The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) Online

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (United Artists/Reliance, 1934), directed by Rowland V. Lee, from the immortal novel by Alexandre Dumas, and personally supervised by Edward Small, capitalized on the current trend of literary works adapted to the motion picture screen. It stars British import Robert Donat, making his Hollywood debut, in fact, his only one as a leading performer on U.S. soil. He would spend the duration of his career in British-made productions, thus, later winning an Academy Award as best actor in another memorable performance in GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS (MGM, 1939) opposite Greer Garson.

For the benefit of those unfamiliar with either the book or the motion picture(s), here is a brief summary: The story, which begins in 1815, finds Edmund Dantes (Robert Donat) a young sailor on a French ship who has honored the dying request of his captain, LeClere (William Farnum), to carry a private letter to Napoleon on Elba. While ashore, he meets with Mercedes De Rosas (Elissa Landi), the woman he loves. Because Fernand (Sidney Blackner) loves Mercedes, he, along with others in his scheme, succeed to have Dantes arrested for carrying a secret letter and for this reason, unjustly imprisoned in the Château d'If. While in prison, Dantes is treated harshly and cruely by the guards, and Mercedes, although still in love with Dantes, finds herself marrying Fernand, later to bear him a son. Later, Dantes encounters Abbe Faria (O.P. Heggie), an old man imprisoned there for many years who spends his free time cutting his way through prison walls and digging a tunnel that would someday get him through to freedom. Over the years, Abbe Faria educates his friend Dantes by showing him a chart of the location of fabulous treasure on the island of Monte Cristo. While digging through the tunnel, there is a cave-in that crushes Abbe Faria's ribs, later the cause of his death. As the guards prepare to take the old man's body away, Dante switches places with the deceased, and hides himself in the burial sack. After being thrown into the ocean, Dantes breaks himself free.He is then rescued and picked up by Captain Camp (Mitchell Lewis), who makes him part of his crew. After shaving off his long beard, Dante locates the island of Monte Cristo and he goes ashore to possess the treasure, making him a very rich man. He then returns to France in the guise of The Count of Monte Cristo to then avenge his three enemies, Fernand, Raymond DeVillefort (Louis Calhern) and Danglars (Raymond Walburn), the men who had him unjustly sent to prison where he stayed for twenty years. How Dantes achieves his vengeance adds to the suspense and pleasure of the avid "revenge is sweet" viewer.

Also seen in the supporting cast are Georgia Caine as Madame De Rosas; Luis ALberni as Jacopo; Clarence Muse as the muted Ali; Douglas Walton as Albert De Mondego; Juliette Compton and Lionel Bellmore, among others. The memorable musical score by Alfred Newman would be repeated in latter films, notably the "Ave Maria" underscoring portion used for LES MISERABLES (20th Century, 1935) starring Fredric March.

Hailed by many as the very best and most memorable screen adaptation to the Dumas novel, this obviously goes without question. Aside from it being faithful to the book, the movie itself holds interest throughout, and Robert Donat's performance, ranks one of his best in his long but occasional screen career. Had this movie been produced a few years later, chances are that the Dantes character would have been played by the likes of future swashbuckling kings as Errol Flynn or Tyrone Power, or even Douglas Fairbanks Jr., for example, but although Donat's Edmund Dantes is one of the best ever to be recaptured on film, asthma and ill heath would prevent him from performing similar duties in future Hollywood swashbuckling adventures.

Unfortunately, film prints to THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO that have circulated on television and video since the early 1980s was the abridged 97 minute version, eliminating about 20 minutes worth of footage. If one were to locate a rare video copy either at a local library or a video store, chances are they would acquire a 1990s VHS format from Video Treasures, also being a shorter and "colorized" copy. While it's hard indicate what's been actually edited, the cuts are obvious, particularly through sudden blackouts during the plot followed by fade-ins to the middle of scenes that play like reading a middle of a chapter of a book without a new beginning. Also missing from those VHS copies is the cast of actors and their roles, something that existed on TV prints prior to 1980. Restoration to the film's original length (114 minutes) and crisp black and white photography finally turned up on Turner Classic Movies on July 6, 2008.

The success of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO spawned sequels "in name only" in later years, including THE SON OF MONTE CRISTO (United Artists, 1940); THE RETURN OF MONTE CRISTO (Columbia, 1946), both featuring Louis Hayward as a descendant of Edmund Dantes; among others, as well as countless remakes and imitations, but this 1934 version still should hold interest today. Rarely seen in recent years, it did have a "colorized" television presentation on the Disney Channel in the early 1990s as part of its "Best of Hollywood" program, but like the Video Treasures copy, was not the complete version.

Regardless of print availability, the 1934 first sound version to THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO remains an adventure classic from the "golden age of Hollywood" that has stood the test of time. (***1/2)

I was lucky enough to obtain a video copy of an excellent black & white print of this movie, as I believe the colourisation of current copies falsifies the viewing experience. The photography and lighting are so exquisite, only the 1930's movie-making artists - it was an art form then - could accomplish it and it has to be appreciated like an antique: old, but immensely valuable for that.

