User reviews

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.

This is a nice introduction to the Dumas story. Chamberlain is very convincing count. The greatest strength are the scenes at the Château D'if and the relationship of Edmund Dantes with the old priest who saves him. This is really quite gut wrenching. I know it's not the responsibility of the writers to explain everything historically, but it would have been good to have a bit of the Bonapartist issues and the turmoil in France. Once Dantes finds the fortune and begins his quest for revenge, things get so short on detail, but that is the price of a two hour effort with commercials thrown in. Chamberlain makes a good swashbuckler. Louis Jordan and Tony Curtis do quite a bit of overacting, but that's OK. It's a big book and others have tried to put the story on screen, but this has always been fun for me.

In this "classic tale of injustice, revenge and ultimate retribution," according to the DVD description, "Edmond Dantes is about to marry the love of his life and become a Captain in the Navy until he is falsely accused of conspiracy and is sent to the hellish island fortress of Monte Cristo. Locked away from his perfect life, he feels only hatred and revenge towards the perpetrators of this horrible injustice, but can see no way of exacting his revenge...

"Told of a secret treasure by a dying prisoner, Dantes finds a new hope and escapes to find the treasure. Now with a fortune, he assumes the identity of the wealthy and influential Count of Monte Cristo. Here, he seeks his revenge using his enemies' greed and corruption to bring about their ultimate downfall."

This is a handsomely mounted ITC-TV production of the frequently adapted Alexandre Dumas classic. There are some hair and make-up distractions, but most of it looks nice, at least.

Richard Chamberlain performs the leading role with focus and style. Of his quartet of veteran co-stars, Trevor Howard (the Abbe Faria) is most impressive. The younger cast includes an early Kate Nelligan (as Mercedes) and the grown-up Dominic Guard (as Albert) kid from "The Go-Between" (1970). But, with piercing sword and courtroom play, the lesser known Carlo Puri (as Benedetto) makes the most memorable impression.

****** The Count of Monte-Cristo (1/10/75) David Greene ~ Richard Chamberlain, Carlo Puri, Kate Nelligan, Trevor Howard

This movie is excellent, especially compared to the new version with James cavaziel, which is much longer, and still does not touch on the depth and characters, this 75' version was somehow able to do. As well Chamberlain, was able to show through voice and appearance, changes of appearance from the young man of 19 to the man in he would be in his late 30's. If they didnt capture every subplot, they covered most of them, in more pared down fashion. Its a shame this was not made into a miniseries at the time on tv. It would likely have been excellent. You can tell from the cuts in the movie, that there was a longer one there, that couldnt be aired due to time constraints. Nevertheless, excellent, american production of the film, though not as good as the version with Gerard Depardieu, Chamberlain, himself, cuts a finer figure as the count, at least in is look. Chamberlain had assurance, picked a voice to use in the film, which I point out, because in the 2002 version, Cavaziel, had this very problem and never was able to be comfortable in how he delivered his lines or his appearance. Great Film catch it while you can.

Fine recounting packing adventures , action , romance , derring-do and it turns out to be enough entertaining as well as enjoyable . Set in the turbulent years after fall Napoleon, who was banished and isolated at Island of Elba . Stars Edmund Dantes : Richard Chamberlain , he is falsely incarcerated by a fake set-up schemed by his enemies , caused by his good fortune and gorgeous girlfriend : Kate Nelligan . He is wrongly imprisoned in Island of If , where he meets an old prisoner , Abbe Faria : Trevor Howard .Abbe becomes his teacher and mentor , later on , he tells Edmund a fantastic treasure hidden away at a far Island , that only he knows the location of . After long years in prison , Edmund escapes and he seeks a merciless vendetta against his old contenders. After that , Edmund proceeds to become himself into the wealthy Count of Montecristo , taking a new identity by surprising his enemy traitors .The revenge is ready against the nasty traitors who accused him .

