Character Relationship Map: Bluebeard

Characters

• Henri Landru (played by Charles Denner) — protagonist

  A respectable middle-aged man who kills middle-class women under assumed names to steal their money. He murders ten women and a boy, burns their bodies, and funds his wife, mistress, and four children...

• Mme Buisson (played by Michèle Morgan) — supporting
• Mme Héon (played by Danielle Darrieux) — supporting
• Fernande Segret (played by Stéphane Audran) — supporting
• Catherine Landru (played by Françoise Lugagne) — supporting
• Commissaire Belin (played by Jean-Louis Maury) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Henri Landru → Mme Buisson (Romantic Deceptive Suitor) — Henri wins Mme Buisson's trust through renewed courtship and promises of a shared future.

  Henri returns to Mme Buisson after months away, apologizes, and resumes courting her with promises of a country estate and a future together.

• Henri Landru → Fernande Segret (Romantic Lover) — Henri gives Fernande money and makes affectionate promises while maintaining her as his mistress.

  The plot states that Henri maintains a relationship with Fernande Segret and treats her as his mistress.

• Henri Landru → Catherine Landru (Family Husband In Conflict) — Catherine challenges Henri over his financial priorities and his neglect of the household.

  Henri argues with his wife about their meager household finances, and she confronts him over neglecting the family.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Henri Landru → Commissaire Belin (Conflict Arresting Officer) — Belin apprehends Landru, bringing his use of assumed identities under police scrutiny.

  Commissaire Belin arrests Landru when police arrive at a home where Landru is staying under an assumed identity.

• Henri Landru → Mme Héon (Conflict Suspect In Her Disappearance) — Mme Héon is among the missing women whose fate is questioned in connection with Landru.

  During questioning, Landru is asked what became of Mme Héon, among other women connected to him who vanished, and he avoids a direct answer.

Story Analysis

Henri Landru's use of assumed identities and courtship promises leads from domestic strain to arrest and an unresolved trial over missing women.

Plot Progression

1. A Household Under Strain — Henri argues with his wife about their limited finances and claims his past fraud is over. He nevertheless advertises for a wealthy older woman to marry.
2. Courting Through Promises — Henri adopts assumed names and tailored stories to win women's trust. He returns to Mme Buisson, apologizes, and speaks of a country estate and a shared future.
3. Missing Women and Arrest — Henri's family life and relationship with Fernande contrast with the disappearance of women connected to him. Police find him staying under an assumed identity, and Commissaire Belin arrests him.
4. The Trial's Unanswered Questions — Landru admits using several names but denies that this proves wrongdoing. At trial, a notebook and testimony about missing women are examined, while Landru disputes the accusations and the excerpt end...