IMDb > Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
Monsieur Verdoux
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Monsieur Verdoux (1947) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 5)
Monsieur Verdoux (1947) -- WatchMojo.com sits down with this charming comic to find out all they can.
Monsieur Verdoux (1947) -- WatchMojo.com hooks up with nice guy comedian Sugar Sammy who gets a little racy when on stage. Watch this video to learn all about this top comic.
Monsieur Verdoux (1947) -- A lost, rejected Superbowl commercial. Watch to the end, you'll see why it was rejected!
Monsieur Verdoux (1947) -- WatchMojo.com presents the Facebook Rap Song: "I'm on Facebook", featuring Vocaliber.
Monsieur Verdoux (1947) -- Rocky Tangerine has put together the ultimate exercise program...he will keep you thin, lazy and healthy (at least on the outside) and for only $69.99 a month!

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   4,303 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Orson Welles (idea) and
Charles Chaplin (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Monsieur Verdoux on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 December 1947 (Sweden) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Chaplin's Bluebeard comedy is a killer! more
Plot:
A suave but cynical man supports his family by marrying and murdering rich women for their money, but the job has some occupational hazards. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins more
NewsDesk:
User Comments:
"One murder makes a villain; millions a hero. Numbers sanctify." more (47 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Charles Chaplin ... Henri Verdoux
Mady Correll ... Mona Verdoux
Allison Roddan ... Peter Verdoux
Robert Lewis ... Maurice Bottello
Audrey Betz ... Martha Bottello
Martha Raye ... Annabella Bonheur
Ada May ... Annette, Annabella's maid (as Ada-May)
Isobel Elsom ... Marie Grosnay
Marjorie Bennett ... Marie's Maid
Helene Heigh ... Yvonne La Salle, Marie's friend
Margaret Hoffman ... Lydia Floray
Marilyn Nash ... The Girl
Irving Bacon ... Pierre Couvais
Edwin Mills ... Jean Couvais
Virginia Brissac ... Carlotta Couvais
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
A Comedy of Murders (USA) (working title)
The Ladykiller (USA) (original script title)
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Runtime:
124 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Norway:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Denmark:7 (2003) | Finland:K-11 (re-rating) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | UK:A (1947) (cut) | UK:PG (1986)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Based on real-life French murderer Desire Landru, who was guillotined in 1922. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: Although the story takes place in the years 1932-1937, all the women's fashions and hairstyles are strictly in the 1946-1947 mode, when the film was made. more
Quotes:
Henri Verdoux: I have made my peace with God, my conflict is with man. more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
14 out of 20 people found the following comment useful.
"One murder makes a villain; millions a hero. Numbers sanctify.", 19 October 2004
Author: Tanja Larina (tanichmsu@list.ru) from Moscow

In his autobiography Charles Chaplin called this film his "cleverest and most brilliant" comedy, yet very few people at the time the movie was released shared this view. It was the first Chaplin US failure both with critics and audiences (though in Europe the film did quite well).

Here Chaplin plays Henri Verdoux, a serial killer who makes his living by marrying and murdering lonely reach women. Chaplin softened his character by making him a lifelong bank clerk who was laid off at the age when it was already too late to start life anew, meanwhile he has a family to support (a small son and an invalid wife). He's caught and put to trial where he accuses a hypocritical society of sanctioned mass murders and describes himself as an amateur in the field. Originally the idea belonged to Orson Welles who wanted to make a movie based on the story of a notorious murderer Henri Landru, a Frenchman who was executed in 1922 for murdering 8 women. Welles asked Chaplin to star in his film but the latter refused as he thought it was too late for him to play in a movie directed by someone else. But he bought the original idea from Welles and made what could have been a detective story or a thriller into a black comedy. It was certainly provocative and its sarcastic and ironic gravity was astonishing for the time. There is a scene, for instance, when Verdoux while waiting for the execution, talks to a journalist and pronounces the words that still fill me with horror (as they are as true nowadays as they had been fifty years ago):"Wars, conflicts - it's all business. One murder makes a villain; millions a hero. Numbers sanctify." Yet "Monsieur Verdoux" which is generally known as the most pessimistic of Chaplin films is not devoided of humour. On the contrary, at some moments it's extraordinary funny: take for instance the famous scenes with his "wives" (Annabella or Lydia)or those with madam Grosnay (my favourite bit is when Verdoux is talking to her from a flower shop, the look at the flower girl's face is wonderful!). I believe the film is one of the best I've ever seen and I highly recommend it to everyone.

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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Chaplin/Welles collaboration mattdeen
'I have made my peace with God, my conflict is with man.' Ghostiejo
One thing that saddens me... jonasmendigo
What happened to Verdoux's (real) wife and child? trinitymplayers
limited re-release? where? radam04
Verdoux podcast discussion mscalici
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