Monsieur Verdoux

Monsieur Verdoux is a 1947 American black comedy film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, who plays a bigamist wife killer inspired by serial killer Henri Désiré Landru. The supporting cast includes Martha Raye, William Frawley, and Marilyn Nash. The film concerns a former bank teller who marries and murders wealthy women in order to support his wife and child. It was controversial upon its release for its dark tone and critique of war and capitalism, and was consequently a critical and box office failure. Because the film was released around the same time that Chaplin was facing accusations of being a Communist, it was boycotted by several civic groups and damaged Chaplin's career.