Section Five: Monte Cristo at the Movies, Part 1
Section Five: Monte Cristo at the Movies, Part 1 (1918-1959)
Movies are an entirely different medium, compared to books. Most of the time, movies are 2-3 hours, and with a story as complex as The Count of Monte Cristo, some things are bound to be left out. Movies cost a lot of money to produce, and they need to please audiences and make money. I get it.
There are times when I approve of cinematic changes. For example, Man in the Iron Mask, where book-Aramis becomes a complete d-bag driven by greed for power. He lures poor Philippe into a plot against Louis XIV (and later abandons him), lies to his musketeer friends, and causes the death of the overly- trusting Porthos. Talk about bummer ending- one that's bound to cause an anti-musketeer backlash! So the cinematic re-writes made sense: adding a thrilling rescue of Philippe and downplaying Aramis' heel-turn.
So, back to Monte Cristo at the Movies... there's certain movie-only tropes that come up so often that they deserve their own Plot Points table!
Plot holes by the dozen, setup w/o payoff, payoff w/o setup, new love triangles that could cause post-ending complications, character regression, confusing timeline tweaks and skipping around in time, no "order in the court" with unacceptably crazy things that happen there, or just throw 3/4 the book out the window and make up a new story! Some of this newly-invented stuff is so bad that I'd developed a new axiom: "The further away they stray from Dumas, the worse it gets".
Warning: SPOILERS GALORE!
 |
Le Comte de Monte Cristo. 172 minutes, screenplay uncredited.
1918, pub: Pathé Frères. Starring: Léon Mathot. Director: Henri Pouctal.
From what I'd read, this silent movie was compiled from 15 separate
episodes/shorts. The original intertitle cards are in French and
Spanish, and some of them look like handwritten postcards. Overall, the
film is actually a pretty accurate adaptation, as much as running time
and film budget could allow.
But the first indication that something is "off" is 15 mins in, with Fernand wandering around a narrow street, letter in-hand. A uniformed soldier nods towards the door, which shifts to the Dantes engagement meal! Dantes' party had a guard at the door?🤣Not really- this is the next scene. Bad editing. It happens so often that I suspect bad editing was all done on purpose. When Albert and Franz land on Monte Cristo island and visit Sinbad/The Count, he gives them hashish to smoke (⮜explicitly stated in the intertitle card!) All those groovy, mind-altering substances nets him an invitation to Paris. This substitutes for the Carnival in Rome and the kidnapping. So the gist is: You don't need to rescue someone from kidnappers/bandits. Giving out good dope is just as good!The meeting in Paris introduces the Count to beefy, balding Maximilian Morrel (yep, the son, not the father) and very haggard-looking Mercedes. Both actors were waaaaay miscast, and looked far too old for their parts. Just sayin', no disrespect intended, 'k? Being a product of its time, there are the plentiful "milking the giant cow", "wide-eyed staring and glaring" and "hyper-dramatic reactions" silent movie tropes- something that we will see far less of in subsequent and more sophisticated silent film adaptations. In a way, we should be grateful that this exists at all, as the survival rate of silent films is not that great. Even with the flickering, jittering, dropped frames, and occasionally muddy picture, it's remarkably complete and watchable and historically important as the earliest of the easily-available (thanks, YouTube!) full-length surviving Monte Cristo films. The Fates of the Big Baddies (spoilers!):
It's annoying as hell: All those early cutaways, then BAM! next scene, without the full resolution of the previous one. It's terrible storytelling technique to build excitement and audience anticipation and then leave everyone hanging. It comes off as, "Wanna know what happened? Read the book!" And speaking of the book, the script follows it quite faithfully (with a few allowances and subtractions).
|
 |
Monte Cristo. 110 minutes, screenplay by Bernard McConville.
1922, pub: Fox Film Corporation. Starring: John Gilbert. Director: Emmett J. Flynn.
Although this is a silent film, the acting style is decent. People move
and emote normally, mostly without the exaggerated grimacing faces and
wild gesticulating that's often associated with "silent movies". But we
do see some crazy eyes, particularly on Caderousse.
Several characters are merged: Caderousse with Bertuccio, where Caderousse tried to kill Villefort at Auteuil (!!!) years ago and is raising the young malcontent, Benedetto (⮜Villefort's illegitimate son). And Luigi Vampa, alias Bertuccio (!) is the Count's butler (ROTFL) but can revert to his old bandit ways at the drop of a hat. As the Count, Dantes looks like Tom Hulce in Amadeus... same youthful face, white wig and fashion sense more appropriate c. 1775 and not the mid-19th century! And Fernand looks a lot like Adam Driver (aka Kylo Ren). Can't unsee any of this now! Albert's rescue from bandits in Rome happens offscreen and is only talked about at a huge gala party at the Morcerfs. Albert rushes to take Haydee's hand to introduce her to the gathering. That's a huge mistake, because her public debut (in front of Fernand) is way premature. The Count needs her as his secret weapon against Fernand, and letting his enemy know that she's in Paris completely ruins the element of surprise that he needs! Additionally, a non-book romance angle between Albert and Haydee is played up, despite the fact that they do not share a common language, and Albert's pathetic attempts at communicating using a pocket dictionary get an eyeroll and a look of exasperation from her.🤣
The presentation of "Dinner at Auteuil" (often dropped in most films) is completely intact here, and is strictly "by the book" par excellence. Fernand's trial is also "by the book" until Albert jumps down from the balcony to challenge the Count to a duel- right there in the Chamber of Peers (!) The Fates of the Big Baddies (spoilers!):
The last chapter, titled "The Way to Happiness" has the two couples (Albert + Haydee, Dantes + Mercedes) perfectly content to live as humble fisherfolk in Marseilles 😡. "As long as there are fish in the sea, we can live." The naivete here is just astounding. Dantes should know by now that without money, power, and influence, he and those he loves are vulnerable to being bitten off, chewed up and spit out by the authorities, people higher up on the social ladder, or tumultuous political circumstances. It was only with his wealth (as the Count) that he was able to bend fate to his own will. If he thinks they can all live in peace and freedom as poor folk, I have a bridge to sell him. Idiot.
|
 |
Le Comte de Monte Cristo. 218 minutes, screenplay by Henri Fescourt. 1929, pub: Films Louis Nalpas. Starring: Jean Angelo. Director: Henri Fescourt.From 1929, this long-lost French silent film was restored only recently from multiple surviving prints, and tinting and English subtitles were added.There is no Danglars in this movie. Instead, Caderousse is a drunken layabout sailor onboard the Pharaon and Fernand gains a few IQ points, so he's brighter than book counterpart. He's the one who writes the incriminating letter with his left hand to frame Dantes. This film is notable in that it depicts many events in literal chronological order instead of having them as recollections/flashbacks. Morrel's generosity to dying old Dantes, Villefort's baby-in-a-box, Fernand's courtship and later wedding to Mercedes, Fernand's fake support of Ali Pasha (a film first) are all shown happening in real-time, intercut with scenes of Dantes' imprisonment in D'if. Later, we witness the betrayal (and execution) of Ali Pasha, with cringe-inducing "triumphant dancing Turks" and a lot of shame etched on Fernand's face. We also get to see the jeweler's axe-murder (another film first) by Caderousse! Dantes, now rich, lures Albert de Morcerf (a dead ringer for a young Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick) to his austere and hella uncomfortable "palace" at Monte Cristo island. This scores him a society invite to the Morcerfs in Paris. So... this means that there's no Rome Adventure or kidnapping. Darn. Since Danglars is missing, there's far less money talk and financial matters. Julie Morrel, as Valentine's best friend (???), provides the Count's introduction to the Villeforts. The Count grooms the surly little punk Benedetto into rich "Prince" Cavalcanti, who Villefort is all too happy to match with his daughter, Valentine.I am completely baffled at the premise of Benedetto's trial. The charges against him aren't very clear (murder?), and then Caderousse (⮜not dead after all!) testifies but gets sidetracked into discussing the baby-in-a-box and the baby's father and then the Count takes the stand and makes it all about himself (!) The Fates of the Big Baddies (spoilers!):
The Ending: Well, it's original, to say the least. The Count sends a letter requesting that the Morcerfs and the Morrels join together as one happy family. It's a better fate than book-Mercedes... at least she's with a family who loves her. The Count and Haydee return to that cold, bare, spiky "palace" at Monte Cristo island for a life together of perpetual boredom... I guess (?)
I found myself liking this movie a lot. It's huge in scale and scope,
and the very refined and natural acting skips over all the "silent
movie acting" tropes. In fact, I can just imagine it being dubbed in
French, with the intertitle cards removed and modern audiences would
never guess that this was ever a silent film!
|
 |
The Count of Monte Cristo. 113 minutes, screenplay by Philip Dunne, Rowland V. Lee, Dan Totheroh. 1934, pub: Reliance Pictures. Starring: Robert Donat. Director: Rowland V. Lee.After watching this, NOW I KNOW where Jumbo Comics (1939/40) lifted some of their ideas from: The Count's matinee idol hair- even in prison; Inspector Fouquet; The theatrical show about Ali Pasha... it all started here, with the 1934 movie, starring Robert Donat.
A few of the characters had first or last name changes. And, there
were multiple changes to the plot, mostly in the movie's post-escape
second half. This is the only adaptation (so far) where the Count voluntarily allows himself to be re-arrested as escaped-prisoner Dantes, and he has a formal trial. Villefort throws everything including the kitchen sink at him, hoping that some of the charges will stick. For some convoluted reason that I haven't figured out, the Count declines to defend himself, because somehow that would "protect" Valentine (???). She begs him to defend himself, and so he does! The Fates of the Big Baddies (spoilers!):
The happy ending shows us two couples, Albert and Valentine, and the Count with Mercedes 😡. Since this movie was produced so early during the Hays Code period, it comes off as too "safe n' sane". Too much reverence for the authorities and the law (nevermind that the political situation in France c. 1815-1838 ≠ USA in the 1930's), no bloody murders, no extramarital affairs, no poisonings, no dead children, no ambivalence towards the Count's obsession with revenge (it's passed off here as a quest for justice). It's entertaining, and classic Golden Age Hollywood but it's not truly The Count of Monte Cristo.
Best part of the movie:
The rollaround courtroom podiums. Villefort and the Count take turns rolling each other across the
floor and spinning the podiums, like bumper cars! It looks like so
much fun!
|
|
El Conde de Montecristo. 165 minutes, screenplay by Chano
Urueta. 1942, pub: Cinematográfica Filmex. Starring: Arturo de
Córdova. Director: Roberto Gavaldón & Chano Urueta.
Produced in Mexico, during WWII on a shoestring budget. The landing of
the Pharaon raised my suspicions that it's a
prop ship, borrowed from a stage production of The Pirates of Penzance.
The "outdoor" shots of D'if look like a model or a painting, as the
water in the sea doesn't move.
