Rating: 
Summary: Le Compte De Monte Cristo - Bravo
Review: I have long ago dispelled the notion that any movie production faithfully reproduces a book as written. For those zealots who desire this, see George C. Scott's rendition of Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Alexander Dumas did not write the Count of Monte Cristo as a single novel, but rather as a long series of chapters in a French periodical of the time, hence its almost 1500 page length which would require a movie in excess of 800 hours.I have always enjoyed Gerard Depardieu in whatever role he portrayed, either in English (Porthos, Columbus) or in his French films. It was said that Depardieu did not portray the stature of Edmund Dantes, but let's face it, Gerard is a big guy. Even Dumas does not describe Dantes as a sickly wretch, even though his food was described as "maggot ridden slop". To paraphrase this, no actor has ever portrayed a role as one invisions when reading a novel, least of all, any actor that ever portrayed Jean Val Jean in Les Miserables. Le Comte De Monte Cristo captures the essence of the book which concerns a man bent on revenge, yet not so totally consumed that he looses his sense of humanity. I have recently re-read many of the classics that were part of my father's literary collection and must say that the movie ended on a happier note than the book. The scenes and demeanor of the gentry were extremely faithful to the time frame of the novel, as were the portrayal of the suporting cast of character. Although the movie is presented in French with English subtitles, I feel that this should not dissuade one from seeing it. Since movies are to be entertaining, I feel that this one fits the bill. If one wants the purity of the original, read the book
Rating: 
Summary: IS DEPARDIEU THE FRENCH GENE HACKMAN
Review: Gerard Depardieu's protean presence dominates several recent DVD transfers of French films inslcluding Alexander Dumas' beloved novel of love and revenge which was adapted as a mammoth, four-part French TV miniseries. "THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO" (Fox Lorber,...), is the story of sea captain Edmond Dantes (Depardieu), who, in 1815, is falsely imprisoned in solitary confinement for nearly twenty years, then escapes, finds a huge treasure, takes on a new identity, gets a girlfriend and wreaks vengeance on those who betrayed him; in the process, exchanging one kind of prison for another. Filmed on numerous European locations, this was the most-watched miniseries in the history of French TV. Richly detailed with interwoven subplots, this movie is great looking and involving, especially for those not familiar with the novel. For starters, Depardieu's plump, beardless departure from prison where he ostensibly had only bread, watery soup and no barber, is an eyebrow raiser. The screenplay adaptation by Didier Decoin is at variance with Dumas in many other instances. Characters, relationships, events and motivations are, in some cases significantly, altered, as is the ending. And these aren't improvements. They are arbitrary changes the screenwriter chose for unclear personal reasons. After all, it was not for a shortage of running time, this version runs just over five hours. Josee Dayan, a well known European director, approaches this material with moments of brilliance mixed with apparent indifference. The end result is an intriguing, watchable epic that's a fractured reflection of Dumas' great tale, but not a true mirror image. Full frame, in French with English subtitles.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been much better
Review: I absolutely love literary adaptations and period pieces, so I had high hopes for this miniseries. It does have some fine things going for it: the very talented Depardieu making the most of a sketchy role, beautiful set and costume design, a score with a few memorable tunes, and a bevy of beautiful actresses. Those things can only go so far, though. I haven't read the book in many years, so I can't comment on how accurately the series translates the novel. I can say that there's precious little in the way of character development; in fact, character motivation is broadly drawn at best and often ridiculously simplistic or downright unbelievable. Worst still, the story is filled with more outrageous, utterly contrived coincidences than ten--heck, twenty--normal stories combined. I actually found myself laughing out loud and saying, "Aw, come on!" at some of them--surely not what the screenwriter and director intended. The story of a man wronged, his long suffering, sudden wealth, and years of plotting and carrying out elaborate revenge has huge potential, but it's pretty sloppily and superficially handled here. You never get any feeling at all for the joy of Dantes' earlier, free life nor for his suffering during year after year in a stinking prison, for example. It's hard to feel his love for Mercedes, even. The clumsy directing and editing don't help matters, with all their sudden, awkward shifts at unexpected moments. The real saving grace here is simply the look of the film, coupled with Depardieu's typical sensitivity. Otherwise, this was a surprisingly mediocre--if not weak--effort. It could have been so much more. (Btw, if you love literary adaptations, try the A&E Literary Classics Romance Collection, where nearly all the films are of higher quality than this one.)
Rating:
Summary: The best adaptation of Dumas' classic novel of revenge.
Review: "The Count of Monte Cristo" has been treated better by the movies than Dumas' other classic swashbuckler, "The Three Musketeers". Both the Donat and Chamberlain versions are nice, feature length adaptations of Dumas' long, convoluted novel. This mini-series, however, is just plain magnificent. The care taken with details and sub-plots, the haunting performance of Depardieu as Edmond Dantes, the authentic look of the sets do justice to Dumas' classic. If only the producers would give us a 3 Musketeers adaptation! My only complaint? Alas, as most other adaptations, the ending is changed to, perhaps, lighten the very dark story or romantize it more. Still, one of the greatest mini-series ever produced. Do not miss it!
