Starring: Robert Q. Lewis, Martha Raye, Allison Roddan, Isobel Elsom, Audrey Betz, Charlie Chaplin, Ada-May Weeks, Marjorie Bennett, Mady Correll

Directed by: Charlie Chaplin

This blistering little black comedy was well ahead of its time when released in 1947. Originally, Orson Welles had wanted Chaplin to star in his drama about a French mass murderer named Landru, but Chaplin was hesitant to act for another director and used the idea himself. He plays a dapper gent named Henri Verdoux (who assumes a number of identities), a civilised monster who marries wealthy women, then murders them (as we meet him, he's gathering roses as an incinerator ominously bellows smoke in the background) and collects their money to support his real family.

The Little Tramp is now a distant memory, though this was the first film not to feature Chaplin's beloved creation. Verdoux is largely viciously clever. Ultimately, Chaplin breaks character (much as he did in The Great Dictator) to preach to the masses, declaring that against the machines of war that grip the planet, humble killer Verdoux is "an amateur by comparison."

DVD EXTRAS

Introduction (6 mins). 'Chaplin Today - Monsieur Verdoux' (26 mins) documentary by Bernard Eisenschitz with the participation of Claude Chabrol. Trailers (4 mins). Film posters. Photo gallery. Blueprints of the set. Chaplin Collection.

Technical Details

Certification: PG
Duration: 118 mins
Format: DVD
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33 Full Screen
Cat. No: D037652(WARNER HOME VIDEO)
Category: Comedy:General

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