Movie Number 20 of 2025
The Movie: The Count of Monte Cristo
The Cinema: Palace Cinemas, Balwyn
Runtime: Two hours 58 minutes
Language: French with English Subtitles
Stars: 4
A three-hour foreign film which has you wrapped around its little finger from the first scene. Yes, they occur, and The Count of Monte Cristo is one of them.
French cinema is going through something of a renaissance when it comes to action films. Recently, the same production company put out two movies about The Three Musketeers. Big budget, lots of action, gorgeous sets and costumes. The Count of Monte Cristo has the same look and feel about it, and it's wonderful.
The story hasn't varied since Alexandre Dumas penned this famous tome.
It tells the story of Edmond Dantes, a young man who performs a good deed and is promoted in the navy, only to have his friends betray him, and on his wedding day to the luckless Mercedes. He's thrown in jail for the better part of 15 years. While in hideous conditions in this hell hole, he befriends an Abbot who not only helps him escape but gives him the secrets to the wealth of the Knights Templar. With the wealth, he recreates himself as the Count of Monte Cristo and sets himself on a path of revenge.
Sounds a bit convoluted? It is, but for the convoluted plot, you get it. You want to know what's going to happen to the Count and his fellow travelers, hand-picked to help him get revenge on the men who betrayed him.
First thing about this - I loved Pierre Niney as Edmond / the Count. He's a charismatic actor in his prime and he's got the right level of moodiness to pull off a convincing Count. The rest of the cast are great too. Something I love about French is that the people on the screen are not perfect. French actors look like the guys who meet down the pub. French women, always classy. I do not have that plastic appeal of many an American actress.And they are so good. The cast contains many great French actors and this keeps the action moving along.
The cinematography, sets and costumes are also excellent. These are all high-end, but also have a feeling of reality. The Count's chateau is especially gorgeous.
Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte share the direction on this very long, but impressive film. For an old tale, it is a story well told, with the elements of action keeping viewers on their toes.
This is well worth a look. It's fun. There's action. There's romance. There's revenge. It's almost like The Princess Bride, but set a bit later - and in French.
This is great if you're looking for something different.
No comments:
Post a Comment