Edmund Dantes is here portrayed by Richard Chamberlain and he's pretty good as the innocent ship's captain in the early 1800s, egregiously handsome, full of probity, and betrayed and framed by three really mean mothers. They include Donald Pleasance, who just wants to see Chamberlain suffering out of sheer meanness; Tony Curtis, who is after Chamberlain's beloved Mercedes, played by a spirited and pretty Kate Nelligan; and another greaseball, Allesio Orana, who has been publicly insulted by Chamberlain. Arana is no more than a sneering villain who feels mistreated. But Tony Curtis is motivated by desire, not revenge, and Pleasance looks good in a rug -- years younger. He's also traduced by Louis Jourdan, the prosecutor, who puts him in a dungeon forever, for political reasons.It's a period picture of course and is visually very stylish, shot at Cinecittá in Rome, and in Liguria, a fishing port on the Mediterranean coast of Italy. The outdoor scenes are colorful, sunshine, castles, courtyard, and cold stone enhanced by the gaudy but convincing uniforms of the ship's officers and the guardsmen. Well, I've used the word "convincing" to describe the uniforms but I doubt that the French military of 1815 wore uniforms quite so tightly tailored. The guys look like ballet dancers in tights. They have no shame. Kate Nelligan, hélas, reveals nothing more than her face, which embodies both sex appeal and a guarded nurturing quality.Chamberlain spends eight years in a dungeon at the Château D'Ifre, which can be visited by tourists. His first years were in solitary confinement but then he tunnels into the next cell and is not only taught the wisdom of the ages by the wizened old priest there, Trevor Howard, but is also told the location of a horde of treasure and jewels. The priest dies, Chamberlain manages an escape, finds the treasure, become as rich as Bill Gates, spends much of it on philanthropic enterprises, and emerges from his years of exile looking tall, distinguished, and terribly rich. He's more loathesomely handsome than before, bearded, sweeping around with his stylish silver wig, walking stick, and long black frock coat.Returning to Paris he begins to take his revenge. He has our enemies and he destroys them with exquisite finesse. The fourth -- Tony Curtis' perfidious general Mondega -- requires a duel with sabers. They're awful weapons. Chamberlain has been properly coaches and though Curtis handles the sword as well as he did in his swashbucklers, it's drama not professionalism being displayed. The moral is that when all is said and done, in destroying your enemies, you inevitably hurt innocent people. What Chamberlain's character does is a little like carpet bombing in war time.

If you are a scholar of great books which have laid the foundation of Literary knowledge, then like most modern readers you are interested in the visual version of the book. True there are many works of art which have been put to celluloid, but having been a fan of Alexander Dumas, I have long awaited this one. " The Count of Monte Christo " is one of the finest story of it's genre and I often fancy myself in the part, discovering many versions dating to the 1930's. True, some films make stars of unknowns, while an exceptional actor can make that particular role his trademark. Thus it is with this offering. Here we have the inimitable Richard Chamberlain playing the hero Edmond Dantes. Of all the versions and actors before or after, this is my favorite. He is superb as the innocent Captain-to-be, who is trampled under foot by ambitious and unscrupulous men, stripped of his naval position, livelihood and his beloved Mercedes (Kate Nelligan) and sent to an island prison for life. There as fate would have it, he meets the equally innocent Abbe Faria (Trevor Howard) an Italian monk and teacher who has been entrusted with a fabulous treasure which he bequeathes to Dantes. With such a fortune, Edmond plots revenge on those whom he blames for his imprisonment and his father's death. The superior cast of Louis Jourdan, perfect as De Villefort, the ambitious Prosecuter of the King, Donald Pleasence is excellent as the greedy Danglars and Tony Curtis who is delightfully despicable as Fernand Mondego. Although a bit weak in the substance department of the story, the film makes up for it in the cast assemblage. The result is nothing sort of memorable as a classic come to life. ****

My mom learned about Alexandre Dumas's "The Count of Monte-Cristo" in the movie "Sleepers" and recommended it to me. I read the novel and was quite impressed by this version. Portraying sailor Edmond Dantes (Richard Chamberlain) getting falsely accused of being a "Bonapartist" in early 19th century France, and then escaping from jail and taking revenge, they really got the movie right. Two really dramatic scenes are the trial scene (because of how they film it) and the sword fight. One can certainly see how the novel influenced the boys in "Sleepers". The 2002 version with Jim Caviezel wasn't half bad either. Also starring Kate Nelligan, Tony Curtis and Donald Pleasance.Oh, and that school project? I made a video done like "Masterpiece Theater" and used scenes out of this movie.

As all movies made from books do, it simplifies the plot to a miniscule point and takes as much drama from it as it can. As a movie, this works surprisingly well. Chamberlain is excellent as the conflicted changeling, but others don't do so well. Tony Curtis has never been my favorite actor and Kate Nelligan doesn't have much screen presence. Watching Louis Jourdan try very hard to play to the camera is kind of sad, but Donald Pleasance is very good and almost steals scenes away from Chamberlain.Unfortunately, this is a TV movie (1970s), so the direction is awkward and stage-y. But a pretty good script and Chamberlain's performance make this a strangely compelling experience.