They truly don't make them like this any more, and after having seen some of the subsequent screen versions, I still don't believe this one has ever been surpassed. I have also read Dumas' novel and would say that except for some minor alterations to the plot, the movie is largely true to the book.

Robert Donat is a dashing Dantes, whose ageing in body and spirit during the course of the movie is utterly believable (but he even improved on his ability to portray a physical and mental journey a few years later, when he made "Goodbye Mr. Chips"). Elissa Landi is a sweet and witty heroine, and the villains are so beautifully characterised (notably Sidney Blackmer's Mondego) that it becomes all the more satisfying when Dantes deals with them according to their own villainous traits.

I particularly enjoyed the intelligent flashes of irony with which the grim story is suffused, such as Dantes' double-speak as he flatters his enemies, at the same time telling them truth which they choose to misunderstand. The script is fantastic, the acting luminous. I feel sorry for those who hesitate to watch black & white classics like this one - they miss out on the very essence of what the art of movie-making and acting really used to be about.

I like Robert Donat. He had marvelous stage presence, and a fine speaking voice (ironically, as he suffered from asthma). He was a terrific actor, who did get an Oscar for his portrayal of MR. CHIPS, but due to poor health made far too few movies. And we are the poorer for it.

His performance as Edmond Dantes, in THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, is the one most people recall seeing. It is the best known performance in that role on film. But is it the best performance? I think it is one of the two best performances. The other one was by Gerald Depardieu in a film version for television that was shown on two nights a few years back as a mini-series. It told far more of the details of the thousand page plot than this film version with Donat did. But that might be a serious defect.

It sometimes helps to plow through a long classic work to see what all the shouting is about. Alexander Dumas Sr.'s novel was an adventure tale set in the years 1815 to 1830/35. It was more than an adventure novel. The son of a French Revolutionary War General, Dumas recognized that the Bourbon restoration of 1814, and 1815 - 1830 was a step backward for French liberties - that despite Napoleon's egomania he had straightened out France's constitutional rights and had restored it's glories. So the novel, looking at the careers of it's three (or four) villains notes who is considered favorably by the new regime: the business swindler Danglars (who becomes a banker), the questionable military hero De Mondego, and the ruthless, hypocritical legal master De Villefort. The fourth villain, Caderrouse, is a born criminal, who is in and out of jail. He is really a human parasite in the story. He doesn't even appear in this version with Donat.

The idea of the novel is that circumstances twist the fate of Edmond Dantes into the hands of these swine. Danglars is jealous that his employers by-passed him, and made Dantes (a younger man) the captain of the merchant ship they work on. De Mondego is in love with Mercedes, and she is to marry Dantes, so he hates his shipmate as well. De Villefort finds that Dantes unwittingly knows information about the return of Napoleon from Elba that could blast his career with the Bourbons (the information implicates De Villefort's father, a longtime supporter of the Emperor). So it is that these three act together to put Dantes out of the way - in the infamous Château D'If prison.

The novel shows how Dantes tunnels into the cell of the Abbe Faria, how the latter teaches him the sciences, history, culture, and bequeaths to him a buried treasure he was protecting. After a remarkable escape, Dantes gets to the isle of Monte Cristo off Italy and finds the treasure. And he uses it to destroy his enemies.

Because the three have Achilles heels it is not too difficult, but if the film was shown as the novel reads a film director would have a serious problem: After four hundred pages of plot, one begins to resent Dantes - now the Count of Monte Cristo. He is so determined to destroy these three (and Caderrouse, who helped starve Dantes' dependent father to death), that innocent third parties are hurt all over the place. Also some of the plots make the villains less villainous because their personal lives are involved. De Villefort finds members of his family being poisoned, and suspicion falling on his beloved daughter. This plot line was jettisoned in the 1934 film version. Probably just as well, as Louis Calhern's characterization of De Villefort was quite sharp and business-like, but not loving as the actual character is to his legitimate children in the novel (however, he does try to dispose of an illegitimate baby at one point - an act that eventually helps destroy him).

For a good, "classic comics" style version of Dumas' novel, Donat's film will do well. But try to catch Depardieu's version, and (better yet) try to read the complete novel.

The good news is that this turns out to be, as I hoped it might, my "long-lost Monte Cristo" -- the film I once caught the end of, thanks to the BBC, on holiday twenty years ago, and have never been able to find again since. The bad news is that, alas, the part I missed then isn't actually nearly so good as the remainder...

