A Comedy of Murders

In Monsieur Verdoux, a suave but cynical man turns to crime to support his family after he is laid-off from his job as a banker. He begins marrying rich women then murdering them for their money but is caught out as two ladies prove to be serious occupational hazards.

Written by Chaplin from an idea by Orson Welles, the 1947 comedy was nominated for an Academy Award and is one of the first films to feature Chaplin out of his Tramp persona.

The first thing to be seen in the film...Monsieur Verdoux – A Comedy of Murders; accompanied by dark strings...it’s hard to believe this films a comedy. It seems an absolute contradiction! Then Chaplin’s startling and creepy narration commences. It’s time to admit...you’re kidding yourself if you expect a slapstick filled film!

You can notice that Chaplin was a slapstick director though. A lot of the shots in the film are long shots designed to canvas the entire bodily action of the actors on screen. And what strikes me is Chaplin’s constant breaking of the fourth wall! He regularly looks at the camera as if appealing to the audience to see the reasons behind his wicked acts.

This film is filled with little treasures! There is nothing more delightful to see Chaplin pruning roses whilst his latest murder victim burns away behind him in the incinerator. The money counting motif is sure to make you chuckle as well as the boat scene with the yodellers.

Only when Chaplin began to talk did we realise how deep and philosophical he was. Deep down this film is a social and political commentary with a powerful ending speech and a strong atheistic theme. And as Verdoux walks away to his execution and that slightly demented Tramp walk shines through I realise this film deserves to be listed with the greats.

The Greatest Film of All Time!

This would have to be, without a doubt, one of the hardest films to review! Every critic worth his salt under the sun has branded this film the greatest ever made. How do I know this? ...It's written on the back cover of the DVD... But if you ask my 2009 advanced English class you will find a small group who would rather stab themselves in the eyes then watch Orson Welles' 1941 classic - Citizen Kane.

This timeless masterwork (#1 in the American Film Institute’s list of Best American Movies) is more than a groundbreaking film. It is also grand entertainment, sharply acted and superbly directed with inspired visual flair. Depicting the controversial life of influential publishing tycoon, Charles Foster Kane, this Academy Award winning film is rooted in the themes of power, corruption, and vanity – the American Dream lost in the mystery of a dying man’s last word: “Rosebud.”

I love Orson Welles’ and respect him as a groundbreaking actor and visionary director. Every piece of dramatic work he has produced is brilliant. His work in this film is no exception. His portrayal of the monolithic Kane is gripping as you follow him from a young, handsome and likable college freshman to an old, tired and pitiable recluse.

I make films myself and I often have cursed sets where nothing goes as planned. It was a comfort to find as I was researching the film that Welles chipped his anklebone halfway through production and had to direct for 2 weeks from a wheelchair. When he was called upon to stand up onscreen, he wore metal braces. The injury occurred in the scene where Kane chases Gettys down the stairs and Welles tripped. Thank God! I thought it was just me!

This film just has too many fantastic scenes in it. It deserves all the accolades it has received over the years and I have no doubt it will continued to be studied in English classrooms for years to come.

Hitchcock's Rebecca

I think Tim Burton when I see the model opening to Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film, Rebecca. A wonderful opening sequence with a haunting, dreamy voice over by Joan Fontaine. I see a little Ed Wood in the intro as the camera slowly manoeuvres its way through an intricately detailed miniature set. Hitchcock has my attention!

A shy ladies' companion (Fontaine), staying in Monte Carlo with her stuffy employer, meets the wealthy Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). She and Max fall in love, marry and return to Manderley, his large country estate in Cornwall. Max is still troubled by the death of his first wife, Rebecca, in a boating accident the year before. The second Mrs. de Winter clashes with the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, and discovers that Rebecca still has a strangle hold on everyone at Manderley.

What strikes me first about the film is the two powerful leads steering it; Fontaine and Olivier. Fontaine is strangely beautiful and delightfully awkward, like a small fish in a very big pond. Olivier is his usual brooding, elegantly sophisticated self. But it's the maid that steals the show!

