Arsenic and Old Lace

The overachieving student in me felt quite guilty choosing Arsenic and Old Lace as my movie choice.  I don't want to say that this was the "cop out" pick but at first glance it does seem to be the easiest of the options.   The 32 year old male in me did not feel guilty for choosing this movie over the other four which were A) musicals and B) already forced upon me to watch.  Within the first five minutes of the movie I knew I had made the right choice.  I do not understand how I have made it all of my life without knowing how great this film is!  Of course I've heard of Cary Grant but there truly is reason why he is the immortal legend that he is.  Not only was this film full of all the things I love, irony, slap-stick humor, great one-liners and that ever so sneaky glace to the audience, it also was smartly written and pardon my French, just a damn good movie.

There is nothing more ironic then someone trying to define irony.  And that statement in itself is ironic.  Or is it?  I, like every other red-blooded American in the 1990's, owned and wore out a copy of Alanis Morrisette's Jagged Little Pill.   While that is indeed a great album it handicapped the world in what irony truly is.  Rain on your wedding day is not really ironic.  It's just unfortunate.  That is unless of course you are a meteorologist.  

In researching a detailed definition for irony I found a webpage that does so quite well.

from http://grammar.about.com/od/il/g/ironyterm.htm

Three kinds of irony are commonly recognized:

1. Verbal irony is a trope in which the intended meaning of a statement differs from the meaning that the words appear to express.
2. Situational irony involves an incongruity between what is expected or intended and what actually occurs.
3. Dramatic irony is an effect produced by a narrative in which the audience knows more about present or future circumstances than a character in the story.

Though I believe my favorite definition comes from Steve Buscemi defines irony in the movie Con-Air.

 

There's the meat. Now let's get to the gravy.

Examples of irony in Arsenic and Old Lace:

[ ] Before you even watch the movie or read the play you are hit head on with irony.  The title itself is dripping with this quite misused literary term.   Arsenic is a harsh and deadly poison while lace, especially old lace, is quite delicate and mundane.

[ ] Mortimer Brewster, a man who wrote such books as Marriage a Fraud and a Failure and Mind Over Matrimony is getting married to a minister's daughter no less!

[ ] Not only is this self-proclaimed marriage hater getting married he is doing so in the most predictable ways of the time.  It was common for New England couples to travel to Niagara Falls on a train in the bridal suite.  

[ ] Before we are made aware of the aunts dozen dirty deeds Officer Brophy says to his new replacement Officer O'Hara, "Why there ain't two sweeter little ol' ladies in the world."  Quite an dramatic ironic statement I would say.

[ ] In his mad dash after finding out his aunts have committed multiple murders Mortimer hurries his cab driver, to whom he still owes fare, to hail a cab.   An unpaid cabby hailing a cab may seem like just plain stupidity but there we have a nice ironic situation.

[ ] Jonathan Brewster, long lost brother of Mortimer who has a very dark past and demeanor returns home to hide from the law and bury a body of a man he has murdered.  His aunts are quite afraid of him which is quite ironic since they've murdered as many victims as he has.

[ ] Once Mortimer is aware of his aunts misdeeds he has a heated conversation with Aunt Abby who says, "Well of course. Darling you don't think I'd stoop to telling a fib?"

[ ] Elaine, the woman who married Mortimer says to him, "Look at your aunts.  They’re Brewster’s aren’t they?  And the sanest sweetest people I’ve ever known.    

[ ] Aunt Martha and Aunt Abby want to go to the police because their nephew Jonathan wants to bury the man he murdered, a foreigner, with the man they “helped along his way,” a Methodist. 

[ ] “At least people in plays act like they got sense.”  (Dr. Einstein)

[ ] “Are you kidding? You think People in plays act intelligently? You should’ve seen the one I had to cover tonight.  There’s a fellow in this play.  Knows he’s in the house with murderers.  He’s even been warned.  But does he get out? No, he stays there.  Now, I ask you, doctor, is that intelligent?”  (Mortimer)

[ ] Following this dialogue Jonathan is seen coming up from the cellar.  Mortimer goes on to explain how the victim is tied and gagged as Jonathan follows the words as instructions.  Mortimer even scoffs at the fact that the victim in the play has his back turned so he doesn’t see his demise coming.

“You see, in a play or a movie for that matter, a fellow never sees or hears anything...

He sits there waiting to be tied and gagged, the big dope!”  (Mortimer)  Right as the word dope leaves Mortimer’s mouth Jonathan and Dr. Einstein tie and gag him.  Ha!

[ ] Just as before, Officer O’Hara speaks of how when he first joined the force he was cleaning out a crooked laundry when little does he know it there is a dope fiend with a long knife trailing after him.  As he says this Jonathan can be seen behind him with a long knife.   

[ ] As Jonathan is coming to after being knocked out by Dr. Einstein (the only on trying to help in the play which is quite ironic itself) he overhears a policeman speaking on the phone about the “missing” Officer O’Hara.  When Jonathan hears, “Call of the manhunt, we found him.” He assumes they are speaking about him.

[ ] And my favorite line of the entire movie…Lt. Rooney after hearing twice about 13 bodies being buried in the cellar says, “There are people dumb enough to believe a story like that.”