A Modern Monte Cristo

In selecting a plot of Dumas' to modernize, Floyd Lonergan, the author of "A Modern Monte Cristo," made sure that his model was of the best. The five-reel Thanhouser-Pathé Gold Rooster play in which Vincent Serrano is the central figure is by no means the peer of its celebrated prototype; but, nevertheless, it has distinct merits of its own. The spirit of revenge which animates the actions of Edmund Dantes is also the cause of this later day Monte Cristo's activities during the progress of the Lonergan play. Made an outcast and deprived of the woman he loves by his rival, a young doctor of exceptional promise devotes his life to squaring accounts with the man who worked his downfall. Chance places the young daughter of his rival in Dr. Emerson's hands after she has been injured, and he saves her life. When the child reaches womanhood, Emerson, now a man of great wealth, is bent upon causing her father's financial ruin and taking a terrible revenge upon the girl. Her trust in him defeats his purpose and wrings his better nature to the fore. The variety of incident and scene that is such a potent factor in the scenes of the French romance is utilized in "A Modern Monte Cristo." The ship used in the picture is not very impressive, but the struggle in the water of Emerson and the child after the shipwreck contains a real thrill. Vincent Serrano gives a good account of himself in the character of Dr. Emerson and plays with the requisite melodramatic touch. Helen Badgley is a courageous youngster and exhibits an uncommon spirit of daring; she is also a clever little actress. Thomas Curran, Gladys Dorr and Boyd Marshall help to sustain the picture at an excellent acting level. E. Eugene Moore directed the production. – The Moving Picture World, February 3, 1917