In the first hour, the script stays very close to the book, with no added BS and zero padding. The first divergence I saw was Dantes' rescue by pirates after his escape. He offers the crew a share of his treasure, and they all go together to Monte Cristo island. He finds the treasure, and thankfully, nothing bad happens, even though there were plenty of places where things could go horribly wrong for him. Immediate jump to the Pont Du Gard Inn, the visit to the former Inspector of Prisons, and saving the Morrels. And that section ends with that wonderful from-the-book speech, "Farewell to kindness and humanity and to all the feelings that widen the heart [...]". Once the story shifts to Albert and his friends and introducing the Count to Paris society, the movie doesn't exactly explain WHY, since there was no kidnapping. Maybe the Morcerfs are this courteous to any visiting aristocrat? The Count personally rescues Madame Villefort (and Edouard) from their runaway horse carriage, and discusses cures and poisons with her. (⮜excellent! Almost every movie omits this subplot!). There's additional signs of a tight budget: Haydee recognizes Fernand at a ball (not the Opera), merged with "A Summer Ball" , The spacious telegraph operator's office is not very authentic, and neither are the controls (obviously a mock-up prop). 16 minutes are devoted to Fernand's trial, so it's very accurate. Again, no Operas (nobody goes to opera in this film), so Albert challenges the Count in the hallway outside the court. And the ending scene avoids anything involving ships or outdoor filming. The Fates of the Big Baddies (spoilers!):
Conclusions: This movie is the inverse of most other Monte Cristo films! It drops all of the Benedetto/Andrea/Caderousse murder subplots, but it retains the Maximilian/Valentine love story AND the poisonings! For such a humble, economical production, it makes the most of what's available, and has a decent Dumas-based script with minimal straying.
|
|
Le Comte de Monte Cristo. 183 minutes, screenplay by Charles
Spaak, Guglielmo Santangelo & Pietro Solari. 1943, pub: Regina
Films. Starring: Pierre Richard-Willm. Director: Robert Vernay.
This French/Italian movie contains non-canon new material
"embellishments" added early in the film. We see little Max and little
Julie with their father, M. Morrel as the Pharaon lands in
Marseilles. Caderousse, an insolent sailor, argues with "Captain" Dantes
below decks, and substitutes for the missing Danglars. And a hale and
hearty Noirtier makes in-person visits to Mercedes' house (with her
living parents!) and to Villefort.
Structurally, the new material, together with the not-quite-complete deletion of actual book characters and subplots, opens up a huge can of worms: continuity errors; plot holes; missing character motivations; important characters rendered useless, among other things. To wit, here's some of the problems introduced by a sloppy script:
There are some praiseworthy moments: The Carnival in Rome is substituted with a very fancy indoor masked ball in Rome (with Franz, at last!). This is quite satisfactory. We see the interior of the Count's magnificent mansion (and not just the drawing room), and he has a meaningful conversation with Haydee, where she tells him all about Fernand's treachery against her family. The Count and Haydee have tea and meals together, he speaks to her in endearing terms and there is a genuine warmth between them, so their happily-ever-after ending is plausible. The Fates of the Big Baddies (spoilers!):
Even with all the messy new plot holes, this movie is worth watching. It's enjoyable, and I can see and appreciate that it's a good deal closer to the book than many of the other movie versions of that era. It just needed a tighter script.
Last note: Notice the date of the movie (1943) and the film
studios involved (Paris, Rome). This was produced DURING WWII,
while France was a conquered nation, and Italy was still under
Mussolini! It's astonishing that good entertainment was still being
produced under the thumb of the Axis!
|
 |
El Conde de Montecristo. 101 minutes, screenplay by León
Klimovsky, Ulises Petit de Murat. 1953, pub: Argentina Sono Film,
Cinematográfica Calderón. Starring: Jorge Mistral. Director: León Klimovsky.
I'm not sure what to make of this: the movie confusingly STARTS at a
ballet, where a wealthy couple (the Morcerfs) and the "President" (?)
gossip about the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, and blame him for the
death of Danglars (already???) and various scandals that affected them.
Then their son (Albert) challenges the Count to a duel to the death. The
Count goes home, sits in his study and starts penning his memoirs. And
THAT'S WHEN the real story starts- as a very long flashback! It's like
diving into a book 2/3 of the way in. It also robs us of any suspense,
because we know that Edmond Dantes becomes a Count and very, very, rich,
and Danglars dies, all within the first 10 minutes.
