Review of Monsieur Verdoux (1947) by Zack B — 28 Jul 2013

Monsieur Verdoux was, for better or worse, Charlie Chaplin's first major flop, at least in the United States. The reason for this wasn't due to the quality of the film itself being forsaken on Chaplin's part, but the political upheaval and scandal surrounding him at the time.

It has grown in estimation since then, but in those days it was seen by many as an unwelcome slice of both political and personal subversion. Long gone were the days of the funny little man going on a hunt for gold in the middle of winter, or adopting a small dog and taking care of it.

Nor were we ever to again see a goofy factory worker on an assembly line who falls into the machinery for visual gags. Now, with this film, we have a man with questionable morals bumping off widows for their money one by one.

He does it for his wife and child, of course, but you also get the sense that he takes a bit of pleasure in it too. Not that he celebrates it or holds it in high regard, but he never seems phased by the act.

It's just, as he says in the film, "business." Debate surrounds the film and pervades its very atmosphere, but when all is said and done, it's still a fantastic film. It constantly delivers with the dark comedy, but it also delivers heavily in both the philosophy and the moral ambiguity.