PLOT
As he is about to leave for his honeymoon, a writer discovers that his beloved aunts are serial killers. He spends the next hectic hours trying to talk them out of their bad habit while looking for a way to work things out without anyone going to jail. But as time passes, things only get more intense.
REVIEW
This is probably one of the movies I’ve watched the most in my life—along with another Capra film (“It’s a wonderful life”). It’s been described as a ‘screwball comedy,’ a ‘murder mystery,’ and ‘black comedy.’ All those labels are appropriate.
The plot is twisted and hilarious, despite the dark subject. I love films that manage to pull that off—talk about topics like murder and madness but spin it in a way that’ll make the viewers laugh.
The humor here comes in a couple of forms. First, through the matter-of-fact way the aunts talk about their crimes, like they don’t see why it’s such a big fuss. Second, through the reactions of the characters (especially Mortimer Brewster, but also his brother Jonathan) when they understand what’s going on.
Mortimer is played by Cary Grant, one of the best and most versatile actors of his time. His facial expressions are priceless. But truth is, the entire cast is incredible. From Teddy to the aunts to Mr. Witherspoon.
My favorite performance here, though, hands down, is Peter Lorre’s. He plays a small but important part—Jonathan Brewster’s accomplice, a shady doctor with a drinking problem and a German accent. The way he plays with that accent is incredible (you have to hear him say “I saw that picture too, just before I operated. I was intoxicated.”) though the way he acts when he says his lines also greatly contributes to the quality of his scenes.
There’s a running gag about how Jonathan looks like Boris Karloff (and he does!) There’s an interesting story behind that. The film was based on a very successful Broadway play. Turns out Boris Karloff (the real one) was an investor in that play... not only that, he actually portrayed Jonathan in the play! Imagine characters on the stage pointing at him and saying he looks like Boris Karloff! That must have been awesome.
By the way, Lorre’s character is named Herman Einstein. That might be a reference to Albert Einstein, but considering how Jonathan looks like Frankenstein’s monster, I think it more likely was intended as a pun on the name of Shelley’s famous character.
Despite the humorous tone, the film (and the play before it) is a reflection of the flaws of American society. While the country was widely known to welcome “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses” and to champion freedom, it also had high crime rates and was plagued with issues of discrimination. This dichotomy is shown through this perfect-looking family that, when you scratch the surface, reveals it is not quite so perfect.
Amusingly, the script also takes a dig at Hollywood... or, rather, at a part of Hollywood—the wannabe part that thinks it’s talented and dreams of making it big. It’s a big part, mind you.
There are two cases in the film where someone wants to show Mortimer a play they wrote. You can tell from the character’s reaction that this is not so uncommon an occurrence. There’s also a scene where he criticizes how predictable plays are... though that hilariously backfires against him.
Frank Capra has made many great films in his career, but if you’re only going to watch one of them, this is probably the one you should go for. It’s funny as hell, very well made, and has a stellar cast.
So, what about you? Have you seen this movie? What did you think of it?
And what is your favorite Frank Capra or Cary Grant film?
Tell us in the comments.
TRIVIA NOTES
Frank Capra began his career in the silent era. His first successful comedies were produced by Mack Sennett and starred Harry Langdon. He truly came into his own with the advent of sound and met widespread acclaim with the award-winning “It happened one night” in 1934—a film that also put Columbia on the map and helped launch Clark Gable’s career. Followup hits include “Mr. Deeds goes to town,” “Mr. Smith goes to Washington,” “Meet John Doe,” and “It’s a wonderful life.” His son, Frank Capra, Jr., became a film and television producer.
The Epstein twins (Julius and Philip) are best remembered as the co-writers of “Casablanca.” They also wrote “The man who came to dinner,” “Mr. Skeffington,” “The last time I saw Paris,” and “The Brothers Karamazov.” After Philip died in 1952, Julius continued to write on his own—up until “Reuben, Reuben” in 1983.
The film was one of only two Capra made for Warner Bros. It was executive produced by Jack L. Warner, one of the three brothers who founded the company.
Cary Grant was one of Hollywood’s most famous leading men. He was comfortable with both dramatic and comedic roles. Alfred Hitchcock notably cast him in four of his films: “Suspicion,” “Notorious,” “To catch a thief,” and “North by Northwest.” His other famous credits include “Bringing up baby,” “Gunga Din,” “His girl Friday,” “Operation Petticoat,” and “Charade.”
Canadian-born Raymond Massey’s film career spans five decades and includes classics such as “The prisoner of Zenda,” John Ford’s “The hurricane,” Cecil B. DeMille’s “Reap the wild wind,” Raoul Walsh’s “Desperate journey,” Dudley Nichols’ “Mourning becomes Electra,” and Elia Kazan’s “East of Eden.”
Peter Lorre was a Hungarian actor who had an extensive career in Hollywood. He attained international recognition in Fritz Lang’s German classic “M” where he played a serial killer. He starred as Mr. Moto in a series of B-movies for 20th Century Fox in the 1930s. Other credits include Alfred Hitchcock’s “The man who knew too much,” “Crime and punishment,” “The Maltese falcon,” “Casablanca,” “20,000 leagues under the sea,” and Roger Corman’s “The raven.”
Born in Italy, cinematographer Sol Polito immigrated to the United States in 1905. He began his career in the silent era and would go on to frequently work with directors Mervyn LeRoy and Michael Curtiz. His son Gene Polito also became a cinematographer (“Futureworld,” _Lost in space_, etc.)
With over 300 film scores to his credit, Max Steiner was one of the most demanded and prolific composers of his time. His best-known works include “King Kong” (the original 1933 release), “Casablanca,” “The searchers,” “Gone with the wind,” and “The big sleep.”
CREDITS
Directed by Frank Capra.
Screenplay by Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein, from the stage play by Joseph Kesselring.
Produced by Frank Capra (uncredited).
Music by Max Steiner.
Cinematography by Sol Polito.
Edited by Daniel Mandell.
Starring Cary Grant as Mortimer Brewster, Priscilla Lane as Elaine Harper, Raymond Massey as Jonathan Brewster, Jack Carson as Off. O’Hara, Edward Everett Horton as Mr. Witherspoon, Peter Lorre as Dr. Herman Einstein, James Gleason as Lt. Rooney, Josephine Hull as aunt Abby, Jean Adair as aunt Martha, John Alexander as Teddy Brewster, Grant Mitchell as Rev. Harper, Edward McNamara as Sgt. Brophy, Garry Owen as taxicab driver, John Ridgely as Off. Saunders, Vaughan Glaser as judge Cullman, Chester Clute as Dr. Gilchrist, Charles Lane as first reporter, Edward McWade as Mr. Gibbs, Hank Mann as second reporter, Spencer Charters as marriage license clerk.
Produced by Warner Bros.-First National.
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Released on September 23, 1944.
Running time: 113 minutes.
Genre: Black Comedy.
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Text (c) 2024 by Alex S. Garcia.
Header image: screenshot of the film’s title card.
Film poster courtesy of IMDB.