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Actors: Charles Chaplin, Mady Correll, Martha Raye, Isobel Elsom, Marilyn Nash
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Monsieur Verdoux |
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Henri Verdoux (Chaplin) is a serial-killer/day-trader in this film made in the forties well before such films became cliche. He marries rich widows in order to murder them for their money so he can support his needy "true family". His character is presented sympathetically, while his victims are presented as old shrews who would likely meet a similar fate if married to anyone else.
--owen mcwilliams, Resident Scholar
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Monsieur Verdoux, a dapper French bank clerk, has lost his job, so he becomes a "Bluebeard" -- sweet-talking and killing lonely but wealthy women for their money to support his wheelchair-bound wife and child. Sometimes this operation goes smoothly, but with two recent targets, especially the loud and obnoxious Annabella Bonheur (Raye), who for some reason thinks he's a love, Verdoux fails repeatedly. This is a very odd 1947 black comedy that Chaplin wrote and directed after buying the idea from Orson Welles. It uncomfortably mixes slapstick, satire, serious drama and other elements, and has not worn well, but is a curio from the Chaplin oeuvre.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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Based on an Orson Welles idea, MONSIEUR VERDOUX is a movie written and directed by Charles Chaplin in 1947. The picture earned a nomination for the Academy Award in the "Best Original Screenplay" category.
The setting is France in the 20's. Charles Chaplin, after having worked during 30 years in the same bank, has been fired on economical grounds. Married to a crippled woman, he decides to survive by seducing wealthy women, marrying them and murdering them after having stolen their money. Chaplin lives a stressing life, often married to 2 or 3 wifes in the same time. But he'll lose all his money during the 1929 crash.
--Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Monsieur Verdoux |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1900-1920's
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Kind of romance:
- seduction (yum!)
Crime & Scandal
Yes
Story of
- criminal falls in love with victim
Blackmail & Seduction?
Yes
Lover is...
- criminal/bad doer
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- killer
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
Hair color?
- white
Hair type
- (man) short/standard wavey
Body type
- (man) average
Events of movie makes character more...
- sad
Ethnicity/Nationality
- French
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn curly
Body type
- (woman) ample bosom & buttocks
How much in movie?
- 20%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- French
Main Adversary
Identity:
- a fight for survival
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- France
Water?
Yes
Water:
- pleasure/love boat
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- all mixed up
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
Check here if B&W
Yes
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Orchestra/classical
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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