The Count of Monte Cristo

Plot synopsis:
=== Summary ===
On the day of his wedding to Mercédès, Edmond Dantès, first mate of the Pharaon, is accused of treason, arrested, and imprisoned without trial in the Château d'If, a grim island fortress off Marseilles. A fellow prisoner, Abbé Faria, correctly deduces that his jealous rival, Fernand Mondego, envious crewmate, Danglars, and double-dealing Magistrate, Villefort, betrayed him. Faria inspires his escape and guides him to a fortune in treasure. As the powerful and mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, he arrives from the Orient to enter the fashionable Parisian world of the 1830s and avenge himself on the men who conspired to destroy him.
=== Edmond Dantès ===
In 1815, Edmond Dantès, a young merchant sailor who has recently been granted the succession of his captain Leclère, returns to Marseille to marry his Catalan fiancée Mercédès. Leclère, a supporter of the exiled Napoléon I, found himself dying at sea and charged Dantès to deliver two objects: a package to General Bertrand (exiled with Napoleon Bonaparte on Elba), and a letter from Elba to an unknown man in Paris. On the eve of Dantès' wedding to Mercédès, Fernand Mondego (Mercédès' cousin and a rival for her affections) is given advice by Dantès' colleague Danglars (who is jealous of Dantès' rapid rise to captain) to send an anonymous note accusing Dantès of being a Bonapartist traitor. Caderousse (Dantès' cowardly and selfish neighbor) is drunk while the two conspirators set the trap for Dantès and stays quiet as Dantès is arrested, then sentenced. Villefort, the deputy crown prosecutor in Marseille, destroys the letter from Elba when he discovers that it is addressed to his own father, Noirtier (who is a Bonapartist), since if this letter came into official hands, it would destroy his ambitions and reputation as a staunch Royalist. To silence Dantès, he condemns him without trial to life imprisonment.
After six years of imprisonment in the Château d'If, Dantès is on the verge of suicide when he befriends the Abbé Faria ("The Mad Priest"), a fellow prisoner who had dug an escape tunnel that ended up in Dantès' cell. Over the next eight years, Faria gives Dantès an extensive education in language, culture, and science. Knowing himself to be close to death, Faria tells Dantès the location of a treasure on the island of Monte Cristo. When Faria dies, Dantès takes his place in the burial sack. When the guards throw the sack into the sea, Dantès breaks through and swims to a nearby island. He is rescued by a smuggling ship that stops at Monte Cristo. After recovering the treasure, Dantès returns to Marseille. He later purchases the island of Monte Cristo and the title of Count from the Tuscan government.
Traveling as the Abbé Busoni, Dantès meets Caderousse, now living in poverty, who regrets not intervening and possibly saving Dantès from prison. He gives Caderousse a diamond that can be either a chance to redeem himself or a trap that will lead to his ruin. Learning that his old employer Morrel is on the verge of bankruptcy, Dantès buys Morrel's debts and gives Morrel three months to fulfill his obligations. At the end of the three months and with no way to repay his debts, Morrel is about to commit suicide when he learns that his debts have been mysteriously paid and that one of his lost ships has returned with a full cargo, secretly rebuilt and laden by Dantès.
=== The Count of Monte Cristo ===
Reappearing as the rich Count of Monte Cristo, Dantès begins his revenge on the three men responsible for his unjust imprisonment: Fernand, now Count de Morcerf and Mercédès' husband; Danglars, now a baron and a wealthy banker; and Villefort, now procureur du roi. The Count appears first in Rome, where he becomes acquainted with the Baron Franz d'Épinay, and Viscount Albert de Morcerf, the son of Mercédès and Fernand. Dantès arranges for the young Morcerf to be captured by the bandit Luigi Vampa and then seemingly rescues him from Vampa's gang. The Count then moves to Paris and dazzles Danglars with his wealth, persuading him to extend him a credit of six million francs. The Count manipulates the bond market and quickly destroys a large portion of Danglars' fortune. The rest of it begins to rapidly disappear through mysterious bankruptcies, suspensions of payment, and more bad luck in the Stock Exchange.