The Reliance Pictures production of "Count of Monte Cristo" is a queer mixture of success and banality; of studio polish and poverty-row shortcuts; of efficient editing and crass musical indirection; of genuine emotional power and thumping cliché; of briskly-moving adaptation and bizarre moments of staging (revolving witness-box, anybody?) A literal version of Dumas it is not -- one would not expect it from any film spectacular of this period -- but many of the changes made are entertaining or effective, and the happy ending provided works at least as well as Dumas' rather unsatisfactory version. The meandering original is reduced to a bare two hours' running time by dint of concise scripting and cutting out most of the sub-plots involving the de Villefort and Morrel families, an attempt which is by and large successful. It works less well at the beginning, where there are simply too many unidentified characters popping up and scheming without any of them really being established properly, particularly as Morrel and de Villefort's father are then pruned from the plot, never to appear again. And de Villefort's downfall as presented here really doesn't work for me: lacking the damning evidence of infanticide, the script doesn't seem to come up with any terribly convincing alternative to turn the tables on the prosecutor. On the other hand, introduced material such as Mercedes' (completely uncanonical) aristocratic snob of a mother, or the tableaux in praise of Fernand at which Haydee accuses him, works very well.

Ironically -- given the Hollywood studio's doubts as to their unknown English import's ability to pull off anything but a fresh-faced lead -- Robert Donat shines mainly in the latter half of the picture as the older, embittered and sophisticated Monte Cristo. His guileless Dantes makes little impression, for it could be any generic juvenile lead role -- the character as written is not so much naive as uninteresting. Donat fares better where he can give a sense of some hidden depths to the part, and his best features are his strong eyes and brows rather than his cheery grin. As Monte Cristo, however, he is both debonair and dangerous, an intelligent schemer with a dry wit at his enemies' unknowing expense, and he is supported ably by both Douglas Walton as the young Albert and Elissa Landi as Mercedes.

It was Miss Landi's performance with which I was truly impressed here; she ages with utter conviction from the wilful girl to the resolute mother, and lends her scenes opposite Donat the real impact that is lacking from so much of the film. In a plot that has been re-angled to concentrate far more closely on the Edmond/Mercedes relationship, her role is vital, and her character provides most of the emotional engagement of the story, from light-hearted charm to heartbreak (Valentine de Villefort, here paired off with Albert, is a mere cypher in comparison).

The film starts off in outright formulaic guise, from Napoleon's appearance (in full uniform and cocked hat, with his hand duly thrust in his breast 'like that') to the standard storm-at-sea sequence with water poured across the screen. It continues to suffer from crude musical underlining more or less throughout, almost sabotaging for example Donat's scene with the dying Abbe Faria, which he otherwise pulls off with conviction, while certain characters, such as Morrel and the mute Nubian Ali, appear to have been retained despite the loss of the plot elements which actually involved them (possibly as a result of cuts to the script later in filming?) Overall, however, the adaptation does a pretty good job of conveying information quickly and concisely -- Albert's entire Italian adventure is dealt with effectively in a matter of a few minutes with none of the essentials lost, and Haydee's brief role introduced without any seeming contrivance. It borrows little in practice from Dumas' wordy original save the bare outlines of its plot, and sometimes not even those; but as an initially uninspired Hollywood screen adaptation it improves considerably as it goes on. Literary fidelity isn't everything, and if it were not let down by certain sections I would have rated it considerably higher; alas, this production remains an odd mixture of the powerful and the pedestrian.

As a story The Count of Monte Cristo still has great power. Case in point, the movie Sleepers where four young men from Hell's Kitchen were sexually abused in a reform school they were sentenced to. They found in the Alexandre Dumas novel a man they could understand very easily given their street code. Edmund Dantes code of street justice translates very easily to just about every culture in the world, be it the mean streets of New York or the post Napoleonic Era in France.

Robert Donat is Edmund Dantes an ordinary seaman who carries a letter from Elba about Napoleon Bonaparte's imminent return to France in 1815. Now he doesn't know he's carrying the letter, it was given to him by his dying captain. Three men who have their own reasons not to see the truth come out imprison Donat without trial in an island prison off Marseilles.

After years there Donat effects his escape and plans to wreak vengeance on them, but not just to kill them, to expose them because all three have risen to importance in France. He's the Count of Monte Cristo now, having been bequeathed a hidden treasure by another inmate.

The kids from Sleepers as well millions of others have learned what Dumas tried to convey, that hot blooded revenge killing won't do. If you have to take vengeance make sure it is an extremely calculated series of moves.

Monte Cristo is the perfect kind of role for the cerebral Robert Donat. Donat makes us believe his transformation from the young and hopeful Edmund Dantes to the calculating Monte Cristo. If it were not for the Oscar Donat received for Goodbye Mr. Chips this one would have been the signature role of his career.

Also look for some good acting by Elissa Landi, Louis Calhern and especially Raymond Walburn in their parts. He's usually the jovial gladhanding type, often a knave, but never a villain as he is here. Not a Walburn you're used to.

Fabulously wealthy and mysterious, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO becomes intimately involved in the lives of three powerful men in Paris.

Alexander Dumas' classic novel comes to abridged life in this powerful adventure film. There is very little swashbuckling and a good deal of talk, but it is all done so intelligently and the film, with its lavish production values, is so entertaining to watch that the diminution of dash & drama is easily overlooked.

Robert Donat portrays stalwart Edmond Dantes, the much abused hero, from a young ship's officer caught up in Napoleonic intrigue, to a wretched inmate doomed to oblivion in a hideous prison, and finally the middle-aged and tremendously powerful Count, and he plays it all exceedingly well. This is an actor, now in danger of becoming somewhat obscure, who performed valiantly in films throughout his career, consistently providing characterizations worth watching.

Donat dominates the film; in support are Elissa Landi as the woman who never gives up loving him; Louis Calhern, Sidney Blackmer & Raymond Walburn as the three men from Marseilles who each have their own reasons for wanting Donat dead; and elderly O. P. Heggie as the saintly priest who becomes Donat's mentor & friend in prison.

Smaller roles are vividly enacted by Lionel Belmore as the corrupt Governor of the Château d'If; corpulent Ferdinand Munier as a highly distraught King Louis XVIII; Luis Alberni & Clarence Muse as smugglers who become Donat's willing accomplices in his quest for revenge; Douglas Walton as Landi's conflicted son; and Holmes Herbert as the judge at Donat's Paris trial. Sour-faced Clarence Wilson appears for a few moments as a supporter of Donat.

Far more than most adaptations of novels, this version of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO adheres to the novelist's plot and details, and does so to its advantage, as the original is wonderfully full-blooded. The role of Edmond Dantes is played well by Robert Donat, who nicely projects the many moments of peril with which his character deals. The imprisonment and escape scenes at the seabound Château D'If, although of a result certain to the viewer, are neatly mounted to create genuine compassion and suspense. Splendidly cast, a wide range of talent brings splendid balance to each act. The passing from the early tableaux of adventure to the thrust of the story: carefully crafted and complex methods of revenge, is effectively delivered by the scenario. Those who decide to watch this classic film will avoid missing excellent acting from Sidney Blackmer and O.P. Heggie, as well as outstanding art direction and costume design.

This version differs significantly from the original Alexandre Dumas story; but, it's still the one to see. Most obviously, the film punctuates Dumas' story of justice through revenge with an ending not at all evident in Dumas' original work. So, "The Count of Monte Cristo" becomes the happier "love story" of Dantes and Mercedes. Notably, she "imagines" saying "I do" to Dantes only; and, his other lover (Haydee) is barely mentioned. Otherwise, the story is very neatly trimmed. And, it's certainly better than several imitations.

Under Rowland V. Lee's direction, Robert Donat (as Edmond Dantes) performs exceptionally; his transformation from innocent, unsophisticated youth to the older, vengeful "Count" is beautifully conveyed. In the later half of the film, Mr. Donat's facial expressions approach horrifying. Donat's escape from prison, and his calculating revenge on Sidney Blackner (as Mondego), Raymond Walburn (as Danglars), and Louis Calhern (as Villefort) are the better parts of the movie. Elissa Landi (as Mercedes) gives a lovely performance; she ideally matches Donat's early naiveté, and later maturity. Douglas Walton (as Albert) offers, perhaps, the greatest support; he not only recalls the lovers' earlier youth, but also contrasts their later maturity.

******** The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) Rowland V. Lee ~ Robert Donat, Elissa Landi, Douglas Walton

The story of an Innocent man, being finally vindicated is stretched to the nth'degree in this Dumas classic story, and there has never been, nor ever will there be, a finer screen adaptation than this. The cast, set, and cinematography, are classic examples of early 30's filmmaking at its best. Rowland Lee's direction, an excellent multi-national cast, and Donat's inspired performance as Edmond Dantes makes this one of the finest action/adventure/payback films of all time. A MUST SEE, for any serious moviegoer. Steal the time to visit the Chateau d'If and escape into a truly great adventure movie.

Robert Donat was a fine actor who went on to win our hearts with Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips. People often forget that he was slated to play the lead in the Sabatini novel, Captain Blood, which went to Errol Flynn, thus establishing his career and mark on Hollywood (and what a mark!). Donat, according to his biographers, detested Hollywood and made several films in Great Britain. His role in the Hitchcock 39 steps is legend. This film, which is a slightly more faithful adaptation of the Dumas book than the one only recently (1/02) released, is superior to its predecessor in several ways. Alas, the other reviewer here is likely too young to have seen in its original B/W but it is a fine film. the lovely Elissa Landi plays Mercedes and Sidney Blackmer, Donat's betrayer. The character actor, O.P. Heggie plays the priest and fellow prisoner of Dantes. Veteran Louis Calhern, here youthful, plays the other betrayer and villain. There's no video or DVD, so if this shows up on the late show, by all means, check it out.

This should be a classic. It is a superb motion picture. It has a brilliant cast. An excellent interpretation of what the author of the book wrote. The director and producer was of the top class.

In 1844, French author Alexander Dumas completed his most famous work called " The Count of Monte Cristo. " Since then, not only has it become a Standard Classic among the great works of literature, but has been rendered onto the Silver Screen, five times. This is the 1934 version which hosts the great film star, Robert Donat as Edmond Dantes. If you have read the book, following the movie is not difficult. The story tells of Edmond Dantes, a young sailor and 1st Mate to the Captain, who returns to his home port of Marseille, to marry Mercedes (Elissa Landi) his intended, despite the fact a young Mondego (Sidney Blackmer) want to marry her too. After, explaining to the owner, that the ship's Captain, died during the voyage, he is promoted Captain, to the dismay of the supercargo Danglars (Raymond Walburn), but which is used in a plot by Mondego and Danglars and furthered by the ambitious prosecutor De Villefort (Louis Calhern). Imprisoned in the infamous prison, the Château D'if, Dante's is befriended by the Italian monk, the Abbe Faria (O.P.Heggie) who bequeathes to the falsely accused man, a fabulous fortune with which to seek revenge with. This version is the original film directed by Rowland Lee and is in Black and white. It's a structured movie with a children's fairy tale attitude. The author, Alexander Dumas would have approved of it. ****

Delightful film of the classic stage warhorse, a bit creaky and slow starting, but with cumulative power sustained by the subtle yet vivid characterizations. Each principal has a uniquely nuanced personality, brought forth by gesture and language -- something sorely lacking in today's 90 percent trash. NOTE FOR CINASTES: I never fully appreciated the comic outrages of Jame's Whale's use of the Hermit in Bride of Frankenstein until I saw the prototype, created here by the same actor, O. P. Heggie. The Hermit in "Bride" is a gleeful, unabashed parody of Faria, even in the crescendo of music that mimics the "Ave Maria" in the Whale picture. I'm sure Whale wondered if his in-joke would be caught, and by how many. See the picture and you'll understand.

Of the three top English Language versions of "The Count of Monte Cristo," this one will always be my favorite. First of all because Robert Donat is simply the finest actor to ever undertake this role. Secondly, this version strays less from the Dumas novel than the later versions. It is simply a top notch well directed performance. Having said that I still hope against hope that sometime in the future, while I am still living, that someone will go back to the book and make the complete version, probably as a mini-series that captures the flavor and the subtle under layers of Edmond Dantes slowly unfolding plot of revenge that takes years to come to pass. Still, this film has the bittersweet tragedy of man who's revenge leaves him without the great love of his life, when all is said and done.Beautiful and tragic. I rate it at 10.

I echo all the other reviewers in saying that this is a very well-done and entertaining movie. Robert Donat was an excellent actor, and he carries this role very well. He may have won his Oscar for Mr. Chips, but I have always liked him in this movie, and in Hitchcock's "The Thirty-Nine Steps," even more. And Elissa Landi- she was incredibly gorgeous, and a good actress, too. Producer Edward Small must have had a thing for Dumas and swashbucklers. He also produced the 1939 "Man in the Iron Mask," and the 1940 "Son of Monte Cristo." As many people know, Donat was slated to play "Captain Blood" in 1935, but for whatever reason dropped out, and that part went to the unknown Errol Flynn. Flynn's star-making performance catapulted him to the top, and led to the string of classic swashbucklers he made throughout the 30s and 40s. Interesting in that Donat's "Monte Cristo" kick-started a dormant film genre, and his withdrawal from "Captain Blood" introduced the man who would re-invent, and re-invigorate, the whole swashbuckler genre. So perhaps Donat and Flynn can be considered the godfathers of the sound film's action movie (and the inheritors of Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.'s mantle).

I was also struck by a similarity between some scenes in this, and in the James Whale film, "The Bride of Frankenstein," made just a year later, in 1935. Another reviewer on this site has noted the same thing, and I agree with him completely. Dantes' fellow prisoner, played by O.P. Heggie, is a character very similar to the blind hermit in "Bride," played by- O.P. Heggie. The blind hermit befriends Boris Karloff's lonely monster, in much the same way that this prisoner befriends a lonely Edmund Dantes. Some of the dialogue is quite similar. And, in a particularly dramatic scene between Dantes and his friend, "Ave Maria" is played on the soundtrack. If all of you remember, when the blind hermit meets the monster, and thanks God for bringing him a friend, "Ave Maria" is used on the soundtrack, to very great emotional effect. I read that James Whale actively sought O.P. Heggie to play this part, so one has to wonder if it is just a coincidence, or a conscious plan- I find the former possibility a little implausible. As the other reviewer on this site noted, it may have been a sly in-joke on Whale's part (and not only that- Heggie was an excellent actor, and brought great humanity to these two parts. So Whale's choice was also artistically sound). He was a director who loved in-jokes, and his films are full of humorous and sly references to all kinds of things. You also have to wonder if anyone at the time picked up on it. We can see these films back-to-back now, and notice similarities, courtesy of DVDs and TV, but in the 30s, there would have been a yearlong gap between the showings of these films. I imagine most moviegoers wouldn't have remembered that Heggie had played in the earlier film, or seen the similarities. I hadn't noticed myself, on previous viewings of "Count," but became aware of it just last night. The use of "Ave Maria" made it seem conclusive, to me.

Whale also used Douglas Walton in "Bride," as Percy Shelley, and I wonder if he liked the actor in his part as Landi's son, in "Count." Interestingly, Whale directed Edward Small's "The Man in the Iron Mask" in 1939. That same year, Rowland V. Lee, who directed "Count," took over from Whale, and directed "Son of Frankenstein" (and then Lee directed "Son of Monte Cristo" the following year. A bit confusing!). Boy, Hollywood was filled with all kinds of connections. Six Degrees of Monte Cristo!

Anyway, just some interesting sidelights to two great films. For fans of both movies, take a look at them.

This briskly paced, attractively packaged version of the Dumas classic continues to stand the test of time, owing in large part to Robert Donat, an actor for the ages, and a supporting cast which includes the able Louis Calhern as Donat's strongest enemy, the florid Raymond Walburn as the weakest, and the aristocratic beauty Elissa Landi as the love interest. The story itself is melodrama at its best, with the hook of an innocent man not only wronged by self-seeking villains but wronged in a spectacularly cold-blooded, inhuman manner: railroaded to a veritable dungeon for a crime he did not commit and left to rot forever, only to be saved by a chance encounter with a noble fellow prisoner who bequeaths to him the location of a hidden treasure which he uncovers after a daring escape from his confinement. And then, using his vast fortune, he plots a great act of justice for his enemies, now prominent personages of great corruption, not by stooping to their level, but by cleverly manipulating them into self-exposure and ultimate destruction.

This takes place in 1815. Young handsome Edmond Dantes (Robert Donat) is unjustly accused of treason by three evil men. He is imprisoned but his girlfriend Mercedes (Elissa Landi) vows to wait for him. Then he is mistakenly believed to be dead and she abandons hope. He is in prison for 20 years virtually forgotten. Then with the help of another prisoner (O.P. Heggie) he escapes and vows revenge on all three of the men who wronged him. The problem is Mercedes is now married to one of them.

I never read the book so I can't compare it but this is a fast-moving and very good film. It was independently made but still has excellent production values and costumes. The story is shown in quick short sequences which move briskly ahead. Donat is excellent in the lead however he's physically all wrong for the role. He's tall and thin and was plagued by health problems all his life and it shows here occasionally. Heggie is also excellent in his role and was just a year away from playing a blind beggar in "Bride of Frankenstein". Landi unfortunately is pretty terrible as Mercedes. She comes across as unattractive and somewhat cruel. I kept wondering what Edmond saw in her. Still this is a very good movie and well worth watching. Good luck finding a clean print.

I saw this film as a youngster and never forgot it. About 15 years ago I was able to tape a version off TV. The sound track had a whirring on it that rose and fell in pitch throughout. As a result, as much as I liked the film I never watched it again. Last night I DVR'ed it when shown on TCM just on a hunch. The print was soft but the sound was impeccable. It was everything I remembered with some nice surprises. The film has everything: action, adventure, romance, spirit, bravura performances, memorable lines, wonderful sets, inspiring score and crisp direction. In my opinion it is the perfect recording to the screen of a classic novel.

What I had forgotten was the score. The finale of Our Daily Bread had become a favorite. Then I discovered it in Les Miserables. And now I know where it originated. Hearing all the riffs on the main theme was a pleasure.

Donat was wonderful of course. But I'd forgotten just how amazing Landi's work was here. Not a false note. Louis Calhearn wears is mantle as the screen's greatest sophisticated villain with pride. It was also a pleasure to see Harry Cording here. I collect his often minuscule roles. Here I think he is both a jailer and the assassin in the tableau.

I'm not often a fan of British movies, so it was with some surprise that I found myself rather liking this one. It turns out this is actually an American film, with Robert Donat being imported as its star.

One thing I liked about this film was the appearance of a number of character actors with whom I was more familiar in their much later roles. I've always enjoyed Louis Calhern, and this is, perhaps, the earliest film in which I've seen him (although he dates back to the silent era). I also rather like Sidney Blackmer, and this is the earliest film in which I've seen him ("Heidi" with Shirley Temple was a bit later). And Raymond Walburn, who we usually see as a comic buffoon, is here one of the villains.

I appreciate Robert Donat much more after watching this film, although he was less believable as a young sailor early in the film than he was as the Count Of Monte Cristo later in the film.

Elissa Landi, an actress with whom I was not familiar, was not very impressive here as the female lead. In some small way...the way in which she pouted with her mouth...was very distracting (or should I say just down right poor acting).

This is a story of revenge, and a darned good one. Highly recommended, and perhaps deserving of a spot on your DVD shelf.

