THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO Reviewed by GREG KING
Directors: Alexandre de La Potelliere and Matthieu Delaporte
Stars: Pierre Niney, Anais Demoustier, Patrick Mille, Laurent Lafitte, Bastien Bouillons, Pierfranceso Favino, Vassili Schneider, Julien De Saint Jean, Anamari Vartolomei, Adele Simphal, Julia De Bona.
Alexandre Dumas’ classic sprawling tale of betrayal and revenge gets the epic treatment in this lavish historical drama from Alexandre de La Potelliere and Matthieu Delaporte, the writers of the recent adaptation of Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. There have been numerous other versions of The Count Of Monte Cristo previously, including a couple of silent film adaptations; a 1934 Hollywood version starring a swashbuckling Robert Donat; a 1975 television miniseries starring the late Richard Chamberlain; a 1998 French miniseries starring Gerard Depardieu; and more recently a 2002 version starring Jim Caviezel. But this gorgeous looking epic could almost be considered to be the definitive version.
The film takes place in 1815, post Napoleonic France. Edmond Dantes (played here by Pierre Niney, from Black Box, etc) is a sailor who receives a promotion after heroically rescuing a drowning woman following a shipwreck at sea. He plans to marry his girlfriend Mercedes (Anais Demoustier, from Along Came Love, etc).
But instead, he is betrayed by his ruthless and jealous former sea captain Danglars (Patrick Mille) and accused of treason. Gerard De Villeforte (Laurent Lafitte, from Paul Verhoeven’s Elle, etc) is an amoral and ambitious prosecutor who signs Dante’s arrest warrant. Dante’s best friend Fernand de Morcet (Bastien Bouillons, from War Of The Buttons, etc) also turns evidence against Dante because he is also interested in marrying Mercedes.
Dante is carted off to a remote prison island where he endures harsh conditions for fourteen years. There he meets the imprisoned Abbe Faria (Pierfranceso Favino, from the Italian police thriller Last Night Of Amore, etc) who becomes his mentor and teaches him science and languages. He also informs Dante of the location of the fable treasure of the discredited Knights Templars. With the help of the Abbe, Dante orchestrates a risky escape from the island.
He returns home to Marseilles only to learn that his father has died, and that Mercedes has married Fernand and moved to Paris. Using the Templar’s fortune, he reinvents himself as the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo and begins to carry out his elaborate plans of revenge against Fernand, Danglars and De Villeforte.
The writers and the directors manage to work their way through numerous subplots and a large cast of characters, but they seamlessly tie them all together.
Niney is perfectly cast as the titular count, and he brings plenty of charisma and a steely resolve to the role. The villains here are particularly vile characters and the audience cheers Dante on as he patiently exacts his revenge.
The film looks fabulous with great costumes from Thierry Delettre, superb production design from Stephane Taillasson, picturesque locations, and the action sequences are well staged. The narrative is driven by the stirring score from Jerome Rebotier. The Count Of Monte Cristo has all been sumptuously shot in widescreen by cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc (War Witch, etc). Although the film runs for just shy of three hours, the time flew by, and I was not conscious of the length. It’s that absorbing.
★★★★