Villefort had once conducted an affair with Madame Danglars. She became pregnant and delivered the child in the house that the Count has now purchased. To cover up the affair, Villefort told Madame Danglars that the infant was stillborn, smothered the child, and thinking him to be dead, buried him in the garden. While Villefort was burying the child, he was stabbed by the smuggler Bertuccio, who unearthed the child and resuscitated him. Bertuccio's sister-in-law brought the child up, giving him the name "Benedetto." Benedetto takes up a life of crime as he grows into adolescence. He robs his adoptive mother (Bertuccio's sister-in-law) and ends up killing her, then runs away. Bertuccio later becomes the Count's servant and informs him of this history.
Benedetto is sentenced to the galleys with Caderousse, who had sold the diamond but killed both his wife and the buyer out of greed. After Benedetto and Caderousse are freed by Dantès, using the alias "Lord Wilmore," the Count induces Benedetto to take the identity of "Viscount Andrea Cavalcanti" and introduces him into Parisian society. Andrea ingratiates himself to Danglars, who betroths his daughter Eugénie to Andrea (not knowing they are half-siblings) after cancelling her engagement to Albert. Meanwhile, Caderousse blackmails Andrea, threatening to reveal his past if he doesn't share his new-found wealth. Cornered by "Abbé Busoni" while attempting to rob the Count's house, Caderousse begs to be given another chance. Dantès forces him to write a letter to Danglars exposing Cavalcanti as an impostor and allows Caderousse to leave the house. The moment Caderousse leaves the estate, he is stabbed by Andrea. Caderousse dictates a deathbed statement identifying his killer, and the Count reveals his true identity to Caderousse moments before he dies.
Years before, Ali Pasha of Janina had been betrayed to the Turks by Fernand. After Ali's death, Fernand sold Ali's wife Vasiliki and his daughter Haydée into slavery. While Vasiliki died shortly thereafter, Dantès purchased Haydée. The Count manipulates Danglars into researching the event, which is published in a newspaper. As a result, Fernand is brought to trial for his crimes. When Albert blames the Count for his father's downfall and challenges him to a duel, Mercédès, having already recognized Monte Cristo as Dantès, goes to the Count and begs him to spare her son. During this interview, she learns the truth of his arrest and imprisonment. She later reveals the truth to Albert, which causes Albert to make a public apology to the Count. Albert and Mercédès disown Fernand, who is confronted with Dantès' true identity and commits suicide. Albert and Mercédès renounce their titles and wealth and depart to begin new lives.
Valentine, Villefort's daughter by his late first wife, stands to inherit the fortune of her grandfather (Noirtier) and of her mother's parents (the Saint-Mérans), while Villefort's second wife Héloïse seeks the fortune for her son Édouard. The Count is aware of Héloïse's intentions and introduces her to the technique of poison. Héloïse fatally poisons the Saint-Mérans, so that Valentine inherits their fortune. Valentine is disinherited by Noirtier in an attempt to prevent Valentine's impending marriage with Franz d'Épinay, whom she does not love. The marriage is cancelled when d'Épinay learns that his father (believed assassinated by Bonapartists) was actually killed by Noirtier in a fair duel. Afterwards, Valentine is reinstated in Noirtier's will. After a failed attempt on Noirtier's life, Héloïse targets Valentine so that Édouard will get the fortune. However, Valentine is the prime suspect in her father's eyes in the deaths of the Saint-Mérans and Noirtier's servant, Barrois. On learning that Morrel's son Maximilien is in love with Valentine, the Count saves her by making it appear as though Héloïse's plan to poison Valentine has succeeded and that Valentine is dead. Villefort learns from Noirtier that Héloïse is the real murderer and confronts her, giving her the choice of a public execution or committing suicide.
