Review of Monsieur Verdoux (1947) by Fernando L — 17 Jan 2009

One of Charlie Chaplin's most underrated films, hated by the paranoid American public upon original release, but now starting to become reclaimed as one of his classic films. It is very black, but also very funny at the same time.

Chaplin plays the suave and charming Henri Verdoux, a sociopath made redundant due to the Great Depression. To support his disabled wife and son, he goes around France marrying rich widows, then he kills them and takes their money.

It is the perfect crime, and has been lucky to get away with it, until he is eventually caught out by two of the widows he tried to murder, but to no great avail. The film was based upon an idea by Orson Welles, and Chaplin found great comic potential in the source material.

Chaplin said "Under the proper circumstances, murder can be comic." He's true to his word, he plays Verdoux with relish, and with a dandish flair. Even though he's an evil man, you can't help but cheer him on.

Even his comments on murders at the end of the film do have a chilling point to them, it may not be right, but there are much worse people out there.