Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

The written companion

Draft companion · Awaiting editorial review

Monsieur Verdoux: Laughing, Then Wondering Why You Laughed

Dan and Matt find plenty to enjoy in Monsieur Verdoux, but its comedy comes with an uncomfortable companion: they are spending time inside the schemes of a man who does terrible things. The interest is in how the film lets the humor and that knowledge exist together without making either disappear.

Matt is particularly struck by a layer he had not expected: Verdoux has a family he is trying to support. That does not excuse his behavior, and Matt is clear about the distinction. It does make the character more complicated than a man simply killing for money, giving the conversation a moral tension beyond admiration for Charlie Chaplin's technique.

Dan responds to an encounter in which another person's continuing belief in life's value interrupts Verdoux's plans. He is interested in the possibility of a different path, and in what that encounter reveals about the choices the character has made. His affection for the storytelling is tied to moments when its cynicism meets something it cannot quite dismiss.

He also enjoys the frantic practical comedy, especially when Verdoux's carefully managed identities threaten to collide. The plotting mind can stay one step ahead of other people only for so long; watching it scramble is part of the pleasure.

When they reach the must-see question, Matt gives an immediate yes. He sees the film as an expansion of the older cinema he already loves, and Dan finds both the performances and the perspective worth the visit. Their enthusiasm comes from a movie that can be funny without becoming morally comfortable.

Did knowing Verdoux's reasons complicate your reaction, or make his self-justification more disturbing? How does Chaplin keep the comedy working when the central character's behavior is so difficult to accept?

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Based on auto-generated captions. The episode includes major plot spoilers; this companion avoids the final outcome.