Monsieur Verdoux (1947) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Comedy |
Main Menu Audio Introduction-David Robinson (Chaplin Biographer) Featurette-Chaplin Today - Monsieur Verdoux Gallery-Plan Drawings For The Set And Preparatory Sketches Gallery-Photo Gallery-Poster Theatrical Trailer-2 Trailer-The Chaplin Collection |
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Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1947 | ||
Running Time | 119:02 | ||
RSDL / Flipper | RSDL (87:04) | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Language Select Then Menu | ||
Region Coding | 2,4,5 | Directed By | Charles Chaplin |
Studio
Distributor |
Warner Home Video |
Starring |
Charles Chaplin Mady Correll Allison Roddan Robert Lewis Audrey Betz Martha Raye Ada May Isobel Elsom Marjorie Bennett Helene Heigh Margaret Hoffman Marilyn Nash Irving Bacon |
Case | Amaray-Transparent-S/C-Dual | ||
RPI | $34.95 | Music | Charles Chaplin |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame |
English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) |
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Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.37:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles |
English French Spanish Italian German Portuguese Danish Finnish Hebrew Icelandic Norwegian Swedish Czech Greek Hungarian Polish Turkish Russian English for the Hearing Impaired German for the Hearing Impaired |
Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
Set in France in 1932, this film tells of Henri Verdoux (Charles Chaplin), a furniture dealer who makes his living by marrying then disposing of rich widows. He has several wives simultaneously under assumed names, and when he needs money he forecloses on his marriages.
Under the name Bonheur (ironically, the French word for happiness), he is married to the frightful Annabella (Martha Raye), who is seemingly indestructible. Verdoux is being pursued by the police, and is also trying to woo the reluctant Madame Grosnay (Isobel Elsom). He also ventures to try out an undetectable poison on a waif (Marilyn Nash), but has second thoughts.
The film has the subtitle "A Comedy of Murders" and the credit "Based on an idea by Orson Welles". After Citizen Kane, Welles hit upon the idea of a film about Henri Landru, the famous Bluebeard who was executed in the early 1920s after a career similar to that of Monsieur Verdoux. He wanted to make a film with Chaplin as the killer, but Chaplin was reluctant to be directed by someone else, and eventually he bought the idea from Welles.
The eventual screenplay was a black comedy. This was the first film by Chaplin which had a detailed script and predetermined shots. In the postwar era, film stock was much more expensive and Chaplin could not indulge in his usual lengthy film production habits. Also, advancing age meant that he had to look for roles where the comedy came from the character and the dialogue, rather than relying on slapstick. So this film is quite unlike any of his previous films.
Given the political climate of the time and the increasing public vilification of Chaplin, Verdoux was a commercial failure in America. Today though we can see the satire of the times and mores that the filmmaker intended. It is in some respects Chaplin's response to the Second World War, and a critique of the war mentality with its disregard for the sanctity of human life.
Monsieur Verdoux is the last of Chaplin's better films, and although it does not rank up there with his best, it is still entertaining and worth a look.
The film is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and is not 16x9 enhanced. The original aspect ratio was 1.37:1, so we are losing only a small amount of the original image.
The film is pleasingly shot in black and white, with a sharp transfer. Shadow detail is adequate, though the contrast seems to have been boosted more than it should have.
There appears to have been an attempt to remove grain using digital filtering, which has resulted in several artefacts, most noticeably a slight motion blurring. This is mildly distracting, but is not nearly as severe as the problems with the Limelight disc. There is also some mild aliasing from time to time.
There are some white flecks and dirt in evidence, but these film artefacts are infrequent.
The film and extras are presented on a single-layered disc which is RSDL-formatted. The layer break occurs during a fade to black between scenes at 87:04, and is therefore not disruptive.
Subtitles are provided in 20 languages. The English subtitles are clear and readable, and seem to closely reflect the actual dialogue.
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There are two audio tracks. The default track is English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono, with an alternative 5.1 surround mix.
Dialogue is clear and easy to understand, though the sound is a little lacking in body and depth. This is also true of the 5.1 mix.
The music score is by Charles Chaplin, and is reasonable for the material without being distinguished. Audio sync is exemplary.
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The usual introduction by David Robinson, film historian and author of the definitive biography of Chaplin.
The best of these featurettes that I have seen, this one was made by Bernard Eisenschitz and features an interview with the French master director Claude Chabrol. Chabrol has made a lot of films involving murder as a central plot device, including a film about Landru. He was also present at the French premiere of Monsieur Verdoux. There is also an interview with actor Norman Lloyd, who does not appear in the film but whose career was also affected by the political upheavals of the late 1940s.
126 items here, with sketches and plans of the set shown with corresponding stills from the final product. This is pretty interminable.
Behind the scenes and publicity photos from the film.
12 posters from various countries. These are accompanied by audio of American radio spots advertising the film. These commercials are quite repetitive and this gets a bit wearing after a while.
An American trailer and a German trailer, both in Dolby Digital 2.0 mono and not in the best of condition. The latter is dubbed into German and has no subtitles.
Excerpts from the other films in the collection.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The first Region 1 disc was released by CBS/Fox/Image contains production records and photographs, storyboards, advertising materials, excerpts from the script and a copy of the contract between Chaplin and Welles. This disc was withdrawn from sale shortly after the Warners release was announced.
The Region 1 equivalent from Warners has the same content as the Region 4, but also has motion blurring and ghosting caused by the PAL to NTSC conversion, so it can be ruled out. Unless you can find the Region 2 release at a cheaper price, the Region 4 is the best bet for this film.
An entertaining, icy-cold black comedy from Charlie Chaplin. Quite a change of pace from his previous work, and worth seeing at least once. This disc can be recommended, though the transfer is not perfect.
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Review Equipment | |
DVD | Pioneer DV-S733A, using Component output |
Display | Sony 86CM Trinitron Wega KVHR36M31. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to DVD player, Dolby Digital, dts and DVD-Audio. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. |
Amplification | Yamaha RX-V596 for surround channels; Yamaha AX-590 as power amp for mains |
Speakers | Main: Tannoy Revolution R3; Centre: Richter Harlequin; Rear: Pioneer S-R9; Subwoofer: JBL SUB175 |