From Brattle Theater Director Ned Hinkle:
Beginning next Friday, August 8, the Brattle Theatre is pleased to present a newly struck 35mm print of Charlie Chaplin’s classic black-comedy, MONSIEUR VERDOUX. This uncharacteristic film by Chaplin features him out of his ‘Little Tramp’ costume and in the guise of the titular Verdoux, a charming and dapper murderer. Largely unseen theatrically, MONSIEUR VERDOUX has been called a masterpiece by many (including Chaplin himself), and we are excited to offer the Boston area this opportunity to see the film in a pristine new print courtesy of new distributor, The Film Desk.
Friday, August 8 through Monday, August 11
Area Premiere Reissue!
Charlie Chaplin’s
MONSIEUR VERDOUX
Fri – Sun at 2:30, 5:00, 7:30 (+ Sun at Noon); Mon at 7:15, 9:45
(1947) dir Charlie Chaplin w/Chaplin, Martha Raye, Mady Correll, Allison Roddan [124 min] Film maudit turned cult classic, Charlie Chaplin’s MONSIEUR VERDOUX is now widely considered one of his best works, and his most political. Chaplin immodestly proclaimed it "the cleverest, most brilliant film of my career." Nominated for the 1948 Academy Award for Best Screenplay, and originating from a true story, this self-described "comedy of murders" was based on an idea by Orson Welles, which Chaplin reportedly bought for five thousand dollars in a refusal to be directed by anyone but himself. VERDOUX stars Chaplin as the moustachioed bluebeard in beret and cravat whose charming manners and good looks cloak a deep-seated, murderous hatred, festering since the loss of his longstanding job as a bank clerk. The film includes such unforgettable moments as Verdoux snipping roses in his garden while an incinerator rages behind him, and his infamous pre-guillotine salvo, an indictment of humanity’s cyclical follies. Plagued with censorship problems early on, and temporarily pulled from distribution in the US at the height of the Cold War Hollywood witch-hunts, VERDOUX was initially vilified for its risqué societal critique. Now it shapes up as Chaplin’s most startling, most invigorating movie.
Thanks for the heads up, Ned – Chaplin fans, get to the Brattle Theater this weekend, you won’t want to miss it!