The Count of Monte Cristo
Andon Kiryazov
December 14th, 2011
Final paper
The novels of Alexander Dumas are favorites of many generations of readers because of his fascinating characters, tangled stories and dynamic plots. One of them, “The Count of Monte Cristo” was finished in 1844. Given its brilliant storyline about love and revenge in the 18th century, the novel was brought to life for the first time in 1934 by director Rowland V Lee and skillful actors Robert Donat, Elissa Landi and Sidney Blackmer. However, would it be worth it to do second film based on the same novel? Joe Leydon from Variety believes so. He states his certainty in the director of the remake, Kevin Reynolds who “proves to be fully on top of his game, infusing the grandly melodramatic permutations of the plot with firm conviction and stylish gusto” (Leydon).
The old film from 1934 was given a fresh, new, compelling production in 2003 filled with a lot of breathtaking, uniquely visualized action scenes. The plot in both films is naturally no different. The tranquil life of Edmond Dantes, a 20 years old sailor on the “Pharaoh” ship, who plans to marry the beautiful Mercedes, is shattered when his friend Fernand wishes the lovely Mercedes for himself. Three other people wish to harm Dantes for different reasons. Danglars is an accountant of the "Pharaoh" and fears that if Dantes becomes Capitan, he will lose his job because Dantes notices his abuses; young assistant prosecutor De Villefort is afraid that his father’s connections with the dethroned Napoleon might be revealed, and the neighbor of Edmond’s father is jealous of his success.
On the eve of Mercedes’s and Edmond’s wedding, Dantes is slandered and accused of being a Bonapartist. He is sent to the d’If castle, a prison fortress not far from Marseilles, without an opportunity to object his sentence. Dantes is informed that he will remain forever in prison. He attempts suicide, but he is unexpectedly saved by the appearance of another prisoner - Abbe Faria,
December 14th, 2011
Final paper
The novels of Alexander Dumas are favorites of many generations of readers because of his fascinating characters, tangled stories and dynamic plots. One of them, “The Count of Monte Cristo” was finished in 1844. Given its brilliant storyline about love and revenge in the 18th century, the novel was brought to life for the first time in 1934 by director Rowland V Lee and skillful actors Robert Donat, Elissa Landi and Sidney Blackmer. However, would it be worth it to do second film based on the same novel? Joe Leydon from Variety believes so. He states his certainty in the director of the remake, Kevin Reynolds who “proves to be fully on top of his game, infusing the grandly melodramatic permutations of the plot with firm conviction and stylish gusto” (Leydon).
The old film from 1934 was given a fresh, new, compelling production in 2003 filled with a lot of breathtaking, uniquely visualized action scenes. The plot in both films is naturally no different. The tranquil life of Edmond Dantes, a 20 years old sailor on the “Pharaoh” ship, who plans to marry the beautiful Mercedes, is shattered when his friend Fernand wishes the lovely Mercedes for himself. Three other people wish to harm Dantes for different reasons. Danglars is an accountant of the "Pharaoh" and fears that if Dantes becomes Capitan, he will lose his job because Dantes notices his abuses; young assistant prosecutor De Villefort is afraid that his father’s connections with the dethroned Napoleon might be revealed, and the neighbor of Edmond’s father is jealous of his success.
On the eve of Mercedes’s and Edmond’s wedding, Dantes is slandered and accused of being a Bonapartist. He is sent to the d’If castle, a prison fortress not far from Marseilles, without an opportunity to object his sentence. Dantes is informed that he will remain forever in prison. He attempts suicide, but he is unexpectedly saved by the appearance of another prisoner - Abbe Faria,
Bibliography: "Film criticism in the age of the Internet." Cineaste Fall 2008: 1. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 6 Dec. 2011. Grey, Tobias. "Debating film criticism: Europeans share opinions on the pics they review and also on the qualifications for being a well-rounded critic." Variety 29 Oct. 2007: A2+. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 6 Dec. 2011. Leydon, Joe. “The Count of Monte Cristo.” Variety. n. pag. Web. 24 Jan 2002. Walker, Jesse. "Everyone 's a critic: Don 't shed any tears for cinephilia." Reason June 2002: 62. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 6 Dec. 2011.