The Count of Monte Cristo was released in North America on January 25, 2002 to generally positive reviews from critics. It was commercially successful, grossing $75 million.
Plot
The Azure Window of Gozo appears in the background of some scenes (picture from 2003).
In 1815, Edmond Dantès, second mate of a French merchant vessel, and his friend Fernand Mondego, a representative of the shipping company, seek medical help on Elba for their ailing captain. Napoleon Bonaparte is in exile on the island. Having kept his guardians from killing the pair, Bonaparte privately requests that Edmond deliver a letter to the mainland in exchange for his physician's services. Edmond is sworn to secrecy, but Fernand witnesses the exchange. In Marseille, the company owner, Morrell, commends Edmond for his bravery, promoting him to captain over first mate Danglars, who had given Edmond explicit orders not to land at Elba. Edmond thereafter states his intention to marry his girlfriend, Mercédès, whom Fernand lusts after.
Envious of Edmond’s good fortune, Fernand and Danglars inform on Edmond regarding Bonaparte's letter, which reveals information that could be used to aid Bonaparte's escape from Elba. Villefort, the city's chief magistrate, has Edmond arrested, but initially prepares to exonerate him until he learns the letter is addressed to his own father, Monsieur Clarion, a Bonapartist. He burns the letter and orders Edmond imprisoned in the Château d'If. Edmond escapes from Villefort and goes to Fernand for help, but Fernand instead turns him over to the pursuing gendarmes. Edmond is consigned to the island prison and its sadistic warden, Armand Dorleac. In exchange for persuading Mercédès that Edmond has been executed for treason and that she should take comfort in Fernand, Villefort has Fernand assassinate his father.
Six years later, Edmond is startled in his cell by an eruption in the ground revealing another prisoner, Abbé Faria, who has been imprisoned for 11 years after refusing to tell Bonaparte the whereabouts of the treasure of the Spada family. Faria has been digging an escape tunnel, but upon seeing that he is in Edmond's cell, he realizes he dug in the wrong direction. In exchange for Edmond's help digging a new tunnel, Faria educates him in a wide array of academic and martial disciplines. Faria is fatally injured in a tunnel cave-in, but before dying he gives Edmond a map to the treasure and implores him to use it only for good. Edmond escapes the prison by taking Faria's place in the disposal of his corpse, and is thrown into the sea, pulling Dorleac along with him and drowning him.
Wading ashore, Edmond encounters a band of pirates preparing to execute one of their own, Jacopo. Their leader, Luigi Vampa, decides justice and entertainment would be better served by pitting Edmond against Jacopo in a knife fight. Edmond wins but spares Jacopo, who swears himself to Edmond for life. They both work with the pirates until they arrive in Marseille. Edmond learns from Morrell, who does not recognize him, that Fernand and Danglars were complicit in his betrayal, his father committed suicide out of grief, and that Fernand and Mercédès wed shortly after Edmond was imprisoned. With Faria's map, he and Jacopo locate the treasure on the island of Montecristo. With his newfound wealth and comprehensive education, Edmond establishes himself in Parisian society as "The Count of Monte Cristo" with Jacopo as his manservant, and swears vengeance on those who conspired against him.
Edmond ingratiates himself to the Mondegos by staging the kidnap and rescue of their son, Albert. He lures Fernand, Villefort, and Danglars into a trap by letting slip the notion that he has located the treasure of Spada, and is shipping it through Marseille. His plans result in Danglars being caught red-handed in the act of theft, and Villefort being tricked into revealing his role in his father's death; both are arrested. Fernand is brought to financial ruin as Edmond has his gambling debts called in. Even though his appearance has changed dramatically, Edmond is recognized by Mercédès. Eventually, she softens him, and they rekindle their relationship. As Fernand prepares to flee the country, Mercédès reveals the only reason she married him was that she was pregnant with Albert, who is actually Edmond's son.
Edmond ambushes Fernand in the ruins of his family's country estate, having led him to believe that the treasure of Spada would be waiting for him. Albert intervenes when Edmond attempts to kill Fernand, but Mercédès tells him of his true parentage. Fernand attempts to flee, but changes his mind upon realizing he has nowhere to go, and challenges Edmond to a fight to the death; Edmond prevails.
Edmond purchases Château d'If, intending to raze it, but instead leaves it standing as he swears to Faria to use his vast resources for good and departs with his new family.
Most of filming took place on the island of Malta, where the capital of Valletta stood in for Marseilles.[3] The fortified city of Vittoriosa, part of the Grand Harbour of Valletta, was chosen for its strong resemblance to early 19th century Port of Marseilles.[4] The waterfront stretch of Vittoriosa known as Xatt Ir-Risq and Fort St Elmo featured specifically in the "Marseilles" scenes.[4] The Grand Harbour had the added advantage of being one of a very few ports deep enough to allow the huge period sailing ships brought from the UK to dock.[3]Saint Mary's Tower on the island of Comino was used for the exteriors of the Château d'If; the Azure Window of Gozo also makes an appearance in the scenes set on the island of Montecristo.[5][2]
In Ireland, locations included Powerscourt Estate, which stood in for the estate which Dantès buys and where he hosts his grand introduction to Paris society, while Kilruddery House appears as Mondego's home early in the film.[6][7] The climactic fight scene between Dantès and Mondego was filmed near Slane in County Meath.[7]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 73% based on 143 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Though it may not reach for any new artistic heights, The Count of Monte Cristo is an old-fashioned yet enjoyable swashbuckler."[8] At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[9] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[10]
Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4, writing: "The Count of Monte Cristo is a movie that incorporates piracy, Napoleon in exile, betrayal, solitary confinement, secret messages, escape tunnels, swashbuckling, comic relief, a treasure map, Parisian high society and sweet revenge, and brings it in at under two hours, with performances by good actors who are clearly having fun. This is the kind of adventure picture the studios churned out in the Golden Age—so traditional it almost feels new."[11]
The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (père) completed in 1844. It is one of the author's most popular works, along with The Three Musketeers. Like many of his novels, it was expanded from plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet.
