only once but twice.

Highly recommended film which if you have not seen yet I will  quote Teddy himself and say “Chaaaargggeeee!”

Movie Reviews 482 – The Fountainhead (1949)

It’s impossible to discuss The Fountainhead, the adaptation of Ayn Rand’s novel, without discussing the author and her political and philosophical leanings, particularly the Objectivism system she created and touted in all her noted works The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged being the most recognized.

Objectivism is a conservative libertarian branch whose main tenet is that the moral purpose of one’s life is one’s own happiness. Period. No caveats, no situational conditions. While obviously a selfish endeavour, in and of itself this appears to be harmless until the consequences of such adherence to the philosophy are considered at which time it becomes easy to see the fallacy in the philosophy. I won’t go down the rabbit hole of a full political debate here as that would be a tome unto itself, but suffice to say that The Fountainhead is both illustrative of Objectivism and a cheat at the same time which I will explain later.

From a dramatic point of view the movie is exceptional with great performances by the three leads and some stunning composition pieces. It has been said that the film is better than the novel and I can certainly see that given the many dynamic visuals, including some fairly overt phallic imagery, enhancing the presentation in a manner that cannot be captured otherwise.

The story is about uncompromising architect Howard Roark (Gary Cooper) trying to get his modern building concepts built exactly in the way they were designed without any changes whatsoever. Unable to sustain his architectural firm as a result of his hardline stance he ends up toiling as manual labourer when he meets the equally obstinate columnist Dominique Francon (Patricia Neal). While the two fall for one another an opportunity for Roark separates them and Dominique, heartbroken, marries her boss the tabloid newspaper baron, Gail Wynand (Raymond Massey), although she does not love him. Always an admirer, but publicly his nemesis for the sake of his empire, Wynand comes to befriend and embrace Roark, putting everything he has worked for at risk. If the love triangle wasn’t enough of a burden on Roark, he is then faced with the prospect of seeing a building complex which he designed but was later changed and only being built because he trusted a hapless colleague with his plans. Furious, Roark destroys the building site with the aid of Dominique which puts him and his ideals on trial.

The main characters are all complex and develop as the story progresses, supplemented by other equally interesting supporting roles such as a power hungry architect critic (Robert Douglas), the hack that Roark trusts with his designs (Kent Smith), and the elder architect (Henry Hull) who believed in Roark when no one else would.

It’s an interesting plot and fun to watch but neither the egoistic manifesto it tries to argue nor the complex relationship we are supposed to embrace are realistic. If an argument is to be made that one should be able to do whatever they want in life it’s hardly fair using a benign endeavor like architectural designs as the example as there are hardly any victims other than the proponents themselves. Trying to make the argument for that mindset would have to include situations that actually have an impact on others otherwise the argument falls apart, making The Fountainhead one big cop out. Even the idealistic Dominique compromises when she marries Wynand so her credibility as an Objectivist poster girl is hardly exemplary. And lastly, having Roark’s ideals compromised because of his one altruistic deed cannot be considered as evidence that it was a misguided act of kindness. A fool makes for a poor bedfellow regardless of one’s beliefs.

While this movie fails in it’s main ‘objective’ (see what I did there?), it is nonetheless a fascinating character study and esthetically admirable which is reason enough to watch it.  If your goal is to be preached in Randian philosophy be sure to keep your own ‘objectivity’ on alert and at least you’ll come to understand why it is such a lost cause.