Alexandre Dumas' novel is a classic, and of a number of film adaptations, of which are a mixed bunch in terms of success, it's the 1934 film starring Robert Donat that I consider the best version. Maybe the editing in the escape scene is a little plodding, other than that the film is very handsomely mounted with lavish period detail and beautiful cinematography. Alfred Newman's score is suitably rousing, the story is the very definition of thrilling and never stops maintaining interest and the script is very literate and sometimes witty. The characters all engage, with the leads likable and easy to identify with and the villains suitably repellent. The swash-buckling also is never clumsy and Rowland V Lee directs beautifully. Robert Donat gives a performance that for me has only been bettered by the title role in Goodbye Mr Chips, expertly progressing from naive to calculating. Elissa Landi matches him in a sympathetic and moving performance, and Raymond Walburn is a sly Danglers, but other than Donat the other best performance is the sharp Villefort of Louis Calhern. Sidney Blackmer's Mondego is also splendidly characterised, and OP Heggie delights in a role that will remind one of the hermit in Bride of Frankenstein. Overall, wholly satisfying and definitely recommended. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Count of Monte Cristo, a splendid novel by Alexander Dumas, touching every person, every feeling, every character and every aspect of life. Hope and Despair being comparable to Light and Darkness are the main theme of the novel. It tells us not to despair in adversity but to hope for the best yet to come. It also ends up with a note that when one attains all the success in the life, he should not forget the Supreme, controlling all of us. One may think of everything is under his power. But, such a feeling is far from truth.

One can compare the theme of the novel, with the wording of Lord Krishna in Bhagavadgita. Those words promulgate that, doing the activity cast upon you, is your duty. The result is in someone else's hands, for which you should not bother.

Every character in the novel is specifically chosen to reflect one or more features of humankind. All the facets of human life, such as, greediness, jealousy, kindness, love, affection, courage, selfishness, misery, poverty, humbleness, integrity, intelligence, etc., are depicted in the most possible lucid manner.

The ups and downs of the life, are the focal issue of the novel. A person may suddenly drop down to the earth, even without fault of his own. An innocent person can be made to suffer for something, he never committed. A person can crush the life of another human being, for the sake of his own growth and security. A person can also sacrifice and put his life in danger, for somebody.

The process, thinking and evolution of a person, who was suddenly made to suffer, without fault of his is illustrated in detail. The conversion of Edmond Dante in to Count of Monte Cristo, is by no means a simple process. The agony and the misery of a person, resulted in such a conversion.

The rigors of jail life are portrayed in a perfect manner. The loneliness of jail life will crush a man's belief in his own physical and physiological strengths. It will force him to despair. Anger will overcome one's rationality. One will think of all the evil to come to all those he hates or he believes to be the cause of his misery. In such a process, he loses balance and faith in God. One would think of committing suicide, losing interest in life.

However, even a small or faint hope of freedom, which is so dear to such a person, would rejuvenate all his energies to focus and he comes back into life. All the energy, ability and ingenuity is focused and centralized when it comes to aspect of attaining freedom.

The novel ultimately drives the reader to accept the fact that, forgiveness is supreme to punishment. As the Christ prays to His Holy Father, ' Forgive Father, for they know not what they do ' , one should ultimately come to such conviction that, hatred results in more hatred and it will end in nowhere. One should read the novel from beginning to the end, without interruption or diversion. It is not a material to have a look at and forget. A person's character is to be built upon by studying the nature and life of each person in the novel.

The essence of life, viz., equilibrium in all phases of life is to be learned. One cannot fall in cases of adversity. One should not forget the Supreme, in cases of prosperity. Life of oneself or another is not in one's hands. The Supreme, controls the lives of humankind, without any bias, without any prejudice, without any compassion or without any injustice. A person should try to inculcate such abilities by making a humble effort keeping the Supreme as the model. However, in such a process one should not lose ground to put himself in place of the Supreme.

As the writer himself puts, most appropriately at the end of the novel, there is hope. Only one should be able to believe in it. And, most importantly, one should be able to wait till such hope is realized.

People who are impressed with 2010's boring and bloated movies might do better with the 2002 version, but persons who enjoy quality movies will take the trouble necessary to locate a VHS copy of this great 1934 classic. Hint: Rare VHS tapes are listed on Ebay.

I first saw this in its theatrical re-release in the 1940's paired with Man in the Iron Mask. It's been reissued several times and played on TV numerous times in the 1950's. Edward Small knew how to make this kind of picture. The 118 minute length was unusual back then, but the story moves along at a fast clip. In the 1940's I was a kid and had traveled to New York and no-place else. Since then I've been to Europe many times. Now I can appreciate the attention to detail of the numerous sets, be it prison or royal apartments. But the important thing is the story and the acting. Excellent.

The VHS is the colorized version. It looks fine in color, or you can tone down the color and see it as originally made. This movie has made money for 76 years and might someday be issued in DVD. Compare that to the El Stinko movies of 2010 which are usually dead within 6 weeks.

Quality is forever.

Although the young seaman named Edmond Dantes (Robert Donat) was ill prepared to be the scapegoat for a treasonous offense (suspicionn of bearing treasonable information in the form of a letter on behalf of Napolean he foolishly passed off in Paris to man who had the secret code word) by unknowingly aligning himself with Napolean I do believe that his subsequent serving twenty (20) years in the prison dungeons locked up in mostly solitary confinement gives a man plenty of time to think about revenge. While in prison Edmond befriends another prisoner named Abbe Faria (O.P. Heggie) who has been progressively attempting to dig his way out of his own prison cell only to end up in the cell of his new found friend and confidant Edmond Dantes.

