Amazon.com essential video

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 civilized 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 until it gets too heavy-handed, as evidenced when a woman he spares returns years later as the mistress of a munitions manufacturer. 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." --David Kronke ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Chaplin's Best Talkie
In his 1964 autobiography, Charlie Chaplin called "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) "the cleverest and most brilliant film I have yet made." Though not without its faults, this sardonic black comedy remains one of his finest achievements -- and it's certainly his best foray into sound. Chaplin's detailed performance as the business-minded Bluebeard is a masterpiece of screen acting. However, the supporting cast ranges from excellent (Martha Raye) to amateurish (Marilyn Nash) while the final minutes get bogged down in endless talk. Chaplin later admitted that "Monsieur Verdoux" could have used a bit more pantomime and less dialogue. Still, it's a thought-provoking and hard-hitting film. Henri Verdoux and the Little Tramp have much in common.

A TRIUMPH
Monsieur Verdoux is Chaplin's unsung masterpiece. A very dry film, it lives in the shadow of the much broader 'The Great Dictator'. The humor is subtle (the Martha Raye scenes aside) and one has to think to get it. Example: Verdoux is tending to his rose bushes while the incinerator is finishing up one of his wives in the background. He's just murdered a woman yet he refuses to step on a little catepillar. In picking it up and moving it to safety, he becomes very squemish at touching the little creature! This character is as far away from the Little Tramp as one can get. They are the same though; both long for love however, Verdoux uses love to his 'business' advantage whereas 'Charlie' was ususally scorned by it. This is his best written talky (any viewer of the over preachy 'Limelight' would concur) while it looks technically cheap at times (a not too uncommon area of some of his later productions). Such criticism is small though and the 'speech' at the end fits well into the narrative, not to mention that with the passing of over five decades....it still makes sense. Chaplin should be commended for putting out such a daring film at a time where America didn't want to hear such things. Not for everyones tastes but still a film that should not be ignored.

Plagiarism Alert!
I must take offense to scotsladdie's November 2001 "review" of "Monsieur Verdoux," since its ripped off almost verbatim from David Shipman's excellent book "Story of Cinema," which also is available from Amazon. Perhaps you should give Mr. Shipman the proper credit instead of scotsladdie. Otherwise, delete this particular review from you web site. Many thanks.

One of Chaplin's highest achievements.
If the willingness to take risks is the mark of a great artist -- and I believe it is -- then Monsieur Verdoux is Charles Chaplin's greatest films. And amidst all the controversy stirred by his portrayal of a serial wife killer, it's easy to forget that it's also a hilarious black comedy with plenty of sharp lines that would have succeeded even without its sociological message.

Chaplin's ability as an actor is pushed to a new level on this film through his portrayal of a morally ambiguous, unscrupulous ex-bank clerk who has no qualms about putting a body into an incinerator in his backyard. While much has been said about this film's break with Chaplin's Little Tramp character, careful examination reveals that Henri Verdoux is just a logical, and daring, advancement in the character: The more devilish, sometimes sadistic sides of the Little Tramp taken to their inevitable conclusion, where comic mischief crosses over the line to villainy. And it's highly compelling, the perfect foil to Chaplin's most heartwarming films (eg. City Lights and Modern Times), allowing Chaplin to express an insidiousness hitherto unexplored. Martha Raye nearly steals the show as the airheaded, supernaturally unkillable Mme. Bonheur (the name itself means "happiness"), and Marilyn Nash is winning as the Belgian derelict who inspires a spark of compassion in Verdoux. The conclusion of this character relationship is one of Chaplin's most complex writing feats: Imagine the ending of City Lights twisted into a dark, steely, uncompromising version of itself.

There are certain moments when the film does threaten to fall into self-involvement -- in his later years, Chaplin did let his ego take ahold of his work -- but in the case of Monsieur Verdoux, he uses this larger-than-life persona so well, and it fits the character so snugly, that the ego becomes an advantage and adds to the depth of the character. And the script has none of the self-conscious mix of silent film and talkies that plagued The Great Dictator; Chaplin had grown quite well into dialogue writing, allowing him to formulate moments of murderous irony that are cuttingly funny. ("Don't pull the cat's tail...") I have no problems with the ending speeches in this film as I did with the final speech of The Great Dictator: In the context of this story, they fit in quite well. Verdoux at the end is a man who has given up all hope, and he seems to mock his own fate and character while unmercifully unveiling his anger at the world. The speeches are not meant to be taken for face value, and I find them thought-provoking and fascinating rather than moralistic or self-important.