Fleeing after Caderousse's letter exposes him, Andrea is arrested and returned to Paris, where Villefort prosecutes him. While in prison awaiting trial, Andrea is visited by Bertuccio, who tells him the truth about his father. At his trial, Andrea reveals that he is Villefort's son and was rescued after Villefort buried him alive. Villefort admits his guilt and flees the court. He rushes home to stop his wife's suicide but is too late; she has poisoned her son as well. Dantès confronts Villefort, revealing his true identity, but this drives Villefort insane. Dantès tries but fails to resuscitate Édouard, causing him to question if he has gone too far.
After the Count's manipulation of the bond market, Danglars is left with a destroyed reputation and 5,000,000 francs he has been holding in deposit for hospitals. The Count demands this sum to fulfil their credit agreement, and Danglars embezzles the hospital fund. Abandoning his wife, Danglars flees to Italy with the Count's receipt and 50,000 francs. While leaving Rome, he is kidnapped by the Count's agent Luigi Vampa and is imprisoned. Forced to pay exorbitant prices for food and nearly starved to death, Danglars signs away his ill-gotten gains. Dantès anonymously returns the stolen money to the hospitals. Danglars finally repents his crimes, and a softened Dantès forgives him and allows him to leave with his freedom and 50,000 francs.
Maximilien Morrel, believing Valentine to be dead, contemplates suicide after her funeral. Dantès reveals his true identity and explains that he rescued Morrel's father from bankruptcy years earlier; he then tells Maximilien to reconsider his suicide. On the island of Monte Cristo, Dantès presents Valentine to Maximilien and reveals the true sequence of events. Having found peace, Dantès leaves the newly reunited couple part of his fortune and departs for an unknown destination to find comfort and a new life with Haydée, who has declared her love for him. The reader is left with a final thought: "all human wisdom is contained in these two words, 'Wait and Hope'".

Tags: fantasy, murder, revenge, flashback, action, romantic, historical

Review:
Afterwards, I thought, "Wow, that was really a satisfying, great film to watch." Satisfying, of course, to see the typical good guy-gets-revenge tale but also a film which provided some beautiful scenery and photography all the way through: a real treat for the eyes and must-see on a widescreen DVD.I also put on the English subtitles on the second viewing in parts, which helped me understand a few things I missed on the first viewing and had made the film just a bit confusing in several parts.
That was cleared up, and the rest was just enjoying the scenery and performances.Most fun to watch was Richard Harris as "Priest," the longtime prisoner who tutors young Jim Caviezel, the man (Edmond Dantes) unjustly imprisoned who exacts his revenge in the last hour of the movie.
One film you're an atheist, the next you are God.For those who might think the first 30-40 minutes of this movie are a bit slow, stay with it as the action picks up once Caviezel escapes from the prison.
Shortly afterward, he is aided by the other character I found most fun to watch, played by Luis Gusman, who still sounds like he's more at home in the streets of New York but, once again, you suspend belief and just go along for the ride.Strange how our human nature makes revenge so sweet when forgiveness is the right thing to do, but Hollywood has always capitalized on this human failing, making enjoyable films like this.
Great performances, exciting story, and a fun wit, this film has everything that was terrific in Dumas' original novel and then twists it all up to adapt perfectly to the screen but doesn't stray to far.But is perfectly to strong a word?
As Caviezal grows more throughout the film, Pearce becomes more and more a monster basking in his own greed.The late Richard Harris is very bold in one of his final performances and Luis Guzman is perfect as Monte Cristos right-hand man.See this film and reccomend it.
"The Count of Monte Cristo" by Dumas is one of my favorite books, it keeps you on your toes the whole time, guessing what will happen next.
"The Count of Monte Cristo, formerly Edmund Dantes is going to get revenge on his friends!!!" They left out 3 main characters, and DRASTICALLY changed the ending, they had to, the end involves those 3 characters they left out.
Seeing an advance Screening of 'The Count of Monte Cristo', and having only seen one advertising TV spot before hand, I really did not know what I was going into this time.
