Monsieur Verdoux
Monsieur Verdoux is a
film directed by
Charlie Chaplin that debuted in
1947.
The film is about an unemployed banker, Henri Verdoux, and his
sociopathic methods of attaining income. He has a wife and a child. While being both loyal and competent in his work, Verdoux has been laid-off. To make money, he marries wealthy widows and then murders them. This behavior eventually works against him when two particular widows break his normal routine.
The script for this film, originally written by
Orson Welles, was inspired by the case of
Henri Désiré Landru. Welles sought to direct the film with Chaplin as star, but Chaplin backed out at the last minute, citing that he'd never been directed before and wasn't willing to start. Instead, Chaplin bought the script from Welles and rewrote parts of it, crediting Welles only with the idea. The film's premise is that
murder is the logical extension of capitalism; the lead character kills to make money, he is hence not (in his eyes) a murderer.
Since the picture is a talking picture, there is some comedy in the dialogue as well as some physical comedy. Chaplin tended to work with a repertory company of actors who performed exclusively in Chaplin's films.
Monsieur Verdoux, atypically for a Chaplin film, benefits greatly by the presence of some familiar Hollywood actors, including
Martha Raye,
William Frawley and
Fritz Leiber, Sr.. Rumors have persisted that Chaplin's 1915-1923 leading lady
Edna Purviance has a cameo appearance in the film. Chaplin biographer
David Robinson wrote that Purviance did return briefly to the Chaplin Studios and prepared for a small role in the film, but that she did in fact not go before the cameras.
The film does not feature Chaplin's famous Tramp character, and was poorly received in America when it first premiered. It was more successful in Europe. The film and its dark themes were ill-suited to the American political and cultural climate of the time, and Chaplin's popularity and public image had been irrevocably damaged by multiple scandals prior to its release. Chaplin was subjected to unusually hostile treatment by the press while promoting the opening of the film, and some boycotts took place during its short run. It has since gained enough of a following to be considered a
cult film; Chaplin fans are divided over its quality. Its dark humour, so strikingly different from Chaplin's usual sentimentality, is perhaps better appreciated today.