This faithful filmization is a good and agreeable remake of the Alexandre Dumas tale by the same name , containing adventures , feats , action , fencing , romance and anything else . Decent and adequate recounting about the famous novel written by Alexandre Dumas . Including thrills, emotion , a betrayed love story and a relentless vengeance .Stars Richard Chamberlain as unfortunate Edmund who transforms into a powerful count , he goes into action to reclaim his ex-fiancee Mercedes : Kate Nelligan and while seeking vendetta . Concerning the known plot in which Edmund Dantes is unjustly sent to jail for 18 years at the Chateau-Island of If , being framed as sender of Napoleon's letters. As at the If prison he plots revenge against those who betrayed him , these are well played by a good plethora of secondaries giving appropriate interpretations , as DanGlars is nicely performed by Donald Pleasence , De Vilefort: : Louis Jourdan , and , of course , the greatest villain , Fernando Montego : Tony Curtis . Adding other suppport cast providing brief acting such as Angelo Infanti , Alessio Orano , Harry Baird , Andrea Fantasia , Dominic Guard , Anthony Dawson and Taryn Power , Tyrone Power's daughter . The motion picture was professionally directed by TV director David Greene. He made several TV series and episodes, such as Roots , Rich man poor man , Playhouse , Prototype , Defenders, Ghost dancing , Princess in love , What happened Baby Jane and ocasionally some films as Gospell, Red alert, I start counting and The people next door.

This is a TV renditíon , other adaptations are the followings : Classic black and white retelling Count of Montecristo by Rowland V. Lee with Robert Donat , Louisa Landi , Louis Calhern . Argentina versión El Conde de Montecristo 1953 by León Klimovski with Jorge Mistral. Le comte Montecristo 1961 by Claude Aunt Lara with Louis Jourdan as Montecristo. Tv series retelling Le conté de Montecristo 1979 with Jacques Wever . Tv nice versión by José Dayan in 1998 with Gérard Depardieu , Ornella Muti , Jean Rochefort , Pierre Arditi , Michael Aumont . And 2002 by Kevin Reynolds with James Cazievel , Daymara Domincyk , Guy Pearce , James Frain and Richard Harris as Abbe Faria.

Nothing personal, but this film is far too abridged. And while I admire Richard Chamberlain, I'm still not sure he was the right casting choice for Dantes. Is it worth a watch? Yes. But it's not really an accurate rendering of the novel. Too many things were changed, and I'm sorry, but what in the world is Tony Curtis doing in this movie? I had an issue with Donald Pleasance showing up, but Tony Curtis?! It just doesn't quite work. I would almost rather watch a version with an entirely unknown cast because at least then the film would be allowed to tell the story without having to highlight their celebrity stars.

There are several scenes that should have been re-shot. The "arrest that man" scene was done in a clumsy and fake way. The scenes in the prison were marvelous, especially after the two prisoners meet.

Overall, the movie felt rushed and incomplete. Most of the important scenes from the book were left out. Of course, the book was very long and involved and intricately woven together, and a movie of normal length really couldn't do the book justice.

Anyone who loves the book should see this movie anyway, especially for the prison scenes.

