Dec 28, 2004 05:44 PM
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(Updated Dec 30, 2004 08:58 PM)
Chaplin movies have always been about survival. It?s the basic emotion that moves his movies forward and have charmed the people world over. People will always remember him for his role as the Tramp in numerous short film and a few feature films.(City lights is my personal favorite and also widely acknowledged as his best). But little do people remember him for his roles other than the tramp. And Monsieur Verduax is one of them.
Monsieur Verduax (played the great Chaplin himself) is based on a French mass murderer who used to kill middle-old aged women after marrying them and there by acquiring their property. Though the original character was essentially a weirdo , Chaplin and Orson Welles (the master film maker of Citizen Kane) , whose idea was brought by Chaplin to make the movie, made his character more of a philosopher cum Casanova. Though that doesn?t mean that they have commercialized his character, enough scenes are shown in the film of his ruthlessness.
Like all Chaplin films, this one too is about survival. By placing the story at the background of the great depression in America, Chaplin tells us as to how such a character would survive in such conditions. Killing women for their money and at the same time managing to cleverly hide their bodies or any evidence for murder.
If you think that this some serious cinema again you are wrong. It is at its very core a dark look at degrading human values and games played by people at times of war and depression but Chaplin adds his usual brilliant comic touches to make this film a highly entertaining affair. If you thought that Chaplin could only act in silent films this film will shatter all such doubts and you will agree after seeing this movie that he is indeed in the truest sense of the word a genius. The film is also filled with some brilliant dialogues and excellent performances. ?One murder makes a villain, millions a hero. Numbers sanctify? is amongst the many wonderful dialogues of the film.
When the film was released it was boycotted by most of the critics and the people in America. Chaplin was accused of being a communist or a communist-sympathizer. There were demands for getting Chaplin ousted from the country. The film flopped in America. But it did good business in Europe. And years later it is now highly regarded as a true classic and one of Chaplin?s best (if not the best, film critic rates it as the best comedy film ever made).
I am sure outside India the DVD of the film is available and in India you would be lucky if you could find the vcd or the DVD. But try and get hold of it. Its not your regular Chaplin but it?s a Chaplin you wont forget.
