Monsieur Verdoux

Henri Verdoux is an ex banker who finds himself out of work but determined to provide for his wife and child. He turns a chilling business model into a grim farce, courting affluent widows under a polished exterior and weaving a tale of respectable partnership. Behind the courteous smiles and refined manners, he treats matrimony as a means to an end and uses deception to secure large settlements, all while keeping up appearances of stability and charm. When two widows threaten his carefully built routine, Verdoux faces a tightening net of suspicion and danger that tests his nerve and his ethics. The film blends brisk dialogue with uneasy reflections on wealth and social masks.

Directed by Charlie Chaplin, Monsieur Verdoux was released in 1947 with Orson Welles credited on the project. The production carried a budget of 2 million dollars and marked a shift toward dark satire and a look at crime and motive.

Box office details for Monsieur Verdoux are not provided in the available information, so a precise worldwide gross is not listed here. The film was controversial for mixing dark subject matter with Chaplin's trademark humor, drawing both praise and critique.

Verdoux stands as a notable detour in Chaplin's career, blending social critique with black comedy. Its barbed portrait of greed and disguise resonated with postwar audiences and influenced later directors who mix wit with moral questions in crime stories and social satire. Its stark tonal contrasts recall prewar European cinema.

Critical reception reflected a collision of Chaplin's comedic legacy with harsher themes about crime, marriage, and capitalism. Viewers debated the film's tonal balance and its probing of ethics, arguing whether humor could coexist with menace and whether Verdoux offered critique or complicity in his actions and continues to spark debate.