Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

A suave but cynical man supports his family by marrying and murdering rich women for their money, but the job has some occupational hazards.

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writers:

Charles Chaplin (an original story written by), Orson Welles (based on an idea by)

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, Mady Correll, Allison Roddan

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Chaplin	...	Henri Verdoux - Alias Varnay - Alias Bonheur - Alias Floray
Mady Correll	...	Mona Verdoux - Henri's Wife
Allison Roddan	...	Peter
Robert Lewis	...	Maurice Bottello - Verdoux's Friend
Audrey Betz	...	Martha
Martha Raye	...	Annabella Bonheur
Ada May	...	Annette (as Ada-May)
Isobel Elsom	...	Marie Grosnay
Marjorie Bennett	...	Maid
Helene Heigh	...	Yvonne - Marie's Friend
Margaret Hoffman	...	Lydia Floray
Marilyn Nash	...	The Girl
Irving Bacon	...	Pierre Couvais
Edwin Mills	...	Jean Couvais
Virginia Brissac	...	Carlotta Couvais

Storyline

Monsieur Verdoux is a bluebeard, he marries women and kills them after the marriage to get the money he needs for his family. But with two ladies he has bad luck.

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Plot Keywords:

villain played by lead actor | serial killer | black comedy | character name in title | execution | 

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Taglines:

Hysterical laughter! Haunting romance! Shocking drama!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 1947 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

A Comedy of Murders

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,044, 11 July 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$325,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,500,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on real-life convicted French murderer Henri Désiré Landru, who was executed by guillotine in 1922.

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Goofs

In the greenhouse at the garden party, Chaplin mispronounces the name of the flower as camp-a-NEW-la. It is pronounced cam-PAN-yu-la.

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Quotes

Henri Verdoux: This is a ruthless world and one must be ruthless to cope with it.

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Connections

Referenced in Brief Film Reviews: My DVD/Blu-Ray Collection (2010)

User Reviews

"One murder makes a villain; millions a hero. Numbers sanctify."

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.