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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
Directed by Frank Capra
USA 1944
Frank Capra adapted a hit stage play for this marvelous screwball meeting of the madcap and the macabre. On Halloween, newly married drama critic Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant, cutting loose in a hilariously harried performance) returns home to Brooklyn, where his adorably dotty aunts (Josephine Hull and Jean Adair, who both starred in the Broadway production) greet him with love, sweetness ... and a grisly surprise: the corpses buried in their cellar. A bugle-playing brother (John Alexander) who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, a crazed criminal (Raymond Massey) who’s a dead ringer for Boris Karloff, and a seriously slippery plastic surgeon (Peter Lorre) are among the outré oddballs populating Arsenic and Old Lace, a diabolical delight that only gets funnier as the body count rises. *** Mortimer Brewster, a newspaper drama critic, playwright and author known for his diatribes against marriage, suddenly falls in love and gets married; but when he makes a quick trip home to tell his two maiden aunts, he finds out his aunts' hobby - killing lonely old men and burying them in the cellar! |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: September 1st, 1944
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Review: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: Also available on DVD from Criterion: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Criterion Spine #1153 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray | |
Runtime | 1:58:15.088 | |
Video |
1.37 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 41,597,008,333 bytesFeature: 35,784,333,312 bytesVideo Bitrate: 35.92 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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Audio |
LPCM Audio English
1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB |
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Subtitles | English (SDH), None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1.37 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 41,597,008,333 bytesFeature: 35,784,333,312 bytesVideo Bitrate: 35.92 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• New audio commentary featuring Charles Dennis, author of There’s a
Body in the Window Seat!: The History of “Arsenic and Old Lace”
Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 17 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 60 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the
original English language. Arsenic and Old Lace
has no extensive aggressive moments and dialogue is clear and overall
authentically flat. The film has
another supportive
score by the
iconic Max Steiner (Stingaree, Tomorrow
is Forever,
Sergeant
York,
Key
Largo,
Casablanca,
The Caine Mutiny,
Bird of Paradise,
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,
Beyond the Forest,
Pursued,
The Most Dangerous Game,
The Garden of Allah,
The Fountainhead etc. etc.)
The audio is consistent, clean and clear
in the lossless transfer. Criterion offer optional English (SDH)
subtitles on their Region 'A'
Blu-ray.
The Criterion
Blu-ray
Frank Capra's Arsenic and Old Lace
is a brilliant black comedy - often considered the best and most
enjoyable of its era. Cary Grant's lead role of Mortimer Brewster was
originally intended for Bob Hope, but he couldn't be released from his
Paramount contract. I think it's one of Grant's funniest
performances. Josephine Hull and Jean Adair delightfully portray the
Brewster sisters reprising their roles from the 1941 stage production.
The attempted desensitization of the murders and Cary Grant's reaction
is nothing short of hilarious. Many fans of Arsenic and Old Lace
will be so pleased at the Criterion Blu-ray
- its strong a/v, new commentary, radio play and liner notes. It has our
highest recommendation! |
Menus / Extras
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
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More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
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Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from: Also available on DVD from Criterion: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Criterion Spine #1153 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |