The Count of Monte-Cristo (2024)

DVD CASE/ SIDE

Length of film:  178 Minutes

Rated: 12A

Genre:  Thriller, Romance, Drama

Director: Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte

Starring: Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon, Anaïs Demoustier, Anamaria Vartolomei, Laurent Lafitte, Pierfrancesco Favino, Patrick Mille, Julien De Saint Jean

IMDB Rank: 7.6 /10

Part 1 Time:   72 Minutes

Part 2 Time:   106 Minutes

Where does the first part end? Edmond Dantès (Pierre Niney) meets and recruits Andréa (Julien De Saint Jean).

Final line of dialogue on the first part: Andréa asks Edmond “Who are you?” Edmond replies; “I am the Count of Monte Cristo.”

First line of dialogue on the second part: At a ceremony Gérard de Villefort (Laurent Lafitte) speaks to an audience; “General de Morcerf has decided today to leave the army to dedicate his life to politics, to the House of Lords.”

How jarring is it when the first part ends? Somewhat, Edmond explains to Andréa he wishes to extract revenge on the individuals responsible for his imprisonment, one of which happens to be Andréa’s father Gérard de Villefort, who left Andréa for dead when he was a newborn. But this prolonged revenge will take intense planning, patience, and scrutiny to be pulled off successfully.

Which part is better? A materpiece of storytelling and vengeance the film is a great example of French cinema, but does at times differ from the original actual story. Although heavily modified, the scenes are captivating and the music is complementary to the atmosphere of 19th century France, keeping the audience on their toes with suspense. Part two is better as Edmond begins to extract his revenge on those who had a hand in his imprisonment. The lengths that Edmond goes to ensure the ultimate suffering on each individual is mystifying, but also foreseeable as someone who lost so many years being imprisoned.

Academy Awards: None