I first saw this film at Symphony Space in New York City and the audience was laughing so hard it was in tears. With modern audiences generally less inclined to judge a film by its "moral standing" (Kill Bill, anyone?), Monsieur Verdoux can be seen for what it is: A hilarious, complex sociological examination which identifies social ills while at the same time taking part in it. In that, it is unique in the Chaplin canon and deserves to rank among his most important films.

A quick note about this DVD edition: For some reason, the bonus materials for this film are far less numerous than on the other DVDs in this series -- hence the single-disc package and lower price. By the standards of this series of reissues, the DVD materials are really quite scant -- a useful yet brief half-hour documentary featuring good insight from director Claude Chabrol, a trailer, some storyboards. The picture and sound are of good quality, however, and the film is one to own. Highly recommended.

A charming, yet disturbing cinematic experience by Chaplin
Monsieur Verdoux (Charles Chaplin) is a sad story about Monsieur Verdoux who is a swindling murderer that charms women whom he marries for their assets which he sells after he has murdered a newly acquired wife. Monsieur Verdoux is driven to commit murder as he feels determined to provide the best possible life style for his family. However, Monsieur Verdoux is lost in his determination as it clouds his moral decision making, which he recognizes. Monsieur Verdoux is the darkest of Charles Chaplin's films, and as in his other films it offers a social message. This ominous message becomes apparent from the beginning of the film as Monsieur Verdoux's gravestone is depicted in the initial shot with Chaplin's voiceover that embarks on how he ended up here. Chaplin's direction offers both tragedy and comedy which in the end leaves the audience with a charming, yet disturbing cinematic experience. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Bad, Boring, and not even Camp
This movie is boring--so boring that I kept checking the box to see how long it was--too long. The acting is amateurish, the script probably writeen in a few hours, and the special effects (what there is of them) really lame. Why the production company wasted filming this BOMB in Carlsbad Caverns is beyond comprehension. Some movies are so bad that they are camp and fun to watch--not this turkey. NOTHING really happens. The characters talk a lot ("do we go on or go back?")and they shift their position on this topic often--so I wonder if the actor's scripts got mixed up. Fortunately (a matter of opinion), this Alpha DVD is made from a watchable print, so it is not as grainy or as scratchy as others in their catalog. I watched this DVD once and gave it away to my daughter in college. Now I feel guilty because life is too short to watch stuff such as this. If you are very short of money and need a DVD to give someone as a cheap gift, pass by this DOG and select Alpha's B-Western DVD "The Whispering Skull" with Tex Ritter or one of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes efforts.

UGH!
Let me start off this review by saying that this is a low budget 50's atomic paranoia flick. If this genre is your bag read on, if not there is a hundred other films of this ilk that will appeal to you. I suggest buying ANY of them instead of this [one].

The plot boils down to this...

A team of scientists decide to drive this wacky machine (called a cyclotram) into the heart of the earth to discover a shelter where human kind can hang out while an atomic war rages above. A few misadventures later (of the extremely boring variety) they eventually find an underground cavern that serves thier purpose. More misadventures later they return.

I usually dig low budget 50's sci-fi/horror films with bad acting and absurd plots...however, this movie is as lousy as can be. Where are the giant mutant whatevers? where are the blind morlock looking creatures? Give me anything! something! arrrrgh!

Not only is this a lousy boring movie, it's also a very poorly done DVD. Absolutly no extras, and as with all Alpha Video releases the scene selections don't even seem to work correctly. The print is grainy and full of cigarette burns. constant mult-colored banding runs throughout. There was not even a token attempt to digitally clean this movie! Save your money - and steer clear of Alpha Video's releases.