While the two prisoners join forces in their attempt to dig their way out of their prison cells Abbe Faria falls deathly ill and he confides in his only friend the young Edmond Dantes of the secret hiding place of the treasure of Monte Cristo which he can have solely to himself with its wealth beyond anyones imagination. So Edmond's friend Abbe Faria's sudden death gives rise to an idea on how to escape this prison and claim his fortune and new title, the Count of Monte Cristo.

Edmond, having just spent the past twenty years in a confined prison cell eating garbage food and drinking dirty water has had nothing but time to think about the true love of his life, his fiance Mercedes, who he had intended to marry before he was wrongfully imprisoned, now only contemplates utilizing his new found wealth to seek revenge on the three scrupulous men who were responsible for unjustly imprisoning him.

The only weakness I see in this film is how stupid and gullible Edmond Dantes was to blindly deliver a letter to which he had no idea of its content but to agree to a clandestine meeting with an unknown man based on a secret password only to be arrested and then after spending the next twenty (20) years in mostly isolation other than his digging partner the old and frail Abbe Faria, he develops an eleborate plot as the Count Of Monte Cristo to get even with each of the three (3) men responsible for his unjustly imprisonment.

I won't give away the ending but suffice to say revenge is a dish best served cold.

No film version can substitute for reading the unabridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo. No doubt there is no substitute for reading it in French, but for English-speakers Robin Buss' 1996 English translation reportedly captures the both spirit and letter of Dumas' novel better than previous translations. In my opinion, the 1934 film also captures the spirit of the book, but omits many characters and story lines, and adds or rewrites others. Nevertheless, this film version is fun to watch.

Okay - hands up if you were led here by V for Vendetta. Be honest.

But hey - that's very okay. Suffice to say that 1934's crack at Alexandre Dumas' timeless tale of treachery and revenge is a robust and spirited enough adaptation to get your blood pumping as much as everyone's favourite alliterative rollicking revolutionary.

The script, while necessarily abbreviated, holds up as one of the more faithful Dumas adaptations as a procedural account of Dantes' methodical vengeful takedown of his betrayers at least until the grand departure of its romantic, very 1930s-populist ending (which is too sweet to excessively fault). Still, the pace is lively and the action plugs along at a compelling jaunt. If the screenplay sometimes dallies with segments spelling out the narrative's themes a bit thickly, it more than compensates with its share of excellent barbed dialogue zingers along the way. Those more familiar with the 2002 Jim Caviezel remake than Dumas' novel might take some adjusting to the pace here, as Dantes' dual with Mondego (restructured as principle antagonist in the remake) is dispensed with fairly early and unceremoniously. Instead, we get a climactic trial sequence (another complete departure from the text), giving Donat a chance to do his best heroic shouting, which feels adequately conclusive in its stead.

Being a product of its time, this Count of Monte Cristo's staging restrictions and performance conventions may make it a flatter and calmer rendition than the explosive catharsis our righteous indignation at Dantes' plight might expect or befit (the scenes of Dantes' captivity in the Château D'If in particular feel jarringly civil, compared to the gruelling, inhumane torment Dumas painted). This certainly isn't helped by the somewhat film's cheap, anachronistic costumes, and an overenthusiastic musical soundtrack which soars in to punctuate key emotional moments with such ferocity that it tends to quash rather than heighten their resonance. Still, the film's production values are excellent, juxtaposing some key location footage (Dantes' daring underwater prison escape is perfectly chilly and claustrophobic) with some stellar studio sets - Abbe Faria's cell has the austere artistry of a stained glass window, and Dantes' treasure horde discovery is rousing adventure stuff.

Robert Donat is excellent as the titular rogue-hero. He drives Dantes' plunge from chirpy sailor to apoplectically bitter prisoner to debonair aristocrat clouded by acidic ruthlessness with grace and a piercing insistence, handling Dantes' nuances much more deftly than his on-the-nose dialogue. Elissa Landi is also terrific, sliding from warm and giddy to caustic and cautious as his warped love Mercedes, and her bold decision to play up Mercedes' grim detachment rather than mugging for soft focus close-ups throughout the film's latter half plays as appealingly emotionally truthful. Sidney Blackmer and Louis Calhern are appropriately seedy, but a bit too prissy and standoffish to make much of an impact as the villainous Mondego and De Villefort; however, Raymond Walburn is a colourfully boorish, charismatic highlight as greedy, corrupt banker Danglars. Finally, character actor O.P. Reggie is warm slyness personified as the cheekily inspirational Abbe Faria, Dantes' friend in captivity.

Released the year before Captain Blood, it's easy to see Monte Cristo settling into the 1930s resurgence of seafaring adventure films. Director Rowland V. Lee feels most at home with Dantes' adventures at sea and crisply energetic sword fights than the talkier melodramatic romantic angst and political intrigue, which are done suitably, but with less pizazz. As such, 1934's Count of Monte Cristo remains a sturdy and heartily enjoyable Dumas adaptation, and one of the more bombastic and abiding costume dramas of Classical Hollywood.

-8/10