Monsieur Verdoux
Monsieur Verdoux DVD cover
Directed by	Charles Chaplin
Produced by	Charles Chaplin
Written by	Orson Welles (idea) Charles Chaplin
Starring	Charles Chaplin
Music by	Charles Chaplin
Distributed by	United Artists
Released	April 11, 1947
Running time	104 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Monsieur Verdoux is a film by Charles Chaplin that debuted in 1947. Image File history File links Monsieur_Verdoux_Poster. ... For the Jamaican musician named Charlie Chaplin, see Charlie Chaplin (singer). ... For the Jamaican musician named Charlie Chaplin, see Charlie Chaplin (singer). ... Orson Welles on the set of Citizen Kane. ... For the Jamaican musician named Charlie Chaplin, see Charlie Chaplin (singer). ... For the Jamaican musician named Charlie Chaplin, see Charlie Chaplin (singer). ... For the Jamaican musician named Charlie Chaplin, see Charlie Chaplin (singer). ... The current United Artists logo. ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... For the Jamaican musician named Charlie Chaplin, see Charlie Chaplin (singer). ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ...

Plot

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. Antisocial personality disorder (APD or ASPD) is a psychiatric diagnosis that interprets antisocial and impulsive behaviours as symptoms of a personality disorder. ...

Production

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. Orson Welles on the set of Citizen Kane. ... Henri Désiré Landru (1869 – 25 February 1922) was a notorious French serial killer and real-life Bluebeard. ...

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. Martha Raye (August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994) was an American comic actress and singer in motion pictures and later, on television. ... William Frawley William Frawley (born February 26, 1887 in Burlington, Iowa - March 3, 1966 in Hollywood, California) began in vaudeville and as a screen actor, with well over a hundred films to his credit, but gained greater fame on the television shows I Love Lucy and My Three Sons. ... Edna Purviance on the cover of Photoplay magazine Edna Purviance (October 21, 1895 – January 11, 1958) was an American actress during the silent movie era. ... There have been several well-known people called David Robinson, including: David Robinson (film critic and author) David Robinson (basketball player) David Robinson (musician) David Robinson (Software Developer/Digital Artist) David C. Robinson, film producer Sir David Robinson (philanthropist) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages...

Reception

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. A cult film is a movie that attracts a small but devoted group of fans, usually failing to achieve considerable success outside that group. ...

References

External links

• Monsieur Verdoux at The Internet Movie Database

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, movies, television shows, television stars and video games. ...