Kinda deep down there, isn't it?
This 1951 offering from Lippert Pictures takes us 2500 miles underneath the surface with a group of somewhat annoying scientists. Dr. Morley (dubbed the Prophet of Doom by at least one newspaper reporter) is an obsessive opponent of all things nuclear. Fearing that atomic weapons will destroy all life on earth, he recruits a group of scientists for his Society to Save Civilization, and they make plans to find a living space deep within the earth where man can survive and rebuild from the nuclear holocaust they see just over the horizon. After the group fails to secure any funding, a rich newspaper publisher's son forks over the cash and accompanies them on their monumental journey. It's your typical group of B-movie scientists: there is Morley, who seems lost and mad at the world all the time, a couple of scientists who basically push buttons and read dials, a young and attractive feminist scientist, an explosives man, and the paperboy. Of course, the group is constantly bickering and fighting, and no one likes the paperboy at all-at first. This had to change somewhat because, as you would expect, he has to put the moves on the lady scientist and she has to pretend to resist. How do our intrepid explorers go about their task? They design a cyclotram, basically a great big ugly metal boxcar with a humongous drill for a nose, ascend to the top of an extinct volcano, go down into the crater and start drilling through rock as they make their way downward. Every so often, they stop for a minute to fight or to provide an opportunity for one of them to die. They are rather bumbling amateurs when it comes to the deep exploring gig; you would have thought one of the scientists would have remembered to pack a lot of water. They sometimes even seem surprised to discover that it's actually pretty dark miles underground.

I was led to believe the group ran into dangerous animals in the depths of the earth, but that is not true. There are similarities between Unknown World and Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, as you would expect, but this film never develops the aura of plausibility that Verne's work had. To answer the question of how they will survive the intense heat of the earth's core, the geologist amongst them simply announces the fact that the temperature at the earth's core is actually lower than that on the surface. This movie is only about 70 minutes long, so it's short enough to not become too aggravating too quickly. Taken in the context of its time, it's really not such a bad movie. Some may also be interested to know that part of the movie was actually filmed inside New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns.

"Unknown World" a 1951 "gem" to be discovered!
This is an early Sci Fi film from 1951 and in that context deserves to be appreciated!

Years ago I saw this film on TV and I never forgot it ... there was a kind of lonely mystique about it.

It has a very strong anti-nuclear orientation... The thesis of the film is a group of scientists fearful of nuclear war decide to explore vast caverns under the earth's surface as a refuge. There are no phoney looking monsters running around... Some of the scenes were taken from actual caverns such as Carlbad Caverns, New Mexico.

The vehicle used for this exploration called a "Cyclotram" reminded me a little of a 1950 Lincoln...

BETTER THAN YOU'D EXPECT
Years before James Mason and Pat Boone undertook a "Journey to the Center of the Earth," a team of resourceful explorers made the same sort of trip inside a metallic contraption rather resmbling a house-trailer equipped with a big drill on the front. Their goal is to find underground caverns large enough to shelter the human race should nuclear war render the surface of the planet uninhabitable.

Not surprisingly, the low-budget special effects are amusing rather than impressive, and the no-name cast can't enliven the uninspired lines they'd asked to deliver.

Despite these expected failings, "Unknown World" earns a recommendation as one of the early 1950's least-known and most-underrated sci-fi efforts. It has an imaginative plot which, after awhile, almost seems plausible, and it avoids the B-movie cliches you might expect in this sort of thing. (No subterranean dinosaurs, no tribe of lost cavewomen, no signs of Atlantis.) It also has the sense to stick to business and not detour into romantic subplots or "comic relief" episodes.

If you can see beyond its dated, low-budget look, you'll find this "World" one that's worth exploring. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Bad, Boring, and not even Camp
This movie is boring--so boring that I kept checking the box to see how long it was--too long. The acting is amateurish, the script probably writeen in a few hours, and the special effects (what there is of them) really lame. Why the production company wasted filming this BOMB in Carlsbad Caverns is beyond comprehension. Some movies are so bad that they are camp and fun to watch--not this turkey. NOTHING really happens. The characters talk a lot ("do we go on or go back?")and they shift their position on this topic often--so I wonder if the actor's scripts got mixed up. Fortunately (a matter of opinion), this Alpha DVD is made from a watchable print, so it is not as grainy or as scratchy as others in their catalog. I watched this DVD once and gave it away to my daughter in college. Now I feel guilty because life is too short to watch stuff such as this. If you are very short of money and need a DVD to give someone as a cheap gift, pass by this DOG and select Alpha's B-Western DVD "The Whispering Skull" with Tex Ritter or one of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes efforts.

UGH!
Let me start off this review by saying that this is a low budget 50's atomic paranoia flick. If this genre is your bag read on, if not there is a hundred other films of this ilk that will appeal to you. I suggest buying ANY of them instead of this [one].

The plot boils down to this...

A team of scientists decide to drive this wacky machine (called a cyclotram) into the heart of the earth to discover a shelter where human kind can hang out while an atomic war rages above. A few misadventures later (of the extremely boring variety) they eventually find an underground cavern that serves thier purpose. More misadventures later they return.

