Monsieur Verdoux

Film maudit turned cult classic, charlie chaplin’s monsieur verdoux is now widely considered one of his best works, and his most political. Chaplin immodestly proclaimed it “the cleverest, most brilliant film of my career.” nominated for the 1948 academy award for best screenplay, and originating from a true story, this self-described “comedy of murders” was based on an idea by orson welles, which chaplin reportedly bought for five thousand dollars in a refusal to be directed by anyone but himself. Verdoux stars chaplin as the moustachioed bluebeard in beret and cravat whose charming manners and good looks cloak a deep-seated, murderous hatred, festering since the loss of his longstanding job as a bank clerk. The film includes such unforgettable moments as verdoux snipping roses in his garden while an incinerator rages behind him, and his infamous pre-guillotine salvo, an indictment of humanity’s cyclical follies. Plagued with censorship problems early on, and temporarily pulled from distribution in the us at the height of the cold war hollywood witch-hunts, verdoux was initially vilified for its risqué societal critique. “now it shapes up as chaplin’s most startling, most invigorating movie; its icy temperature is positively bracing after the hot syrup of his earlier work.” (time out). A mordant satire that exemplifies the fine line between comedy and tragedy, verdoux transcends the borders of genre, and deserves to be seen multiple times, especially in this new 35mm print. It “has a brechtian toughness and wit, but the style is soft, seductive, elegiac” (dave kehr). Quite simply, “you shouldn’t miss monsieur verdoux” (the new york times). – andréa picard, cinematheque ontario “it is a masterpiece. See it.” – andrew sarris, new york observer“among the great works of this century…” – james agee