Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

I guess I should have seen this coming, but what I don't understand is why this is so acclaimed. Chaplin's comedic sense, so sharp in his silents, proves to be all wrong for black comedy. He's just not subtle enough, and there are scenes that should kill but instead die due to forced slapstick elements (the climactic wedding party) or overbaked performances (every scene with Martha Raye). There are bits where the film is lively enough to transcend its shortcomings (I liked Verdoux's first encounter with Grosnay, and the night with the girl just out of jail was well-realized), but mostly it just sits there. Certainly shocking for its time, and the social commentary -- The Great Dictator reconfigured for an agonized and angry post-war era -- is quite radical, but the laughs aren't there.

Grade: C