I usually dig low budget 50's sci-fi/horror films with bad acting and absurd plots...however, this movie is as lousy as can be. Where are the giant mutant whatevers? where are the blind morlock looking creatures? Give me anything! something! arrrrgh!

Not only is this a lousy boring movie, it's also a very poorly done DVD. Absolutly no extras, and as with all Alpha Video releases the scene selections don't even seem to work correctly. The print is grainy and full of cigarette burns. constant mult-colored banding runs throughout. There was not even a token attempt to digitally clean this movie! Save your money - and steer clear of Alpha Video's releases.

Kinda deep down there, isn't it?
This 1951 offering from Lippert Pictures takes us 2500 miles underneath the surface with a group of somewhat annoying scientists. Dr. Morley (dubbed the Prophet of Doom by at least one newspaper reporter) is an obsessive opponent of all things nuclear. Fearing that atomic weapons will destroy all life on earth, he recruits a group of scientists for his Society to Save Civilization, and they make plans to find a living space deep within the earth where man can survive and rebuild from the nuclear holocaust they see just over the horizon. After the group fails to secure any funding, a rich newspaper publisher's son forks over the cash and accompanies them on their monumental journey. It's your typical group of B-movie scientists: there is Morley, who seems lost and mad at the world all the time, a couple of scientists who basically push buttons and read dials, a young and attractive feminist scientist, an explosives man, and the paperboy. Of course, the group is constantly bickering and fighting, and no one likes the paperboy at all-at first. This had to change somewhat because, as you would expect, he has to put the moves on the lady scientist and she has to pretend to resist. How do our intrepid explorers go about their task? They design a cyclotram, basically a great big ugly metal boxcar with a humongous drill for a nose, ascend to the top of an extinct volcano, go down into the crater and start drilling through rock as they make their way downward. Every so often, they stop for a minute to fight or to provide an opportunity for one of them to die. They are rather bumbling amateurs when it comes to the deep exploring gig; you would have thought one of the scientists would have remembered to pack a lot of water. They sometimes even seem surprised to discover that it's actually pretty dark miles underground.

I was led to believe the group ran into dangerous animals in the depths of the earth, but that is not true. There are similarities between Unknown World and Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, as you would expect, but this film never develops the aura of plausibility that Verne's work had. To answer the question of how they will survive the intense heat of the earth's core, the geologist amongst them simply announces the fact that the temperature at the earth's core is actually lower than that on the surface. This movie is only about 70 minutes long, so it's short enough to not become too aggravating too quickly. Taken in the context of its time, it's really not such a bad movie. Some may also be interested to know that part of the movie was actually filmed inside New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns.

"Unknown World" a 1951 "gem" to be discovered!
This is an early Sci Fi film from 1951 and in that context deserves to be appreciated!

Years ago I saw this film on TV and I never forgot it ... there was a kind of lonely mystique about it.

It has a very strong anti-nuclear orientation... The thesis of the film is a group of scientists fearful of nuclear war decide to explore vast caverns under the earth's surface as a refuge. There are no phoney looking monsters running around... Some of the scenes were taken from actual caverns such as Carlbad Caverns, New Mexico.

The vehicle used for this exploration called a "Cyclotram" reminded me a little of a 1950 Lincoln...

BETTER THAN YOU'D EXPECT
Years before James Mason and Pat Boone undertook a "Journey to the Center of the Earth," a team of resourceful explorers made the same sort of trip inside a metallic contraption rather resmbling a house-trailer equipped with a big drill on the front. Their goal is to find underground caverns large enough to shelter the human race should nuclear war render the surface of the planet uninhabitable.

Not surprisingly, the low-budget special effects are amusing rather than impressive, and the no-name cast can't enliven the uninspired lines they'd asked to deliver.

Despite these expected failings, "Unknown World" earns a recommendation as one of the early 1950's least-known and most-underrated sci-fi efforts. It has an imaginative plot which, after awhile, almost seems plausible, and it avoids the B-movie cliches you might expect in this sort of thing. (No subterranean dinosaurs, no tribe of lost cavewomen, no signs of Atlantis.) It also has the sense to stick to business and not detour into romantic subplots or "comic relief" episodes.

If you can see beyond its dated, low-budget look, you'll find this "World" one that's worth exploring. ... Read more