From then on this film was a barrage of wonderful scripting (the adaption being perfect in its pacing and wit), characters, acting, events, costumes, action, suspense and romance.
This movie was amazing, with very cool performances from Guy Pearce and the rest of the supporting cast, each figure getting his or her share of good lines.
One of the most famous revenge stories, The Count of Monte Cristo is here turned into a dashing, old-fashioned swashbuckler.
After many years of hardship, Dantes makes an audacious escape and, having acquired a fortune by solving a cryptic treasure map, slowly plots his revenge under the new identity of the "Count of Monte Cristo".
"The Count of Monte Cristo" (2002), a contempo back-to-basics  treatment of the famous Dumas novel for new generations, spins its tale of passion and revenge with all the glory and melodrama of Hollywood's golden years.
Just like you would say anything from Nosferatu to Nightmare On Elm Street is horror, anything pre-1900 is in this "type of film" category.The Count of Monte Cristo is in one word, AMAZING.
In the film the boys are tormented by Kevin Bacon and his entourage of prison guards and one of the things that keeps them going is the book, The Count of Monte Cristo.
When one of the boys is first given the book, he looks at the authors name and says, " by Alexander Dumb Ass?" and his friend replies, "that's Doomaa, read it, it's about a guy that escapes from prison and takes revenge on the ones that hurt him."  That is not the line verbatim, but you get the point.
Never getting the opportunity to do so, when the film was advertised, I was, needless to say, excited.The Count of Monte Cristo is the ultimate tale of revenge.
Other members of the cast similarily light up the movie, particularly Luis Guzmán as Dantes' side-kick Jacopo, and a wonderful turn by Richard Harris as the high-camp -prison-warder Abbé Faria (I found him hilariously nasty).
I never even knew there was a film version of it until I mentioned my love for the book to a friend who informed me of the recently released movie that she too liked.
If you liked the plot twists and interesting characters in this movie, I must insist you try reading the book.
After all, if the producers hadn't used the book's name to lure the crowds into the theaters, I may have thought of this as a relaxing, accessible, superficial flick.And I am not one to say that I was expecting a perfect adaptation - after all, it *is* an ample, complex book that could probably never be perfectly transposed to film...But when I saw this movie in the theater, the only thing I could think of was how much the plot line was changed - in a bad way.
I read the novel for the first time last year, after hearing a snippet of the Orson Welles old-time radio version (which was probably a bastardization in itself).After reading the book I learned that none of the movie versions, or the serialization of it, had been true to the novel.They ALL apparently change the ending to make it a Hollywood ending (not that the original novel doesn't have a satisfying ending on its own merits).
Unfortunately, Kevin Reynolds used very little of the material in his film version of "The Count of Monte Cristo".
As an English teacher that teaches the classics, including The Count of Monte Cristo,I was amazed to find few similarities between the novel and this film, and these similarities were questionable at best.
The revenge is ready against the nasty traitors who accused him.This is a fine and enjoyable but overlong remake of the Alexander Dumas tale by the same name .In the film there are adventures , action , a love story , derring-do and results to be pretty amusing .
To do this he reinvents himself as the suave, mysterious, enigmatic Count of Monte Cristo, and he won't stop until he's made Guy Pearce sorry he ever double crossed him.Well made swashbuckler with fine acting by Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce (doing all he can in a one dimensional role) and Richard Harris in a brief role.
Because The Count of Monte Cristo is possibly my favorite book, I was very excited when I saw that not only were they making another movie version, but that this version would also star the wonderful Guy Pearce.
That said, I must say that the first time I saw the film version starring Jim Cavaziel and Guy Pearce, I was terribly disappointed.
Richard Harris was wonderful again--and gave us a sweet, endearing, (and humorous!) change of pace in the movie to help us "enjoy" Edmond Dantes' prison term instead of being merely disheartened by it all.
i thought the movie was great until the point when Edmond (Caviezel) stops planning his revenge and puts his planning into action.
