Alexandre Dumas’ 1,200-page adventure tale is not easy to condense, but a pair of French directors accomplished this brilliantly by underscoring its revenge theme.
Last year, Pathé, the French distributor decided to go against the grain in the face of post-pandemic pessimism by continuing with the tradition of showing movies on big screens. It was at this event that they released their expensive version of “The Three Musketeers,” which consisted two parts with many famous actors and single take action packed scenes. While it was entertaining as a play, it failed to accurately depict the book; however, it showed that France can beat America even in show business.
When “Megalopolis” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” dominated Cannes last year, “Count” premiered quietly like an unknown sibling on Friday night. The film was subsequently taken up as a cause célèbre–a breathlessly exciting yet emotionally satisfying adventure story based on rock-solid source material. This latest adaptation moves along more swiftly than any prior ones (including an interminable miniseries starring Gérard Depardieu) and boasts uniformly excellent performances from its cast, led by Pierre Niney as the title character.
It’s made like one of those golden-era Hollywood epics except that now it feels quite relevant with all these internecine conflicts and political grudge-matches going on around us reminding us that nobody wins when wronged parties concentrate all their energy on retribution. That’s why if released in English just a couple decades earlier it would be right there competing for best picture at Oscar night alongside Roma or Parasite. For example, while virtually every schoolchild in France knows this tale backwards and forwards, Americans are bound to find quite a few surprises about what might be called shawshank redemption had been made in those days. All through his journey Dumas never gave his protagonist any respite.
Orson Welles once wisely observed that, “If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” However, Count de Monte Cristo by Dumas takes a different twist and gives the readers a very different ending. His hero Edmond Dantès is about to be made Captain which will enable him marry his beloved Mercédès (played by Anaïs Demoustier). At first sight this young sailor seems to be floating on bubbles: in love again after being reunited with his father and best friend Fernand de Moncerf (Bastien Bouillon). But before they can make it ‘official’ or say their wedding vows, Dantès is falsely accused of plotting against Napoleon, arrested and taken to an island jail.
The attractive ex-sailor spends the next 14 years about one hour of screen time wasting away in the depths of Château d’If (a clever trick shot reveals prisoner Number 34’s emaciated body, pans up the dank cell walls and settles on the scruffy face of its star, best known to Americans as the clean-cut young designer in “Yves Saint Laurent”). All things considered there could have been no happier conclusion for Dumas if he had let his novel end at his hero’s marriage ceremony. Unfortunately, from its beginnings as the best thing that ever happened to its protagonist within a few pages it degenerates into tormenting circumstances involving Alexandre Dumas whose masterpiece revolves around ideas for un revenge.
In this pursuit, Dantès can be considered as a precursor of the pulp superheroes such as Batman and Green Hornet who use their wealth to fight against evil by converting their mansions into modern-day vigilantism centres. During his imprisonment, Dantes meets with Abbe Faria (Pierfrancesco Favino) who teaches him languages and shows him where he had hidden wealth that can buy the whole world. After escaping from the prison, he goes directly to find where its buried using his collected money to transform himself into one of the richest men in existence. Another point at which we could consider this story ended is here.
Unfortunately on returning, Dantès comes back to find Mercédès married to ex-friend Moncerf, rival Danglars (Patrick Mille) enjoying his career and his father dead so he alters his plans. One of the more fantastical aspects of this narrative is that Dantes becomes masterful at disguise even when it means going unrecognized by Mercedes and foes alike. Many people would wish Dantès well after seeing what he has gone through enough for him to bring these three guys down who dealt ruthlessly with him: Moncerf, Danglars and Villefort (Laurent Lafitte), the procureur du roi who sent him away to protect his own hide. However, Dumas does not have any illusions concerning resentment’s destructive power and thus focuses appropriately on that aspect in this movie.
Swearing revenge on all persons whom he ever loved obliterates Davonte’s love; therefore Haydee’ love for them and vice versa turns out unsuccessful. Beautifully portrayed by Anamaria Vartolomeï (“Happening”), Haydée may seem a problematic character by 21st century standards because she is an orphaned slave purchased by Dante as part of his plan to teach Moncerf (the military hero responsible for her father’s death) a lesson. However, this can be easily rectified because Haydee now appears as a willing participant in the grand scheme of things.
The same is true for the Count’s petulant apprentice (newcomer Julien De Saint-Jean, who suggests a junior Alain Delon) that calls himself Andrea Cavalcanti but is actually the prosecutor’s illegitimate son who betrayed Dantès to become magistrate. Mercédès and Fernand also have a son, Albert (Vassili Schneider), who is roughly the same age, and serves as an added insult to the romance of which Dantès was deprived.
It seems almost poetic how these two young men function as paths not taken by the count. love in Albert (who Haydée wants to seduce and then abandon), and hate personified by Andrea all of which are elements brought out in Delaporte and de La Patellière’s thrilling modern film version. The co-directors are comfortable with both pomp and show but avoid falling into traps similar to those Martin Bourboulon found himself in while directing “The Three Musketeers,” instead choosing to stick resolutely on reprisal theme throughout their scenes. The film moves at an impressive pace over three hours only under-explaining a few loose ends (like what happened to Danglars’ involving fleet). For the rest it hurtles along on Jérôme Rebotier’s dynamic score that lends Niney the stature required by his role too.
After having told Dantès the location of the treasure, Abbé Faria is back in Chateau d’If and tells the future Count, “The rest is your story a man who holds the world in the palm of his hand.” However, Dantès sees through these words as nothing but rewards that he has received for an action rather than any appreciation. It is not until later when he discovers that by doing so, he would be throwing away himself in crushing all those who had wronged him.
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