The Château d'If is a fortress located on the Île d'If, the smallest island in the Frioul archipelago, situated about 1.5 kilometres offshore from Marseille in southeastern France. Built in the 16th century, it later served as a prison until the end of the 19th century. The fortress was demilitarized and opened to the public in 1890. It is famous for being one of the settings of Alexandre Dumas's adventure novel The Count of Monte Cristo. It is one of the most visited sites in the city of Marseille.
Edmond Dantès is a title character, Byronic hero and the protagonist of Alexandre Dumas's 1844 adventure novel The Count of Monte Cristo. Within the story's narrative, Dantès is an intelligent, honest and loving man who turns bitter and vengeful after he is framed for a crime he did not commit. When Dantès finds himself free and enormously wealthy, he takes it upon himself to reward those who have helped him in his plight and punish those responsible for his years of suffering. He is known by the aliases The Count of Monte Cristo, Abbé Busoni,Lord Wilmore, and Sinbad the Sailor.
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gonzo. An adaptation of the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas; the 24-episode series aired on Japanese television between October 2004 and March 2005. It was licensed for a Western release first by Geneon Entertainment and later by Funimation. The series was adapted into a CD drama, a trilogy of novels by screenwriter Shuichi Kouyama, and a manga series written and drawn by series creator Mahiro Maeda, with additional story elements written by Yura Ariwara which ran from 2005 to 2008.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1934 American adventure film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Robert Donat and Elissa Landi. Based on the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, the story concerns a man who is unjustly imprisoned for 20 years for innocently delivering a letter entrusted to him. When he finally escapes, he seeks revenge against the greedy men who conspired to put him in prison.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1975 television film produced by ITC Entertainment and based upon the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It was directed by David Greene and starred Richard Chamberlain as Edmond Dantès, Kate Nelligan as Mercedes, Tony Curtis as Fernand Mondego, Louis Jourdan as De Villefort, Donald Pleasence as Danglars, Trevor Howard as Abbé Faria, and Isabelle de Valvert as Haydee. ITC had previously produced a 39-part TV series based on the same source material, in 1956.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1953 Argentine-Mexican historical adventure film directed by León Klimovsky and starring Jorge Mistral, Elina Colomer and Santiago Gómez Cou. It is an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a French-Italian four-part miniseries based on the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas père.
Monte Cristo (1929), also known as Le Comte de Monte-Cristo in France and The Count of Monte-Cristo in the US, is a French silent film directed by Henri Fescourt, and is a film adaptation of the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, père.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a musical based on the famed 1844 novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas, with influences from the 2002 film adaptation of the book. The music is written by Frank Wildhorn and the lyrics and book are by Jack Murphy.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1943 French-Italian historical drama film directed by Robert Vernay with Ferruccio Cerio as the supervising director. Based on the classic 1844 novel Le Comte de Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas père, this two-part film stars Pierre Richard-Willm in the title role. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome and the Cité Elgé in Paris. The film's sets were designed by the art director René Renoux.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1942 Mexican historical adventure film directed by Roberto Gavaldón and Chano Urueta and starring Arturo de Córdova, Mapy Cortés, Rafael Baledón and Esperanza Baur. It is based on Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo. a story which has been adapted for film many times.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1954 French-Italian historical drama film directed by Robert Vernay and starring Jean Marais, Lia Amanda and Roger Pigaut. It is based on the 1844 novel of the same title by Alexandre Dumas.
Monte Cristo is a 1922 American silent drama film produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation and directed by Emmett J. Flynn. It is based on the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, which was adapted by 19th century thespian Charles Fechter and written for this screen version by Bernard McConville. John Gilbert plays the hero with Estelle Taylor as the leading lady. This film was long thought lost until a print surfaced in the Czech Republic. The film has been released on DVD, packaged with Gilbert's 1926 MGM film Bardelys the Magnificent.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1961 French adventure film version of Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel directed by Claude Autant-Lara and starring Louis Jourdan, Yvonne Furneaux, Pierre Mondy and Franco Silva.
The Wife of Monte Cristo is a 1946 American historical adventure film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and starring John Loder, Lenore Aubert and Fritz Kortner. The film is a inspired by the novel The Count of Monte Cristo and features its protagonist Edmond Dantès. It was made and distributed by Producers Releasing Corporation, on a higher budget than was usual for the studio which focused on cheap second features. It was successful at the box office.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a British 12-part dramatization of Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel of the same name. It was made by the BBC and was screened in the autumn of 1964. The series starred Alan Badel in the title role.
The Prisoner of Château d'If or is a 1988 Soviet drama film directed by Georgi Yungvald-Khilkevich based on the novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a lost 1912 unauthorised silent film short directed by Colin Campbell and starring Hobart Bosworth. The film is a remake of the same story Selig had filmed in 1908. When this film was made Adolph Zukor had secured the rights to the 1844 novel and was about to release his 1913 version with James O'Neill who had made the role famous on stage. Zukor's attorneys ordered this film destroyed and all prints were withdrawn.
The Count of Monte Cristo is an upcoming English-language television miniseries directed by Bille August and starring Sam Claflin. It is an adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel of the same name.
↑ "Find CinemaScore"(Type "Count of Monte Cristo" in the search box). CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
↑ Roger Ebert (January 25, 2002). "The Count Of Monte Cristo". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
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