Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

Monsieur Verdoux
Directed by Charles Chaplin
Written by Charles Chaplin based on an idea by Orson Welles
1947/USA
Charles Chaplin Productions
Repeat viewing/from DVD Collection
#209 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

[box] Henri Verdoux: Business is a ruthless business, my dear.[/box]

Chaplin never should have started talking.

Henri Verdoux (Chaplin) is fired by a cruel bank after 30 years of employment.  So he decides to support his crippled wife and adorable little son by committing bigamy and serial wife murder of wealthy widows.  What other choice did he have? Then, despite his contempt for big business, he invests all the money in the stock market.

One of his wives, Annabella Bonheur (Martha Raye), is an annoying loud mouth with a mind of her own.  She might just be immortal.  During his frolic, Monsieur Verdoux befriends a beautiful young ex-con and is captivated by her innocence and belief in love. This does not stop him from his life of crime however.

Finally, Verdoux is apprehended and sentenced to the guillotine.  He does not go there, unfortunately, until he delivers a heartfelt speech explaining how serial murder is no worse than war.

Balderdash.  There are a few mildly funny bits, as when Chaplin counts money, and Martha Raye is always a treat.  Mostly, though, this strikes me as a vanity project designed to give Chaplin a soapbox and I find it very irritating.  I know I’m in the vast minority in feeling as I do.  I think Chaplin was a genius but got very self-indulgent later in life.

Monsieur Verdoux was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BzyQ4YF95Y

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