This film was made when Chaplin was under attack when the "expulsion of heresy" movement in the American film industry was raging. He was silent for seven years and filmed. Although it is about how Verdoux killed people, it is a comedy.
This is a masterpiece of film that combines comedy and philosophical rationality. Through the voice-over of the protagonist, the film tells the special life course of bank staff during the economic crisis in 1930. Chaplin used the image of Blue Beard to expose the essence of crime in capitalist society, and at the same time satirized a large number of films that promoted murder. In the play, one by one episodes and dramatic suspense, as well as the ingenious compression of time and space, and the constant reappearance of the train wheels that mark the passage of time, have created the cruel, vicious, hypocritical and cunning screen image of Verdue.
People comment on "Monsieur Verdoux" like this: "It makes people tremble with laughter, but also can't help but tears go up." The biggest innovation of Chaplin's films is that the comedy blends with the elements of tragedy. The art of tears brings a unique aesthetic feeling to the audience with its shocking magic. The effect of tears in laughter comes from the understanding of life and humor by talented comedians. He said: "Life is mainly composed of contradictions and pain."
His most prominent contribution in the film is to portray the image of Monsieur Verdoux, a small bank clerk, who walked into every corner of the world and became an immortal art model and a household name. This little character, who runs through almost all his films, has synthesized an image that represents a specific concept, concept, and idea in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people. Through this image, the artist not only reveals his inner world, but also reveals the heart of this world. French film historian and poet Aragón said: "His films were once the light of our century, the whole world, and the history of our time."
The comedy film "Monsieur Verdoux", which came out in 1947, was a sharp dagger that Chaplin cast into the ugly capitalist society. In the film "Monsieur Verdoux", Chaplin took material from modern American society and brought the story of the French "Blue Beard" who killed his wife to the screen. Here, Chaplin is no longer a slight mockery of capitalist society, but a fierce attack.
In this film, Chaplin bitterly accused the arms dealers and monopoly capitalists of slaughtering millions of lives on the battlefield for profit through the mouth of Verdoux: "Many big business is the history of murder.Wars, conflicts This is all business. Killing is like a hero, otherwise it is a murderer. The more you kill, the more you are not guilty." In a society ruled by a small group of monopolistic bourgeoisie, who are the real criminals to sue them? !
Because of Chaplin’s progressive political stance, he was accused by the North American Activities Investigation Committee of the US government at the time, and both "Monsieur Verdoux" and the movie "The Great Dictator " that Chinese audiences are very familiar with were implicated, especially "Monsieur Verdoux". Many theaters refuse to show it, and even the production fee cannot be collected. Due to the persecution of the US government, Chaplin finally had to leave the United States.
Today, when we watch this film that was shot many years ago, the lessons learned from our thoughts and the appreciation we get from the performing arts are very strong. People will remember this fighter who dared to throw a dagger at the unreasonable social system-Chaplin!
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