This is a made-for-television version of "Le Comte de Monte Cristo" which I believe qualifies as a masterwork. The feature was directed by David Greene and written by Sidney Carroll. Its basis is the famous adventure novel by Alexandre Duimas, the father. The feel of the piece is clean, to my eyes, the lighting very bright, the colors intense. I found it to be modern without committing in any sense a violation of its own century. Even those unable to understand something being of another age but not 'dated' can probably still enjoy what I regard as a very superior production of this classic story. The cinematography by Aldo Tinti I find to be memorable, as is the lyrical score by Allyn Ferguson. The attractive and varied settings within the production design done by Walter Patriarca as well as the art direction by Andrew Patriarca with Walter Patriarca are very much above-average even for theatrical-release films. Also, Olga Lehmann's costumes help to establish period and mood admirably in my judgment; the French period illustrated with its Empire dresses and fitted gentlemen's clothing photographed very nicely. The story is actually a fairly simple one. Edmond Dantes, a gifted and honest young seafarer has taken command of a ship belonging to his company and brought it home safely after the death of his captain. Betrayed by enemies he never knew he had, he is accused of the captain's death and taken away from the woman he loves, his life, his world and imprisoned for fourteen years. He at first fears he will go mad; then he is found by the Abbe Feria, who was tunneling to escape the island prison where he too has languished, but ended up in Dantes' cell instead. The two become fellow conspirators, and the learned cleric teaches Dantes all that he has missed in life as they work together to regain their freedom. He tells Dantes of a fabulous treasure on the Island of Monte Cristo, that they will be able to share someday. But he dies suddenly, after they have worked three years more; and Dantes barely escapes before the jailers come, with the map to the treasure and their tools. He returns to the cell where the Abbe's body has been sewn into a bag for disposal into the sea. Substituting himself after shifting the Abbe to his own cell, he waits. Thrown into the sea, he uses a knife to escape and survives the fall and near-drowning in good condition. It is his bad fortune to have to swim for hours before he can find so much as a floating log. Then they rescue him and take him in among them, for his knowledge of seamanship and more. He becomes a valued man, and learns that his father has starved to death during his absence. He vows revenge and seizes the means to it--the treasure of Monte Cristo. Recruiting loyal friends among the smugglers, he finds the five-centuries-old treasure. "The world is mine!" he cries. And with that, he becomes "The Count of Monte Cristo," one of the richest men in the world, a man who can have the revenge Edmond Dantes was denied by those whose business should have been justice. Four men are his target, the men who have profited from their evil deed against him. His sweetheart Mercedes has married one of the four and has a son; but even she fails to recognize him when he turns up as the darling of Paris, the most-sought-after man in French society. One by one, ensnaring them through their weakness and their lust for his unearned wealth, he causes them to be ruined or find death or a prison cell. He has become, in Mercedes' words, an 'avenging angel', no longer a man. But he is passionless about his pursuit of justice; it is for the viewer as if the innocent young Dantes were a man who had been done to death and as if he, the Count of Monte Cristo, were his separate champion exacting punishment for the man who is no more. But when he finishes, Mercedes does not see Edmond Dantes in him, only the vengeance seeker. This film is not about the power of wealth, but rather the wealth that power brings; for with cooperation, men ready to invest in one's schemes, men who can be bought or men who follow an opportunity, there is very little one cannot do. The flaw lies in a French society whose power-holders can be bribed and corrupted, not in the man who makes them offers they should refuse. I believe this to be far the best of the story's many versions. The cast is exceptional too for any film. Richard Chamberlain as the young Dantes, the prisoner, the smuggler, the avenger, the man is award caliber; he became "king of the TV mini-series" largely on the strength of this timeless performance. Among the men he seeks are Donald Pleasance, Tony Curtis and Louis Jourdan. As Mercedes, Kate Nelligan is lovely and suffers as well as she always does; her emotional range is admirably suited to the task of both losing Dantes and grieving over her threatened son, long after she has ceased to love her gamecock husband, Curtis. Trevor Howard is powerful and affecting as the Abbe Feria, lacking only enough lines to deserve awards for his work. Among the conspirators, Jourdan is coldly interesting, Pleasance admirably nefarious and Curtis, despite his accent problems, is energetic and intelligent. This is a film that I never miss, and I invite viewers to discover it. It is hard as a diamond, yet passionate, fast-paced and I suggest intensely-interesting at every point in its logical progression.

Although he hasn't the presence of Robert Donat in the same role, Richard Chamberlain exudes a nice dose of directed menace at some people who did him dirt in the end of the Napoleonic era.

As the story goes Chamberlain as Edmond Dantes is a first mate on a cargo ship which he brings in to Marseilles after the captain takes ill and dies. The ship made an unscheduled at Elba where the late captain visited Napoleon Bonaparte on the island and took back a sealed note and entrusted said note to an unsuspecting Chamberlain.

Chamberlain trusts the wrong people and gets hustled off to prison without trial. He spends 15 years there before escaping. When he does escape he finds as directed one fabulous fortune.