Then the movie becomes quite boring and looses its suspense.It was great watching how Edmond grew from an innocent man who knew nothing of why he was arrested to this determined and powerful count in search of revenge, especially since Caviezel plays his role so well.
But after that the fun is simply over, the rest is only good acting with a story you can see in any other movie.Even though Caviezel played his role really good it was Guy Pearce who stood for the best acting, from beginning to end he was able to have you both hate him and love him at the same time witch is very rare.
Another person who played his role very convincing was Michael Wincott who played the Warden of d'If.I give it 7/10 for good acting and a great book turned into an average movie.
It is a wonder whether screen writers and producers ever read the books that their films are based on.If you enjoyed the book - DO NOT SEE THE MOVIE.
I think this movie captures the essence of Dumas book, although it made a lot of changes to the original story, but I didn't mind that, and liked this ending better than the book.
Although the 1975 version directed by David Greene and starring Richard Chamberlain as Dantes is more close to the character sketch of Dumas novel, this latest rendition of the historic prison escape adventure cum revenge is also well crafted from the cinematic point of view.Caveizal has befittingly portrayed the resilient character of Edmond Dantes and the scene of his opulent and flamboyant decent in a hot air balloon during the grand ball thrown on the French elite stole the show.The film is overall respectably poised by Reynolds whose direction was although not very much according to the original saga as described in the novel, but he has, somehow managed to gather the cinematic appeal for the audience.It is a movie worth watching..
A classic tale with action, adventure, romance, betrayal, humour and a very intriguing story line.The actors perform amazingly, especially Richard Harris in his role as the priest, very convincing and a joy to watch.
The lead role (Jim Cavizel) and the performance of Guy Pearce are also well played and they really help you to emerge yourself in the film and feel for the characters.The story line is exquisite.
Alexandre Dumas is an amazing writer and delivers a great story for all.I was 21 when I watched this film and although, on initial inspection, it can appear to appeal only to older viewers, the Count of Monte Cristo has something for everybody and will keep you enthralled from beginning to end which is why I rate it 10 out of 10, a must see movie..
The version of Count of Monte Cristo directed by Kevin Reynolds is as much a tribute to the old fashion adventure films as much as it is to the original novel it is based on.
And much like the adventure movies of old it rewards the audience first with a good story and solid performances by the actors and then with a spectacle of the evil-doers coming to justice in the end.The film throws in some elements that are not in the book but they help in building the film's drama.
With a time-less tale, sold performances, and beautiful scenery, the Count of Monte Cristo is a great addition to anyone's DVD collection..
This is a wonderful screen adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel "The Count of Monte Cristo".
James Caviezel's (the Count) transformation from uneducated shiphand to the super-sophisticate-man-of-the-world (and he's quite 'well off', too) Count of Monte Cristo is just great!Richard Harris plays the part of d'If mentor, Abbe Faria.
All theater will be a lesser place without him.Guy Pearce (Count of Morcerf) and James Frain (Chief Magistrate) play the 'heavys', the evil conspirators who thought they had sent Dantes to a dismal end.And 'molto bravo' to the entire cast, director Kevin Reynolds and screen play writer Jay Wolpert, for bringing to the screen one of the great classics of literature; a story of life, love, hate, hope, despair, revenge, good and evil, and a lesson for all!.
It looked much better in theaters, where the spectacle of a man coming in on a hot-air balloon was a memorable moment unto itself, but the fight scenes are brilliantly choreographed to bring you into the action, and the story is so multilayered that you need to see it again (or read the book) to catch everything.The performances from Guy Pearce's diabolical role as Mondego, Jim Caviezel's not particularly stunning yet honest portrayal of Edmond Dantes, to the cameo of Michael Wincott as the sadistic warden of the Chateau D'If, and Luis Guzman's somewhat humorous performance--each is done with just enough to keep the story going.
