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Monsieur Verdoux Overview:

Monsieur Verdoux (1947) was a Crime - Drama Film directed by Charlie Chaplin and produced by Charlie Chaplin.

SYNOPSIS

Chaplin's notorious film about Landru, the Parisian bank clerk who murdered a string of wealthy widows, is a mixture of a straight thriller and black comedy, with an unsettling tone that originally kept away postwar audiences and alienated Chaplin fans. Nevertheless, there is much to recommend this amusing critique of a modern society that values money more than human lives. Big-mouthed comedian Raye has her finest role as the widow who proved Verdoux's ultimate challenge. Ahead of its time when produced, the film has since moved from cult status to classic and is now widely hailed as one of Chaplin's essential works.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Academy Awards 1947 --- Ceremony Number 20 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best WritingCharles ChaplinNominated
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Monsieur Verdoux BlogHub Articles:

Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Oct 26, 2017 From 4 Star Films

Prior to the making and release of Monsieur Verdoux Charlie Chaplin had undoubtedly hit the most turbulent patch in his historic career and not even he could come out of scandal and political upheaval unscathed. To put it lightly his stock in the United States plummeted. You would think that he more... Read full article

Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Oct 26, 2017 From 4 Star Films

Prior to the making and release of Monsieur Verdoux Charlie Chaplin had undoubtedly hit the most turbulent patch in his historic career and not even he could come out of scandal and political upheaval unscathed. To put it lightly his stock in the United States plummeted. You would think that he more... Read full article

The 1947 Blogathon: Monsieur Verdoux

By Summer Reeves on Jul 13, 2015 From Serendipitous Anachronisms

The 1947 Blogathon: Monsieur Verdoux 13 Monday Jul 2015 Posted by Summer Reeves in 1940s, Blogathon, Comedy, Drama, Farce, Philosophy, Politics ≈ 16 Comments Tags1940s, Bazin, Blogathon, Brecht, Charlie Chaplin, Comedy, Creepy True Story, D... Read full article

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Monsieur Verdoux Quotes:

No Quote for this film.
Monsieur Verdoux Facts
Charles Chaplin hired famed press agent Russell Birdwell to publicize this film. Just prior to the premiere, Birdwell wrote columnist Hedda Hopper a note saying: "I contend that Charlie Chaplin's 'Monsieur Verdoux' is the greatest and most controversial picture that has ever come from the Hollywood mills. If I lose I will publicly eat the negative of the film in front of the Chaplin studios. Sincerely, Bird." After she'd seen the film, Hopper wired back: "DEAR BIRD: START EATING. HOPPER."
Chaplin bought the idea for the film off Orson Welles for $5,000. Welles had been contemplating making a dramatized documentary of the real story of French serial killer, Henri Landru.
Before production started, approval was refused by the MPPDA (now the MPAA) under the Production Code (Hays Code), labeling the scenario, still called "A Comedy Of Murders", in their words "unacceptable". They continued, "In his indictment of the 'system' and the 'social structure', the filmmaker offered a 'rationale' of Verdoux's crimes, in terms of their moral work." Worst of all the board also considered Verdoux's attitude toward god "blasphemous". In a letter of response, scene by scene, Charles Chaplin upheld his screenplay again the charge of subversion, but only giving in on details. For example, when one of Verdoux's wives invites him to "come to bed" the line had to be replaced with "get to bed". Chaplin had no trouble getting around such proscriptions, as he did with Verdoux's morning-after "humming" with briskly engaging music. The production board complied and gave this film a seal of approval.
Chaplin regarded the film as "the cleverest and most brilliant film of my career".
The tune that Verdoux plays on the piano as Lydia sits by after she withdrew the 70,000 francs is the opening and closing theme to Chaplin's film A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate, which he used in 1976 when he re-scored the picture.
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