Rating:
Summary: the best monte cristo
Review: i've been a fan of the book for years now and i read it over and over again. but all of the films that i have seen about this book have not been really true to the book. but when i saw this on tv i had to own it. it's the best adaptation i have seen of this book. although the characters of the most recent count of monte cristo film with jim caviezel have been what i imagined the first time i read the book. but if you're a fan of the book like me its a must buy.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Story Of Seeing Justice Served
Review: This version of The Count Of Monte Cristo is my absolute favourite. It is completely in the French language, stars Gerard Depardieu and Ornella Muti and is eight hours long.
A perfect movie to watch if you're planning to stay up all night long. The DVD version is a 2-disc set, with two 2-hour long segments on each disc.
The basic plot is that of Alexandre Dumas' novel of the same name, however the movie starts out with Edmond Dantes in the Chateau d'If and having been there for 18 years. As the story unfolds, we meet the character of Abbe Faria, who teaches Edmond facts about many things and reveals that he was imprisioned by Villefort's father.
Villefort had imprisioned Edmond for the possibility of reading a letter and carring out the motions to get Napoleon back on the French throne.
Wanting to protect his father, Villefort has no qualms about throwing Dantes into prison and letting him rot. What he wasn't counting on was that Dantes would come back and give out swift justice.
However, there were two other people who wanted Dantes out of the way. One was Ferdnand Mondego and the other was Eugene Danglars. Mondego wanted the girl that Edmond was going to marry and Danglars wanted something else, I'm not exactly sure what it was but I think it had something to do with being the Captain of a ship. To get rid of Edmond Dantes, Mondego and Danglars wrote an anynomos letter denouncing Dantes and claiming him to be a traitor. Therefore, Dantes gets thrown in prison, Mondego gets the girl, Danglars gets what he wanted, Villefort gets promoted to head gazeek of the French justice system of the early 1800's, and Dantes comes back for revenge and makes them all pay for what they did nearly 20 years before. And then he gets to be with the girl he was going to marry.
Rating: 
Summary: closest version to the novel
Review: After reading the novel, I thought the plot dealt on the highest degree of revenge I have ever experienced. Alexandre Dumas has great skill for describing the inconceivable. I liked how he intertwined history with his story and I liked that he would allude to other great writings (e.g. Arabian Nights). This French mini-series is the closest film version I have found of the Count of Monte Cristo. If you really like the book like I did, then you will find a way to track a copy of this mini-series down to watch it.
Rating:
Summary: Where is the Meat?
Review: At least that is the feeling I was left with when I finished watching this movie. The movie focused just enough to scratch the surface but nothing more. Obviously when a book is translated into a movie, there will be a fair amount of "creative interpretation" and editing by the producer and director due to time and budget which is understandable and I was willing to accept that. But the book spends a fair amount time focusing on Edmond's relationship with Abbe Faria but the movie barely scratches the surface on that matter. I don't think this is something that should have been addressed lightly. This is a critical point when Edmond "the kid" becomes a "man" in the Chateau d'If. From innocent youth to the bitter and vengeful "count", this is what the producers/directors did not allow us to share with the main character. Abbe Faria, a friend, a father figure, turns this naive young Edmunds into a "man" by imparting knowledge (not to mention the location of the treasure) which would play a critical part in Edmond's revenge. If you never read the book, then perhaps you may not be as critical as I have become but if you read the book even with the understanding that the tv version was edited for time, it left me feeling empty. And one last thing, did anyone else think it was funny when Edmond (played by Gerard Depardieu) remained heavy set after escaping from the worst prison in France almost two decades later? Either prison life was good or the producer/director forgot to think about that, ha!
Rating:
Summary: An Exceptional Tale
Review: The Count of Monte Cristo story has always interested me and I had been curious about this version since I first heard about it. I sat down to begin watching it and spent the next almost seven hours drawn to the tale all over again in a new way. An old story told once again, this time with fuller and richer detail and more compelling than ever. The Bravo version is far superior to any version from Hollywood. At first I was disappointed by the English sub-titles but now I must say the movie was better for it - I enjoyed the French dialogue (it immersed one more in the setting) and the sub-titles forced me to focus much more on what was happening. Gerard Depardieu was a very believable Edmond Dantes and the writers did with wonders with the script. While this version is too long for someone looking for a quick movie fix it is worth every minute of it when you take the time to see it all.
Rating: 
Summary: Jomelsa
Review: I was largely disappointed in this version. I'm sorry but Gerard Depardieu is just not "Edmond Dantes." I have read the book and enjoyed both the Richard Chamberlain and the Jim Caviezel renditions of Dumas' novel (Chamberlain being the best "Edmond" in my view). I purchased the Depardieu DVD version based on the 3-4 star reviews contained here. I should have paid more heed to the 1 and 2-star reviews. To me, the greatness of the novel grows from the wonderful relationship that developed in prison between Edmond and Abbe Faria. It forms the basis for everything that follows. This version dismisses this relationship almost completely, nor does the film convey a sense of Edmond's suffering and dispair in prison. There are also many scene details that are just sloppy in my opinion and hard to overlook. Yes, the settings are beautiful, but many of the scenes are clumsy and contrived, and the special effects are ineffective and seem poorly done. I did feel that many of the supporting actors and actresses did well; however, the plodding, often lathagic, manner of Depardieu left me cold. I'd recommend a prospective buyer rent this DVD, and pass on the purchase.
|
