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Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons (1960) movie poster

Timeline

Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons (1960) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1960 · 92 mins · English
Directed by
W. Lee Wilder
Starring
George Sanders, George Coulouris, Ian Fleming, Maxine Audley, Corinne Calvet, Jean Kent

The Man With The Do-It-Yourself Murder Kit! A murderer enriches his finances by marrying and then killing off a series of wealthy women.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Events in order (12)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Movies like Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons
  5. 5 Every angle

12 events in order · contains spoilers

Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons (1960) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Landru becomes infatuated with Odette

    Landru, a successful art dealer, becomes infatuated with Odette, a burlesque performer who already has a lover. Odette tricks Landru into believing her mother is ill and needs money for an operation, and he vows to raise the funds. Her manipulation deepens his fixation and commitment to helping her, even as it serves her own aims.

    Where
    Paris
  2. Landru seeks sellable furniture

    Landru begins looking for furniture he can sell to finance the operation. He tests his charm on various owners and schemes to arrange discreet sales. The prospect of easy profits seduces him as he rationalizes exploiting others' possessions.

    Where
    Paris
  3. Vivienne enters Landru's sights

    Landru meets Vivienne, a young widow hoping to sell vintage furniture, and quickly charms her. He presents himself as a dependable buyer and ally in her financial needs. The encounter signals the start of a new, lucrative target in his growing scheme.

    Where
    Vivienne's home
  4. Quarrel over sold furniture

    Landru learns Vivienne has sold the furniture to someone else, sparking a sharp quarrel between them. The conflict exposes his willingness to manipulate others and foreshadows the violence to come. The episode reinforces his belief that others' misfortunes can be exploited for profit.

    Where
    Vivienne's home
  5. Vivienne's death and the cover-up

    In the ensuing events, Vivienne dies accidentally during the quarrel. Landru manages to cover up the manslaughter, preserving his own innocent image. He then realizes he can profit from the tragedy by taking her furniture and selling it as his own.

    Where
    Vivienne's home
  6. A criminal enterprise takes shape

    Landru adopts multiple aliases and begins charming several wealthy, middle-aged women. He woos them, sets up marriages, and uses their wealth to fuel his growing scheme. His confidence grows as he sees how easily he can exploit his new targets.

    Where
    Paris and nearby locales
  7. The method evolves: drugging and stabbing

    He continues the pattern with more victims, usually drugging them and then stabbing them to kill. Each murder consolidates his control over the victims' assets and removes witnesses. The operations become more systematic and lucrative as he expands his 'collection' of wives.

    Where
    Various locations
  8. Odette is betrayed and murdered

    Landru later sees Odette with her lover and realizes she has used him all along. He lures her to his villa and murders her, sealing the end of their relationship. The killing demonstrates his readiness to dispose of anyone who threatens his control.

    Where
    Landru's villa
  9. Vivienne's sister grows suspicious

    Vivienne's sister becomes suspicious about her disappearance, but the police lack evidence to act. She persists, trying to uncover the truth and connect the dots. The lack of official help pushes her to seek justice on her own terms.

    Where
    Paris
  10. The sister finds Landru

    The sister tracks down Landru and locates him at his rented villa. She presents a lead that could expose his crimes and drive the investigation forward. This discovery sets the stage for the police to intervene.

    Where
    Landru's rented villa
  11. Arrest and capture

    Police arrive and arrest Landru, gathering the evidence needed to charge him in connection with the disappearances and deaths. The arrest marks the collapse of Landru's century of deception. The suspect's calculated persona finally gives way to legal judgment.

    Where
    Landru's villa
  12. Execution and ending

    The film culminates in Landru's execution, bringing his murderous spree to a definitive close. The narrative closes on the consequences of greed and manipulation, with justice served in the end. The fate of Landru stands as a grim coda to his crimes.

    Where
    Execution chamber

Last updated: February 24, 2026 at 13:49

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Timeline questions answered

Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons (1960): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

What motivated Landru to start murdering women?

Landru's killing spree began after Odette tricked him into believing her mother needed money for an operation. To raise the funds, he started looking for furniture to sell, but after accidentally killing Vivienne during a quarrel, he realized he could profit directly from murdering wealthy women. This accidental death revealed an easy path to money and marked the turning point where his crimes became systematic.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Landru vows to raise money for Odette's fictional operation, establishing his desperation to obtain funds.

  • landru
  • murder motivation
  • odette
  • money
  • killing spree
Q2

How did Vivienne die and what happened after?

Vivienne died accidentally during a quarrel with Landru after she sold her furniture to someone else instead of to him. During the conflict, she was killed, and Landru covered up the manslaughter to protect himself. He then took her furniture and sold it as his own, realizing he could profit from the death of a wealthy widow.

Foreshadowing: The quarrel began when Landru discovered Vivienne had sold her furniture to another buyer, triggering his violent reaction.

