Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1975
The Count of Monte Cristo (1975 film)
Buy The Count of Monte Cristo (1975 film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'The Count of Monte Cristo' is a 1975 television film produced by ITC Entertainment and based upon the 1844 novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexandre Dumas, pre. It was directed by David Greene and starred Richard Chamberlain as Edmond Dants, Kate Nelligan as Mercedes, Tony Curtis as Fernand Mondego, Louis Jourdan (who played Edmond Dants in the 1961 film adaptation of the novel) as De Villefort, Donald Pleasence as Danglars, Trevor Howard as Abb Faria, and Isabelle de Valvert as Haydee. ITC had previously produced a 39-part TV series based on the same source material, in 1956.
This film had a theatrical release across some European countries.
The film was remade in 1986 in Telugu as Veta.
Plot
The film emphasizes the theme of revenge and manipulation of characters by Dants until the final swordfight with Mondego. The courtroom scene in which Dants brings down crown prosecutor De Villefort is a highlight of the film, as is the scene between Dants and Mercedes when he reveals Mondego's treachery to her (which occurs almost precisely as in the novel). However, important characters are omitted and several scenes differ from the novel. Villefort's wife for instance, never appears, and there is no mention of her ever having poisoned anyone. In the novel, it is Mondego rather than Danglars who commits suicide, and Dants and Mondego do not engage in a swordfight. As in the novel, Dants loses Mercedes because of his vengeful bitterness. Haydee has only a minor role in the film, and there is no confirmation that she and Monte Cristo become lovers as in the book.
Cast
* Richard Chamberlain as Edmond Dants
* Donald Pleasence as Danglars
* Louis Jourdan as Grard de Villefort
* Tony Curtis as Fernand Mondego
* Kate Nelligan as Mercds
* Trevor Howard as Abb Faria
* Dominic Guard as Albert Mondego
* Taryn Power as Valentine De Villefort
* Dominic Barto as Bertuccio
* Alessio Orano as Caderousse
* Angelo Infanti as Jacopo
* Isabelle De Valvert as Haydee
* Anthony Dawson as Noirtier De Villefort
* Harold Bromley as M. Morrell
* George Willing as Andre Morrell
* Carlo Puri as Andrea Benedetto
* Ralph Michael as M. Dants
* Harry Baird as Ali
Characters omitted
The following participants in major sub-plots of the Dumas novel are not portrayed in the film:*Luigi Vampa
*Maximilian Morrel
*Hermine Danglars
*Eugenie Danglars
*Lucien Debray
*Beauchamp
*Heloise Villefort
*Edouard Villefort
*Marquis Saint-Mran
*Marquise of Saint-Mran
Production
The film was produced by Norman Rosemont, who originally tried to do it as a mini series but could not sell it. Instead he signed a deal with NBC to make it as a TV movie, although the film would be released theatrically in Europe. The budget was one and a half million dollars.
Bell Telephone Company sponsored and Richard Chamberlain agreed to star. It was part of the Bell System Family Theatre.Eight Specials to Mark Bell Theater's 5th Year
Los Angeles Times 9 July 1974: e14.
Rosemont remembered "grave doubts were expressed by the networks about whether there was a mass audience for period* pieces. They were in costume, there was the worry about accents and inevitably they would cost more than a period* drama."Why Norman Rosemont Likes to Film the Classics: Norman Rosemont's TV Films
By DAVID LEWIN. New York Times 23 Nov 1980: D35.
Filming took place in Rome starting in August 1974. There was location filming outside Marseilles.CHAMBERLAIN TO STAR IN NBC MONTE CRISTO'Los Angeles Times 5 June 1974: e16.'Maltese Falcon' just gave birth to a 'Black Bird'
Servi, Vera. Chicago Tribune 19 June 1974: b6.
The cast included Taryn Power, the daughter of Tyrone Power and Linda Christian.
"We tried to stick as closely as possible to the novel," said Rosemont. "And with Chamberlain in the lead I've got to say the show worked out better than anyone could want."A House Call ON A Former Dr. Kildare
Kaufman, Bill. Los Angeles Times 6 Jan 1975: g15.
Chamberlain called it "a great story" and said he chose not to see the previous movie versions because "I didn't want to copy even unconsciously."Is that Richard Chamberlain?: 'Three Musketeers' Adventure story Henry James series Treading water
By Arthur Unger. The Christian Science Monitor 8 Jan 1975: 9.
Reception
The show received good ratings. Market research showed the program had good "commercial recall" and reflected well on sponsor Bell, so they wanted more. Rosemont went on to make adaptations of 'The Man in the Iron Mask', 'Captains Courageous' and 'The Four Feathers'.TV VIEW: Ma Bell Connects With 'The Man in the Iron Mask'
O'Connor, John J. New York Times 16 Jan 1977: 85.
Performance awards
The film was nominated for two Emmys: Richard Chamberlain for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Special Program Drama or Comedy,[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000328/awards Richard Chamberlain: Awards] at IMDb and Trevor Howard for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special.References
Buy The Count of Monte Cristo (1975 film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1975