Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
(Charles Chaplin, US 1947, 124 min., 35mm)
Even Charlie Chaplin was not immune to the lure of film noir in 1947, and earned his second Academy Award nomination for writing (after The Great Dictator) for Monsieur Verdoux. Henri Verdoux (Chaplin) has lost his job at the bank he worked at for thirty years. To support his polio-stricken wife and their son, he finds a new way to earn money: by marrying wealthy women and killing them once he has his hands on their fortunes. His latest target is Annabella (Martha Raye), a woman who has gotten rich in the lottery and is unerringly immune to his murder attempts. Devoid of any of the high style normally associated with film noir, Monsieur Verdoux nonetheless gives us a man who transgresses the law in the wake of the Depression and World War II.
Post-screening discussion with Curator of Film Exhibitions Jared Case.