Count of Monte Cristo

My life seemed to have hit a Bermuda Triangle of sorts where I was caught in a trifecta of Alexandre Dumas.

A few months ago, I was home with a sick baby and channel surfing and happened to come across the 2002 movie version of a Count of Monte Cristo. I hadn't seen this movie since I had seen it in the theater back in '02 when it was released. I remember enjoying it and I liked it even better this second time around.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when a friend of mine leant me a DVD of a 1998 French version of The Count of Monte Cristo starring Gerard Depardieu. Now, this mini-series is a whopping 7 hours long and 2 DVD's, which puts even the BBC Pride and Prejudice to shame. Needless to say, with 2 small children and a very busy schedule, this movie was a bit overwhelming and it sat in my house for weeks as I gradually came to the realization that there was no way I was going to find time to watch this movie. If you know me, that's a sad day. :-(

Now, on a side note: possibly from watching the 2002 version and seeing the DVD sit in my living room for weeks, I decided to read the book. So I downloaded it onto my iphone using the Kindle app (if you like to read, GET THIS APP!! if you don't have the Kindle itself). I've started reading it, but for the same reasons listed above, it's a slow process. I expected the book to start slow, but it really kind of just jumps into the story and takes off right away. I didn't have to get 2 pages into the book to realize that the 2002 movie version starring Jim Caviezel and Guy Pierce strayed pretty radically from the book. This is generally the case with books turned into movies and I try not to be too judgmental about the changes made, but I must admit, I found my opinion changing for the worse about the movie I had so recently enjoyed. Bummer.

So, last week, I came down with the flu. Once the worst of it was over and I was simply reduced to a shaking, sore, fatigued blob of goo, I decided I would watch the Everest of all movies and put in the Gerard Depardieu Count of Monte Cristo. I was at first a little judgmental because Edmond Dantes is supposed to have black hair and eyes and be a devastatingly attractive young man. Let's just face it: Gerard Depardieu is none of those things. I quickly decided to get over this because really, from the very beginning, I was so entranced with the story and the acting that it didn't even matter that the dashing, deceitful Count was being played by a paunchy, blonde Frenchman. This movie is in French, so be prepared to read subtitles. Quite honestly, I enjoyed the movie so much, I barely noticed. The only thing upsetting about this to me was that when I had to get up to make my very patient son lunch, I couldn't understand what they were saying.

The amount of detail they put into the sets, costumes, and the quality of the movie itself was very impressive. Unlike the 2002 Hollywood version, they don't spend a lot of time telling the story of how Edmond Dantes got into his predicament or his friendship with the old man in the Chateau d'If; choosing instead to begin the story as Edmond escapes from the Chateau d'If and tell the early story by means of flashbacks. This is fine as there is so much story to tell after the Chateau d'If. This classic tale of revenge, which the 2002 movie made into primarily a love story with a backdrop of revenge is actually a true tale of revenge of which past love lost is a part, but by no means the whole story.

 The true villains of the story, Villefort, who sends Edmond to prison to save his own family's reputation, Danglars, who is motivated by pure jealousy of Edmond and Fernand, who is in love with Edmond's fiance Mercedes are caught up in Edmond's spiderweb of revenge that they are completely unaware of the trap closing in on them until the net actually closes around them. Using charisma to endear himself to these former enemies, he infiltrates their close inner circle of Paris high society and manipulates from the inside out. Divide and conquer, bringing to light long hidden secrets and past dirty deeds, Edmond, as the Count brings justice to himself at last.

This movie was so good that 7 hours of reading subtitles flew by and even now thinking back on it, it's hard to believe I actually was able to do that and get anything out of it with a 14 month, on the go baby boy with me all day. Trust me, if you invest the time, you'll be thinking about it for at least a week.