The Count of Monte Cristo (1934)

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

This takes place in 1815. Young handsome Edmond Dantes (Robert Donat) is unjustly accused of treason by three evil men. He is imprisoned but his girlfriend Mercedes (Elissa Landi) vows to wait for him. Then he is mistakenly believed to be dead and she abandons hope. He is in prison for 20 years virtually forgotten. Then with the help of another prisoner (O.P. Heggie) he escapes and vows revenge on all three of the men who wronged him. The problem is Mercedes is now married to one of them.I never read the book so I can't compare it but this is a fast-moving and very good film. It was independently made but still has excellent production values and costumes. The story is shown in quick short sequences which move briskly ahead. Donat is excellent in the lead however he's physically all wrong for the role. He's tall and thin and was plagued by health problems all his life and it shows here occasionally. Heggie is also excellent in his role and was just a year away from playing a blind beggar in "Bride of Frankenstein". Landi unfortunately is pretty terrible as Mercedes. She comes across as unattractive and somewhat cruel. I kept wondering what Edmond saw in her. Still this is a very good movie and well worth watching. Good luck finding a clean print.

What a wonderful actor Robert Donat was, though he never was a Hollywood star in the sense that Clark Gable or others were. Instead, he was content to stay home in England until summoned to work. Because of chronic asthma, that wasn't a lot, and only once in Hollywood, for this film, "The Count of Monte Cristo." There have been numerous tellings of this tale, with lots left out from the novel due to time constraints. Also, as one reviewer pointed out, one begins to dislike our hero as the book goes on.This version, in black and white, has a real "old world" feeling, a marvelous cast, and an excellent characterization by Donat of a man seeking revenge on those who sent him to prison for years. The cast includes Elissa Landi, Sidney Blackmer, Louis Hayward, and O.P. Heggie.Highly recommended, but there's lots more to the story. Check out the Dumas novel and the Gerard Depardieu version for more.

This version differs significantly from the original Alexandre Dumas story; but, it's still the one to see. Most obviously, the film punctuates Dumas' story of justice through revenge with an ending not at all evident in Dumas' original work. So, "The Count of Monte Cristo" becomes the happier "love story" of Dantes and Mercedes. Notably, she "imagines" saying "I do" to Dantes only; and, his other lover (Haydee) is barely mentioned. Otherwise, the story is very neatly trimmed. And, it's certainly better than several imitations.Under Rowland V. Lee's direction, Robert Donat (as Edmond Dantes) performs exceptionally; his transformation from innocent, unsophisticated youth to the older, vengeful "Count" is beautifully conveyed. In the later half of the film, Mr. Donat's facial expressions approach horrifying. Donat's escape from prison, and his calculating revenge on Sidney Blackner (as Mondego), Raymond Walburn (as Danglars), and Louis Calhern (as Villefort) are the better parts of the movie. Elissa Landi (as Mercedes) gives a lovely performance; she ideally matches Donat's early naiveté, and later maturity. Douglas Walton (as Albert) offers, perhaps, the greatest support; he not only recalls the lovers' earlier youth, but also contrasts their later maturity.******** The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) Rowland V. Lee ~ Robert Donat, Elissa Landi, Douglas Walton

As a story The Count of Monte Cristo still has great power. Case in point, the movie Sleepers where four young men from Hell's Kitchen were sexually abused in a reform school they were sentenced to. They found in the Alexandre Dumas novel a man they could understand very easily given their street code. Edmund Dantes code of street justice translates very easily to just about every culture in the world, be it the mean streets of New York or the post Napoleonic Era in France.Robert Donat is Edmund Dantes an ordinary seaman who carries a letter from Elba about Napoleon Bonaparte's imminent return to France in 1815. Now he doesn't know he's carrying the letter, it was given to him by his dying captain. Three men who have their own reasons not to see the truth come out imprison Donat without trial in an island prison off Marseilles. After years there Donat effects his escape and plans to wreak vengeance on them, but not just to kill them, to expose them because all three have risen to importance in France. He's the Count of Monte Cristo now, having been bequeathed a hidden treasure by another inmate.The kids from Sleepers as well millions of others have learned what Dumas tried to convey, that hot blooded revenge killing won't do. If you have to take vengeance make sure it is an extremely calculated series of moves.Monte Cristo is the perfect kind of role for the cerebral Robert Donat. Donat makes us believe his transformation from the young and hopeful Edmund Dantes to the calculating Monte Cristo. If it were not for the Oscar Donat received for Goodbye Mr. Chips this one would have been the signature role of his career.Also look for some good acting by Elissa Landi, Louis Calhern and especially Raymond Walburn in their parts. He's usually the jovial gladhanding type, often a knave, but never a villain as he is here. Not a Walburn you're used to.