A Modern Monte Cristo (1917)

Movies I watch so you don't have to: A Modern Monte Cristo (1917)

A Modern Monte Cristo. 50 minutes, screenplay by Alexandre Dumas (novel) and Lloyd Lonergan. 1917, pub: Thanhouser Film Corporation. Starring: Vincent Serrano. Director: Eugene Moore

Poster more exciting than movie

OK, then... this 1917 film is called "A Modern Monte Cristo" and runs less than one hour! The poster/handbill says, "A tale of romance and adventure such as all the world likes to see." It's Monte Cristo-related, so I must watch!

Dr. Emerson (Dantes) is accused via anonymous letter of killing a patient for money, sent by his friend/romantic rival, Deane (Fernand/Danglars/Villefort). The police come and take Emerson away, but something's really missing... the title card says that a year later, he's living in an obscure boarding house. A newspaper headline says his fiancee, Miss Malcolm, married Deane, and it was believed that Emerson killed himself.

Some 6 years later, we're told that Deane's wife died, leaving him a daughter, Virginia (Valentine). In the meantime, Emerson had learned to be a sailor and befriends Virginia when the Deanes inspect their ships. Later, due to a sleepy caretaker, Virginia is unsupervised, goes aboard alone and falls into a hatch, injuring herself. The ship goes to sea. Emerson tells the crew that he was a surgeon, and takes care of the girl. Deane is frantic over his missing daughter.

Playing "Gilligan's Island"

Due to poor and deferred maintenance, the ship is barely seaworthy and sinks. Emerson and Virginia make it to land (Greble Island). They play "Gilligan's Island" for a while. He discovers a pearl in an oyster and hunts for a fortune in pearls. The pair are found by test aviators flying a Wright Bros. plane but they only take the child and a note from Emerson to Deane, threatening revenge. Deane sends a search party to Greble Island, but they are unable to find Emerson. Emerson, now dressed like a gentleman and rich, buys Greble Island.

Years later, Virginia grows up meets the new hero, Tom Pemberton (Maximilian) at camp. For some reason, Virginia is of high enough social status to go to high-class parties and meets Tom again. Then, a rich foreigner, Gen. Fonsca of Brazil (Emerson) arrives. Emerson befriends Deane and offers to loan him money. Virginia and Tom fall in love. Deane says they may marry.

Locking the girl in his room!

Deane starts losing money, and Emerson comes to see him, and asks for Virginia's hand in marriage (!!!), else he'd need to call in Deane's loans (yikes!). To avoid paying, Deane arranges for Tom to be sent off to parts unknown. Virginia is upset that Tom is missing. Emerson takes Virginia to his house and LOCKS HIS DOOR. He sends a threatening note to Deane that Virginia will "pay off" her father's debts. Then Virginia recognizes him as the sailor-doctor that she knew as a child. He is touched, and 86'es his original plans and releases Virginia and Tom and tells them to go home.

Ship disappears. Good riddance!

Emerson drugs Deane, and has Deane dragged aboard the ship in place of Tom (as a "raving invalid"). They fight a bit, and soon it's clear that both will NEVER leave the ship. Water starts pouring in. Emerson sends a letter to Virginia, saying that he and her father are "on a journey" together and will never return. He leaves a will, naming her as his beneficiary. Virginia and Tom are now rich and free to marry (because it's the ultra-modern 20th century and not the 19th century). The ship carrying Deane and Emerson is never seen again.

THE END.

Yeah, this is kind of crap. I'm sure it was "modern" by 1917 standards, and it is now over 100 years removed from our time, and another 100 years removed from the original book's setting. That way, it could be filmed on the cheap, with no period architecture or costumes needed. And it's loaded with plot holes:

• Was Emerson even sent to jail? If so, for only a year? Why was he in a boarding house?
• "Once Doctor Emersons Fiancee is now Bride of His Friend" (sic) doesn't sound like front page news.
• Why would a captain and a crew of experienced sailors voluntarily sail a ship that leaks and has rotten rigging? They could and should say "Nope." They know it leaks but they still sail it into a storm anyway. And when the ship sinks, we only know of two survivors.
• Are pearls really worth that much, rivaling the Spada Family Treasure?
• We don't know how Emerson got off the island! Or why he's interested in buying the island!
• Deane starts losing money, but it all seems to be bad luck and chance, without Emerson manipulating things behind the scenes to make this happen.
• Why is Deane promising to get rid of Tom so Emerson can marry his daughter? It's the modern 20th century. She has a say in it!
• Why is Emerson even demanding to marry Deane's daughter? Is he planning on trapping her in a loveless, abusive marriage to himself?
• Deane and Emerson tell the captain that a possibly violent, raving invalid (Tom) will be brought onboard and to pay no mind. But not too long afterwards, the captain doesn't recognize the switcheroo'd drugged man as the ship's owner, Deane, who he saw just hours ago and he can't even recognize his own boss.
  
• Emerson lures Virginia to his house, locks the door and sends a note to her father, saying that she will pay his debts, he can get her "tomorrow in my rooms" and she will be "disgraced". The implications are very disturbing. What is Emerson planning to do to Virginia behind a locked door to "disgrace" her father? Do we even want to know?
• The ending, where Emerson and Deane go down on the ship together is basically "revenge via suicide". What a great idea!!! /s

Man loves his daughter. Can't hate him.

Yeah, crap. Deane is supposed to be the bad guy, but the loss of his wife, and his genuine and touching concern for his daughter, who he is raising as a single-parent, makes him a sympathetic character. When he happily carries his little girl off the rescue ship, we can't help but feel for him. Deane is willing to give his permission for his now-grown daughter to marry the man she loves, and he always lets her have her way.

Emerson, as Gen. Fonsca, is disturbing as hell. His inspiration, the Count of Monte Cristo, would never a) Separate an innocent young woman from the young man she loves. b) Demand that a woman should marry him against her will. c) Act as if this "marriage" was a financial transaction between her father and himself d) Lock his doors, trapping a woman inside his house e) Imply rape as a way to "disgrace her father" and make her "pay off her father's debts".

Hero: "I've kidnapped your daughter"

 

Sure, he relents, but since he had partially executed this plan, he's a sick a**hole and I really don't feel too bad that he went down with Deane on that leaky ship. Emerson, the alleged "hero" isn't worthy of shining the Count of Monte Cristo's shoes, let alone taking up the mantle of the Count for the new (20th) century.

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