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IMDbPro

Monsieur Verdoux

  • 19471947
  • PassedPassed
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
18K
YOUR RATING
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.
Play trailer1:40
1 Video
54 Photos
ComedyCrimeDrama
A suave but cynical man supports his family by marrying and murdering rich women for their money, but the job has some occupational hazards.A suave but cynical man supports his family by marrying and murdering rich women for their money, but the job has some occupational hazards.A suave but cynical man supports his family by marrying and murdering rich women for their money, but the job has some occupational hazards.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
18K
YOUR RATING
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Charles Chaplin(an original story written by)
    • Orson Welles(based on an idea by)
  • Stars
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Mady Correll
    • Allison Roddan
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Charles Chaplin(an original story written by)
    • Orson Welles(based on an idea by)
  • Stars
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Mady Correll
    • Allison Roddan
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 97User reviews
    • 79Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:40
    Watch Trailer

    Photos54

    Charles Chaplin and Mady Correll in Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
    Charles Chaplin, Audrey Betz, Mady Correll, Robert Lewis, Therese Lyon, and Allison Roddan in Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
    Charles Chaplin, Boyd Irwin, and Fritz Leiber in Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
    Charles Chaplin in Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
    Charles Chaplin in Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
    Charles Chaplin, Mady Correll, and Allison Roddan in Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
    Charles Chaplin in Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
    Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Ona O'Neil, at premiere of MONSIEUR VERDOUX, United Artists, 1947, **I.V.
    Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Ona O'Neil, at premiere of MONSIEUR VERDOUX, United Artists, 1947, **I.V.
    Charles Chaplin in Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
    Charles Chaplin and Martha Raye in Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
    Charles Chaplin and Martha Raye in Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charles Chaplin
    Charles Chaplin
    • Henri Verdoux - Alias Varnay - Alias Bonheur - Alias Floray
    Mady Correll
    Mady Correll
    • Mona Verdoux - His Wife
    Allison Roddan
    • Peter Verdoux - Their Son
    Robert Lewis
    Robert Lewis
    • Maurice Bottello - Verdoux's Friend
    Audrey Betz
    • Martha Bottello - His Wife
    Martha Raye
    Martha Raye
    • Annabella Bonheur
    Ada May
    Ada May
    • Annette - Her Maid
    • (as Ada-May)
    Isobel Elsom
    Isobel Elsom
    • Marie Grosnay
    Marjorie Bennett
    Marjorie Bennett
    • Her Maid
    Helene Heigh
    Helene Heigh
    • Yvonne - Marie's Friend
    Margaret Hoffman
    • Lydia Floray
    Marilyn Nash
    Marilyn Nash
    • The Girl
    Irving Bacon
    Irving Bacon
    • Pierre - Carlotta's Husband
    Edwin Mills
    • Jean Couvais
    Virginia Brissac
    Virginia Brissac
    • Carlotta
    Almira Sessions
    Almira Sessions
    • Lena Couvais
    Eula Morgan
    • Phoebe Couvais
    Bernard Nedell
    Bernard Nedell
    • Prefect of Police
    • (as Bernard J. Nedell)
      • Charles Chaplin
      • Charles Chaplin(an original story written by)
      • Orson Welles(based on an idea by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sir Charles Chaplin regarded the film as "the cleverest and most brilliant film of my career."
    • Goofs
      When Verdoux is at the sidewalk cafe, the items on the table change positions between shots - the white match holder is one one side, then the other, and the metal cup is on the plate, then off.
    • Quotes

      Henri Verdoux: Wars, conflict - it's all business. One murder makes a villain; millions, a hero. Numbers sanctify, my good fellow!

    • Alternate versions
      The West German theatrical version was cut by approximately 15 minutes.
    • Connections
      Featured in Shallow Hal (2001)

    User reviews97

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    "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.
    helpful•43
    11
    • tanichmsu
    • Oct 19, 2004

    Details

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    • Release date
      • October 23, 1947 (Canada)
      • United States
      • Instagram
      • Official Site
      • English
      • French
      • Latin
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Charles Chaplin Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 4 minutes
      • Black and White

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