This was my Great Grandpa’s favorite movie. My Dad always used to tell me that he would watch it over and over again. The 2002 version of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO is also a favorite film amongst my family. We love the story, so it was nice to sit down with my dad and watch this version. It was a lot of fun, although the 2002 film is vastly superior mostly due to technology and camera techniques. This film lacks editing, score, shot variations, and Elissa Landi’s performance is so over the top it feel operatic. All of that though is very much of it’s time. There are moments though where the dialogue is so piercing and smart. Lines like “When people die, we feel a grief because their minds are lost to us. How fortunate am I... I leave my mind behind in your possession; it is part of yours. Use it as an instrument for justice. My blessing... Edmond, if you could only see. Death is so beautiful,” are just great. They are pepped in throughout the story and are nice when they come up. I also wish they had amped up the swashbuckling elements. Due to the sets, time period, budget, etc. they weren’t able to show a lot of the action that other versions have been able to display.
