Overview
Edmond Dantes becomes the target of a sinister plot and is arrested on his wedding day for a crime he did not commit. After 14 years in the island prison of Château d’If, he manages a daring escape. Now rich beyond his dreams, he assumes the identity of the Count of Monte-Cristo and exacts his revenge on the three men who betrayed him.
Written and directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patelliere, who were the writing team of the recent Three Musketeers pair of films, this is another Alexandre Dumas adaptation from the pair, this time taking the author’s 1844 novel about betrayal and revenge and bringing it to a new audience. The tale, for those who haven’t caught one of the dozens of previous adaptations, sees a sailor named Edmond Dantes return home to glory after saving the life of a woman at sea against his Captain’s wishes, being granted a captaincy of his own, and set to marry his true love, Mercedes. However, he finds himself falsely accused of crimes against the nation, and his closest friend betrays him in an act of jealousy, and also to protect the honour of his wealthy family, resulting in Dantes being imprisoned on the island fortress of Chateu D’If. There, over the years, he encounters fellow prisoner Abbe Faria, an Italian scholarly priest, who helps Dantes from his suicidal thoughts by spending time educating him in science and language, whilst the pair work slowly to tunnel an escape from their confines. He also informs Dantes of a great treasure that is hidden away that he is willing to share with his fellow companion once they escape. The years pass, and eventually Dantes finds himself free from his confines, and that the outside world believes him to be already dead. Finding the treasure, he uses the fortune to reinvent himself as the Count of Monte Cristo, and sets in motion plans to exact vengeance on those who betrayed him.
It is clear from watching this, and the Musketeers adaptations, that the writer/director pair have a love for Dumas’ writing, and here they have managed to strip the tale down, whilst adding a few personal touches, to present an almost 3 hour film that captures all the core essence of the fictional work but in a way that makes it resonate with a modern audience. The period setting is gloriously detailed, with locations and costumes capturing the authenticity of the different classes, and the beauty of the architecture of the period. Into this environment is delivered an almost Mission: Impossible scale of revenge, as Dantes plots his plans to bring down the three who stole his life – indeed, one of the things that I always loved about this tale was the mask swapping almost spy-like nature of Dantes scheme, and here it feels sometimes ridiculous, but never in a way that undermines the story. Pierre Niney makes for a strong lead, and as the Count’s plans play out, and his revenge is in sight, he also taps into the heartbreak that is inevitable as the lives of those Dantes cared for will be drawn into the plot.
Lavish in production, and grand in scale, this adaptation, clocking in at the run-time it does, does occasionally feel a little too fast paced – especially after a well paced early half – but this never really upsets the flow, and the run-time flies by with ease. If anything, I left the screening feeling that I’d have happily sat through even more, with more depth and detail layered in. Overall, with this entry Delaporte and La Patelliere have cemented their names to be associated with the best Dumas adaptations to film, and I look forward to seeing what the pair bring us next.