Judith Anderson as the delightfully twisted Mrs. Danvers adds a lot to this film. You hardly notice the other characters when she's in the scene. Mrs. Danvers is hardly ever seen walking; she seems to glide. Alfred Hitchcock wanted her to be seen solely from Joan Fontaine's character's anxious point of view, and this effect tied in with her fear about Mrs. Danvers appearing anytime unexpectedly.

Some highlights of the film include the scene in which Mrs. Danvers shows Fontaine Rebecca's room for the first time - brilliantly unnerving. And the imaginary murder re-enactment in which the camera shows where Rebecca would have stood and leave the audience to use their imaginations to determine how it all played out! A genius Hitchcock moment. And I need to mention the unforgettable dramatic ending...it's a must see!

Chaplin's Modern Masterpiece

Ok I realise now...Yes! I’m biased!! But you have to admit all Chaplin's films...they're pretty damn perfect! 1936's Modern Times is another example of this. This was his last "silent" film...a term I use loosely because for a silent film there is a heck of a lot of talking and sound effects in it! What else was he supposed to do?? The "Talkies" were killing off his medium!


In the film Chaplin turns against modern society, the machine age and man's technological progress. IMDB terms it thus: "Firstly we see him frantically trying to keep up with a production line, tightening bolts. He is selected for an experiment with an automatic feeding machine, but various mishaps leads his boss to believe he has gone mad, and Charlie is sent to a mental hospital... When he gets out, he is mistaken for a communist while waving a red flag, sent to jail, foils a jailbreak, and is let out again. We follow Charlie through many more escapades before the film is out."


What I particularly love about this film is Chaplin's genius use of the vaudeville sight gags. This film is little more than a series of comedy skits strung together on an apparently flimsy clothesline of a plot yet it delivers such a strong, time-transcending message about poverty stricken populations.


My favourite scene in this film would have to be lunchtime in the jail. Whilst contentedly eating his soup the fellow inmate next to Chaplin pours his stash of cocaine into the table's salt shaker to avoid a run in with the ever watchful guards. Chaplin then proceeds to season his soup with the drug and enjoys a rather trippy...slightly aggressive ride!


One reason why this film should be remembered by audiences and be recognised for its historical value is because this was the last major American film to make use of silent film conventions such as title cards for dialogue. The very last dialogue title card of this film (and thus, it can be said, the entire silent era) belongs to The Tramp, who says "Buck up - never say die! We'll get along."

And it ends on Chaplin's well loved open road. Our two main characters walk off into the distance happy and content. Sigh! It's all very moving and metaphoric and...And stuff!


Don't overlook this film! Its story is just as relevant today as it was back in 1936. Of course we wouldn’t watch the film and brand Chaplin a communist today...that's the only difference I can think of!

Be Patient Ol' Chap!

The English Patient; what can I say folks...it's slow! Slow...like the overly gorgeous girl at school! Anthony Minghella’s OSCAR Award winning film runs for 162 minutes...i only enjoyed the last 20!

At the close of WWII, a young nurse (Juliette Binoche) tends to a badly-burned plane crash victim (Ralph Fiennes). His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair with the exquisite Kristin Scott Thomas.

At first I was excited to watch this film. It blitzed the 1996 Academy Awards; nominated for 12 awards, eventually winning 9! But about half an hour in all I was doing was staring at a mutilated Ralph Fiennes and thinking...so that’s why Lord Voldemort looked like that...

The performances by Fiennes, Binoche, Scott Thomas, Willem Dafoe and Colin Firth are exceptional however and made the film just that tad bit tolerant to watch. I’m a sucker for love stories but this one left me high and dry. There are moments...Dafoe’s thumb removal scene and Fiennes’s drunken, fiery rant at the dinner party are ones that are particularly enjoyable...but then it nose dives again into boringness.

I’m sure the older generations would love this movie. I and other members of Gen Y probably would pass on this film every time though.

The film has a slight David Lean feel; an epic love story set against an arid desert landscape. The cinematography, remarkably and sophistically accomplished by John Seale is worth a mention. The desert never looked better...or harsher.

Critics would say that the slow action “simmers” throughout the film...I say it “slithers”! Be patient with The English Patient. If you make it to the last enjoyable 20 minutes...you’ve done well.

