Scene of the Week: The Count of Monte Cristo (1975)
Adapting a novel to a feature length film can be a difficult proposition because it usually requires eliminating details to fit a run time and adding action to make the film entertaining.
The Count of Monte Cristoby Alexandre Dumas is one such literary work that many different filmmakers have attempted (there are over 20 different theatrical and television movies) to put the story of Edmond Dantes to film. One of my favorites, and the first one that I ever saw, is the 1975 television film (at least in the U.S. as it had a theatrical release in Europe) starring Richard Chamberlain in the titular role.
The Count of Monte Cristo(1975), directed by David Greene does a superb job of eliminating minor characters and sticks to the juicy revenge plot. The production is buoyed by a standout cast, besides Chamberlain we get Donald Pleasence, Tony Curtis, Louis Jourdan and Trevor Howard.
If you are not familiar with The Count of Monte Cristo (I suggest you pick up a copy of the book as it is an entertaining read), the main story is about the betrayal of Edmond Dantes by his so called friends that leads to his imprisonment. After an escape, Dantes plans and gets his revenge under the alias of the Count of Monte Cristo. The 1975 film is fairly faithful to the source material, but besides eliminating some characters and story points, it changes the manner of the revenge. Specifically, this week’s Scene of the Week, a sword fight between the Count and General Mondego doesn’t take place in the book, but as action movie fans we are better off with it in the film.
At 85 I look upon my life and lo and behold 2 scenes pop-up that were LIFE-CHANGING.
The first from the 1975 Count of Monte Cristo when Dantes finds the treasure and from the mouth of the cave at The isle of Monte Cristo yells out—“Yaciopo–Bertuccio—The World is Mine”. I spent my whole life seeking the one treasure that satisfies.
The second came from a “B” movie CASH McCALL in 1960–when he stated “I’m sort of a second hand dealer–I buy tired old companies whip-em into shape and sell them”—that one statement set me on a life quest to seek treasure via the financing of Mergers & Acquisitions. I even wrote a book about buying private companies with leverage published by Parker (a division of Simon & Schuster) in 1977—still selling on Amazon 45 years later. Russ Williams