The Count of Monte Cristo
I was one of the privileged people to see a preview screening of The Count of Monte Cristo, based on the famous tale by Alexander Dumas. Whilst as a French student I was appalled at the constant mispronunciation of the lead character Edmond Dantes’ name (the s is silent! yet even Dantes himself pronounced it), I still found a rather enjoyable film about revenge.
SYNOPSIS
Edmond Dantes is a poor french sailor who has it all, a beautiful fiancee (Mercedes) and a promotion to captaincy. Unfortunately his best friend the Count Mon Diego (played with a distinct Aussie twang by Guy Pearce) gets a case of the green-eyed monster and joins up with the ship’s neglected first mate. Together with the help of a magistrate they get the innocent Dantes arrested and sent to an offshore prison for thirteen years whilst Mon Diego puts the moves on his fiancee. In this time, all Dantes thinks about is revenge. He devises an ingenious plan which he gets a chance to put into action when he escapes from the prison.
Although Dumas fans may be appalled at the plot changes (Dantes’ revenge plan and the end of the movie are not exactly true to the book). The end is still very clever, it’s just more optimistic for our current pessimistic society and if movies can’t make us happy then what will?
Julie Brazzatti
