Why film beats books

Rating: 10/10 (27 March 2006)

The Count of Monte Cristo isn't a very good book, and has spawned a few pretty poor films, but it's the ideas which make it an enduring story. Now whether Stephen King was consciously inspired by Dumas's ("Dumass's") book when writing the original short story I don't know - what I do know is that Frank Darabont took a dour, typically coarsely-detailed potboiler and evolved it into something special. The big step for me, was that having taken an interesting idea and made it good, Darabont then found an ensemble cast and a cinematographer who could make it sing. I don't think there's a dull line of dialogue in the movie, and barely a camera shot either out of place or wasted. Why it is that equally talented filmmakers can spend millions and produce the kind of mindless gibberish which actually wins Oscars (like 'Braveheart' did in the year 'Shawshank Redemption' was nominated) I'll truly never fathom. Maybe there should be another way of formally recognising talent: wait ten years then take a vote - that way the mindless and the popular will have time to find their level and what's left is worth remembering.