This movie changes Villefort's motivations entirely. There's no Noirtier to protect, and he simply sends Dantes to D'if for Bonapartism and a bad attitude (???). Being argumentative and fighting with his jailers just gets Dantes a whipping for his troubles. As the Count, he starts moseying up to his enemies. He acquaints himself with Albert by gambling in Paris. Albert loves Valentine, but she dies by poison for real... the doctor does an autopsy to confirm the cause. It's odd that Valentine bites the dust, NOT Villefort's younger son (???). Next, there's a head-scratching trial, but with no crime, charges or defendant (???). The Count and the doctor testify about what they know about Valentine's death, and finally accuse the Villeforts in a blindside. Madame Villefort confesses and she's taken away.
Immediately afterwards, Fernand de Morcerf goes to trial, exposed in
the papers as a traitor. Haydee, sitting in the audience, charges him
with stealing her father's wealth. And this all takes exactly ONE
MINUTE of screentime. The Albert vs. Count duel is played up as the
most important scene in the movie (???) but it's not. Albert cancels
it and apologizes, but Fernand is standing right behind him and duels
the Count instead. The Fates of the Big Baddies (spoilers!):
Then it jumps to the end scene, where the Count and Haydee sail away together...but on what kind of ship? It bounces around from a fore-and-aft rig to a square rigger, and then back a fore-and-aft and again to a square rigger. This happens a lot in this movie: ships and boats are constantly given the switcheroo and that just pulls me out of the movie and makes it obvious that stock footage was used.
|
|
Le Comte de Monte Cristo. 183 minutes, screenplay by Georges
Neveux & Robert Vernay. 1954, pub: Les Productions Jacques
Roitfeld & La Société des Films Sirius. Starring: Jean Marais. Director: Robert Vernay.
For the 3rd time, Danglars is dropped, with Caderousse taking his spot
on the Pharaon. This time, both Caderousse and Fernand are
responsible for writing the letter that framed Edmond Dantes (a very
stern-looking Jean Marais).
The script seems very fond of French politics, and who is supporting which faction, hence the early scenes with Napoleon on Elba, Noirtier, the Saint-Merans, the King's cabinet, Napoleon's takeover, the King's restoration and the rival flags being raised and lowered to symbolize who's in power.
Time Check: At the 1 hour mark (1/3 of the movie's runtime), only 15
chapters out of 117 covered. This will later become a huge problem. At
D'if, Abbe Faria does all the thinking and planning for eventual
escape (hide in sack, thrown in sea, use knife, etc.) so Dantes
doesn't have to. When the sack is thrown over the parapet, it
lands in the rocks
(whoops! ouch!), but a "splash" noise is dubbed-in.🤣There's two edits
of this- one is a reshoot and corrects this error. The worst thing in this movie is the "love triangle"😡. Once the Count is formally introduced to Albert's parents, he asks Mercedes to run away with him. She says, "No". Later, at another party, he says, "[Mercedes,] just say the word, and I'll send her (Haydee) back to her country". Both women are jealous of the other. This is godawful stuff, and just makes the Count look really bad.
Next, the Count starts investigating some 20 year-old rumors about
Villefort. His detective work pays off when he locates
Because of all this excess dead weight, the last ten minutes tries to cram in as much real story as possible: Albert's challenge, Mercedes visit, the duel itself, a Count/Fernand swordfight, the "I am Edmond Dantes" moment, Mercedes and Albert pack up, Fernand's suicide, Albert excitedly joins the Navy, and the Count's departure from Paris. All...in...10...minutes. Yep. Because it never occurred to anyone to edit the plentiful padding in the movie's first two hours. The Fates of the Big Baddies (spoilers!):
The Ending: The Count sails away on a rust-bucket ship. The movie
still plays into the "love triangle" trope by making things
deliberately vague. We see people in silhouette, and there's a woman
with him, but
we can't tell who it is, so it's subject to the viewer's interpretation. Some may say it's
Haydee, but others can argue that he went back and picked up Mercedes.
I didn't realize until afterwards that Robert Vernay had directed both this and the 1943 version. Sad to say, this remake is not really an improvement. It fixes only a few plot holes from the earlier movie. And it's loaded with unnecessary new characters, and overall, really badly paced.
|
Comments
Post a Comment