Kevin Reynolds, who's most famous previous movie was "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," has, in my opinion, eclipsed his previous success with a movie totally lacking in any modern-day special effects, instead opting to tell a story in the style of the old Errol Flynn and Robert Donat movies of the 1930s.I like to watch good fencing every now and then, and this movie combines enough of that, political intrigue, period settings and history, and fine performances to set the scene for a great swashbuckler..
Every actor is splendid from the lead, Edmond Dantes played by Jim Cavaziel (who is drop-dead gorgeous, ladies!), to his true love, Mercedes (Dagmar Domincynz), to the villain (Guy Pearce) with humorous turns by the devoted friend, Luigi (JB Blanc) and the devoted servant (Luis Guzman).
This movie is not The Count of Monte Cristo; its something else.The film was rather good - good story, good acting, good execution.
I have read The Count of Monte Christo countless times, and while I agree that it is not a faithful retelling of Dumas' original, it is a fine film that captures the essence of Dumas' message: Vengeance is, (and should be) the Lord's.Ultimately, Dumas' novel was about the ravages of revenge, both to the avenger and to his victims.
well it was a good movie and anyone who sees it should read the book to get the whole intrigue thing any way ENJOY the count every way you can its a great story no mater which way you tell it.
The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favourite novels ever, and the film butchered it....however, the second time, I already knew this and instead just watched the film...on it's own it is actually a really great film.
The worst part was the rushed ending, even wihtout the novel, they should have continued it longer, most movies are like 3 hours these days anyways, so who cares about time, they could have made a lot better wiht an extra half hour.Ah well,  i don't know what to say, if you haven't read the book, see this film and enjoy, if so, then try watching it twice and pretend it has nothing to do wiht the book.Also, the final fight between Pearce and Caviezel (Mondego and Dantes) is shot better than any ohter scene this year so far, really cool..
Unlike Harry Potter, I had read the books several times before, and was a little disappointed at the way things turned out in the movie.What another user said is true, I guess.
The objective of judging a movie is to see how well it managed to captivate the audience, not how well the plot stuck to the original story.I would recommend this movie to all those who haven't read the book, as it is quite a good source of entertainment, and the actors played their parts extremely well.
I knew the book by heart when I was ten, and fell in love with Monte Cristo after seing the Chamberlain movie.
This new version starring Caviezel makes me want to read the book again, since now I have a perfect image of how the character is like, provided by his acting.
It is a great story to watch, but one who wants to know how the original plot is really like should also read the book..
I love the book and Alexandre Dumas, so why do I like the film?
Dantes escapes the island, finds the treasure and proceeds to transform himself into the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo as part of his plan to exact revenge on all the people that once hurt him...If this had been a story written at the present time, it never would have been the same.
I loved James Caviezel as Dantes / the Count of Monte Cristo.
I was truly surprised however as it was not what I expected..Well then you will LOVE this movie-- BEST ACTING EVER FRESH FACES!I think I'll go watch it again right now....
Guy Pearce was the perfect villain, while James Caviezel gave the part of his life as the hurtful Edmond Dantes and the vengeful Count of Monte Cristo.
This can be the only film I know of that has adventure, action, hate, love, revenge and a happy ending all in one, resulting in you feeling excelled with happiness and hope.
Admittedly this is a very violent movie (or action-packed depending on how you look at it), but as a classic story of love betrayal and revenge I thought it was appropriate for my daughter and might spur her on to read the classic book.
Edmond realizes that revenge does not give him happiness but all he wants is to be with those whom he loves.All in all, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO is worth seeing.
This is a great story and a very good filming of it.
The Count of Monte Cristo is possibly one of the best movies so far this year.
To any one that had read the unabridged Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo and enjoyed it, this film is nothing but a terrible why of spending over 90 minutes..
It is a shame that a magnificent novel like the count of monte cristo is made into such a movie.
The Cound of Monte Cristo is one of those books that have everything: Complex characters, action, revenge and love.
At the same time, I never found it depressing, so I can't really understand why in Hollywood movies the characters have to be Good or Bad - White or Black.Whether or not you liked the movie - read the book.