City Light's Shine Brightly

It's another Chaplin film this week possums! A film that can be summed up in one word...MASTERPIECE! Trust me when I tell you this is about as close to movie perfection as you're gonna get! The perfect blend of pantomime and pathos. (It is after all a Chaplin film)

A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind girl (Virginia Cherrill). Her family is in financial trouble. The tramp's on-and-off friendship with a wealthy, booze-loving gentleman allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.

City Lights was Chaplin's first film made during the sound era: released 1931. He faced extreme pressure to make the film as a talkie, but such was his popularity and power in Hollywood that he was able to complete and release the film as a silent (albeit with recorded music) at a time when the rest of the American motion picture industry had converted to sound.

I find it incredibly funny when I watch this film. As a passionate Chaplin fan i know anything and everything there is to know about his career and life. As i watch the tear-jerking chemistry between the tramp and the blind flower girl i cannot help but inwardly chuckle because I know wat lurking behind the silent faces...Chaplin's relationship with Cherrill was not a friendly one. At one point, Cherrill came back to the set late from an appointment, keeping Chaplin waiting. He fired her on the spot. He intended to reshoot the film. However, Chaplin had already spent far too much time and money on the project to start over. Knowing this, Cherrill offered to come back to work - at double her original salary. Chaplin reluctantly agreed and the film was completed. 

The Boxing Scene is the icing on the cake in this film for me. Like a delicate, masterful ballet it simmers with wit and perfectly timed and executed slapstick. It really is remarkable and side-splittingly funny! And then you look behind the laughs and realise why the tramp is doing this...he's putting his life on the line for the girl he loves. The Tramp...a true romantic! In 2008, this film was voted #1 on AFI's list over the ten best romantic comedies of all time.
And for those who may read this and find my opinion as insignificant...I leave you with this thought...Emma Stone's said City Lights was her favorite film alongside Woody Allen's Manhattan. SHE'S HOT...YOU KNOW WE GONNA LISTEN TO HER!

Gold Rush...More Like Gold Mine!

I’m sitting in the biggest house in Australia. The Sydney Opera House. Just below the railing I am leaning on I see the orchestra quietly tunning their instruments as hundreds of smartly dressed men and women murmur gaily from their seats. I’m in love with Charlie Chaplin but I've never seen one of his feature length films before. The swelling of the strings mimic my own heart strings as a sense of inner ecstasy grows in the pit of my stomach.


I still remember the moment when the giant silver screen flickered to life. We see the Little Tramp in his most memorable movie entrance; out on the edge of a cliff unknowingly being stalked by a black bear. And the music! Oh! The music! Chaplin's music played the only way it should be played...by a 50 piece orchestra.


Chaplin himself said "This [The Gold Rush] is the picture I want to be remembered by". And what a film it is! The perfect blend of both comedy and pathos.


In the creation of comedy, it is paradoxical that tragedy stimulates the spirit of ridicule; because ridicule, I suppose, is an attitude of defiance: we must laugh in the face of our helplessness against the forces of nature - or go insane.


The laughter experienced in this film is so genuine! Some key scenes include the running against the wind gag, the cooking and subsequent eating of the boiled leather boot and the hilarious and profoundly memorable climax, in which the Tramp and Big Jim find their decaying old shack hovering over the edge of a cliff and any movement could mean death...cue the comic music and polished slapstick!


The edible shoe in the film was actually made from liquorice and since perfectionist Chaplin took 63 takes over a period of 3 days inevitably Chaplin and co-star Mark Swain discovered the laxative effects of eating too much liquorice. Swain stating later that he would of actually preferred to eat the leather!


But like many Chaplin films we can juxtapose these moments of hilarity with scenes of profound melodrama and tragedy.  It is truly heart wrenching to watch the way more dominant characters in the film repeatedly use and abuse the Tramp. When he celebrates his Thanksgiving alone and his true love rejects him for another lowlife! Tears pool in my eyes.


This is a truly remarkable and rememberable film! In 1925 the film cost Chaplin $923,887.45 to make...a hell of a lot of money back then however as the title of this blog suggests this money certainly wasn't wasted. The Gold Rush remains to this date the highest grossing comedy film ever! If you claim to be a fan of comedy...why haven't you watched this yet??