  • vivienne
  • death
  • cover-up
  • furniture
  • manslaughter
Q3

Why did Landru kill Odette after everything he did for her?

Landru killed Odette after discovering she had been stringing him along the entire time. He saw her with her real lover and realized her story about her sick mother was a complete fabrication used only to extract money from him. Feeling betrayed and used, he lured her to his villa and murdered her, eliminating the one person who had originally set his criminal path in motion.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Odette manipulating Landru with lies about her mother's illness to get money.

  • odette
  • betrayal
  • murder
  • villa
  • lover
Q4

How did Landru choose and approach his victims?

Landru used multiple aliases and specifically targeted wealthy, middle-aged women. He would charm them,woo them into marriage, and once he gained their trust and access to their finances, he would drug them and then stab them to death. This systematic approach allowed him to accumulate their assets while minimizing resistance.

Foreshadowing: After Vivienne's death, Landru grew emboldened and began searching for more vulnerable, wealthy targets.

  • victims
  • aliases
  • marriage
  • drugging
  • stabbing
Q5

How did the police finally catch Landru?

Landru was caught through the persistence of Vivienne's sister, who became suspicious after Vivienne's disappearance. When police lacked sufficient evidence to act, she investigated independently and tracked Landru to his rented villa. Her discovery provided the lead authorities needed to close in, resulting in his arrest and eventual execution.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Vivienne's sister grows increasingly suspicious about her sister's disappearance but faces police inaction.

  • police arrest
  • vivienne sister
  • villa
  • investigation
  • capture
Q6

What was Landru's method for killing his victims?

Landru typically drugged his victims before killing them, usually by stabbing them. This method allowed him to subdue his victims easily and reduce the risk of resistance. After killing them, he would claim their assets and continue his pattern of marriage and murder.

Foreshadowing: The pattern emerges gradually, starting with Vivienne's death and evolving into a systematic criminal operation.

  • drugging
  • stabbing
  • method
  • victims
  • poison
Q7

Why did Landru use multiple aliases?

Landru adopted multiple aliases to avoid detection as he moved from victim to victim. By presenting himself as different men to different wealthy women, he could charm and marry multiple women without raising suspicion. This allowed him to build a pattern of marriages and murders across different locations while maintaining his anonymity.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows Landru operating in Paris and nearby locales, suggesting movement to avoid detection.

  • aliases
  • deception
  • multiple wives
  • anonymity
  • serial killer
Q8

What happened to Landru at the end of the movie?

The film ends with Landru's execution, bringing his murderous spree to a definitive close. After being arrested at his villa, he was tried and sentenced to death. His execution marks the conclusive end to his crimes, with justice served for the multiple murders he committed.

Foreshadowing: The investigation by Vivienne's sister directly leads to his arrest and eventual fate.

  • execution
  • arrest
  • justice
  • ending
  • sentenced

Movie threads

More Movies Like Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Films about calculating criminals like Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons

Stories of methodical criminals undone by their own greed and systematic operations. For viewers who liked Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons, this list features movies about serial criminals whose operations are methodical and financially motivated. These films delve into the recurring patterns of crime and the inevitable collapse due to greed or a fatal mistake.

  • calculating
  • methodical
  • sinister
  • greed
  • cold
  • repetitive
  • Tone: dark, cynical, cold
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically chronicle a criminal's systematic actions—often a cycle of planning, execution, and reward—that escalate in risk or frequency. The turning point comes from an external challenge to their system or an internal flaw, leading to their capture or demise. The structure is often repetitive, highlighting the monotony of the criminal's method.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here because they share a focus on intellectually-driven criminals, a dark and unsentimental tone, and a narrative built around a cyclical, operational pattern of crime. The emotional weight comes from witnessing a cold, unrepentant character march toward a grim, often fatalistic conclusion.

Sinister slow burn thrillers similar to Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons

Tense psychological stories where menace builds steadily through cold, calculated actions. If you liked the methodical suspense of Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons, you'll find more dark thrillers here that slowly build tension through cold, calculated behavior. These films prioritize psychological unease and a steady, sinister pace over fast-paced action.

  • suspenseful
  • sinister
  • methodical
  • anxious
  • cold
  • psychological
  • Tone: dark, tense, sinister
  • Pacing: steady, slow burn
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories unfold with a steady, deliberate pace, often centered on a character's carefully planned and repeated malevolent acts. The tension builds from the increasing risk and moral weight of these actions, creating a sense of impending doom without relying on jump scares or chases. The focus is on the process and psychology of the transgression.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their shared dark tone, high intensity driven by psychological threat, and a steady pacing that allows dread to simmer. They create a specific type of suspense rooted in the cold, calculating nature of the central conflict.

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Every angle

Bluebeard’s 10 Honeymoons (1960) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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