Enough money to reinvent himself as the Count Of Monte Cristo. The story is proof in the old adage that revenge is a desert best served cold. And in a cold and calculating way he evens the score by collecting enough data on Louis Jourdan, Donald Pleasance and Tony Curtis all of whom are solid pillars of the French government and society.

Interesting the presence of Tony Curtis in the cast. 20 years earlier he would have been Edmond Dantes if the film had been made then. Hedoesn't quite cut it as a bad guy though by now he'd played a few. But not in the swashbuckler genre

Chamberlain loses too, the love of Kate Nelligan the girl he was going to marry when fate intervened. Quite a bit has come between them over the years. Taryn Power of the power acting clan makes a debut as Jourdan's daughter who does not know of her father's duplicity.

This is a decent version of the story with no real happy ending for anyone.

The Count of Monte Cristo as well as The Man in the Iron Mask were both made for television in the mid to late 1970s and starred the talented Richard Chamberlain. Yet, because they were originally made for TV, they seem to have vanished and I haven't seen either on TV since the early 1980s (though I did copy them to now worn out videotapes). It's a real shame, as they were first-rate and every bit as good as any Hollywood production--maybe better.

The Man in the Iron Mask was the better of the two stories, but both are about as good Alexander Dumas stories as you can find. This is due to the overall package--exceptional music, acting, writing and pacing. I simply don't know how you could have made them much better.

In 1961, Louis Jourdan portrayed Edmond Dantès / Comte de Monte Cristo in what I feel is the most compelling of all portrayals of this hero. In 1975, he returned for his second film version of this classic tale, this time portraying De Villefort.

How intriguing to see both films and Monsier Jourdan's two very different roles. In the 1961 film he is the victim who seeks revenge, and I empathize with him. He breaks my heart. In 1975, he is the one who victimizes Edmund (Richard Chamberlain), and he does portray evil very convincingly. He proved that for the first time in 1956's "Julie." I admit that I am a Louis Jourdan completest. I own nearly all of his films, and I watch them each multiple times. Yes, he is breathtakingly gorgeous, but he is a far greater actor than most people realize. This film is worth watching even if you do not have access to the 1961 film (which is in French, by the way). But if you can, I suggest that you watch them both to see just how brilliant Louis Jourdan is in both roles: the hero and the villain.

When you convert a novel to film you are taking a story from one medium to another. To do this you will need to make certain changes in order to preserve the intent of the story. If you do a direct conversion you will be telling half a story at best. In this version of one of Monte Cristo there are many alterations. The changes made in the first hour makes sense and were probably needed given the time to tell the tale,103 minutes. The changes in the second hour make no sense and undermine much of Dumas' dramatic, timeless and romantic epic. If you love the book, watch the flick just for .... Yucks ... But don't expect to see the Count you read about.

This adaptation is more watchable than the 1922 and 1934 versions, which I have seen recently. Some subplots are different from each other in these adaptations and I wonder which one is the closest adaptation. As the book is so long, the abundance of characters and all those intrigues among them were shortened and even had to be modified. There is never enough time to develop all those characters in a feature-length film.

In this one, Richard Chamberlain performs very well. Dantes's transformation from a decent idealist person to a vengeful one is nicely played. I also liked the background music playing in some scenes. However, the second part still rushes to obey the runtime causing underdeveloped characters. Hence, the 2002 version remains my favorite adaptation because it has a more straightforward story with less complicacy than others, no matter if it is loyal to the book or not.

I never really understood why Richard Chamberlain became such a big film star. His acting was seriously limited and his characterisations didn't change from one role to the other. This time he takes the part of Alexandre Dumas' hero "Edmond Dantes". Wrongly imprisoned after being betrayed by his jealous shipmate and a corrupt magistrate as a Napoleonic conspirator, he meets the Abbé Faria (Trevor Howard) and together they hope to take a mere four years to tunnel to the sea wall from his cell in the imposing "Chateau D'If". It's pretty clear the old man doesn't have that amount of time. He does, however impart news of the legendary treasure of "Cardinal Slad" and after a bit of nimble body-bag swapping, "Edmond" escapes and seeks vengeance on his persecutors. Cleverly, though, he uses their own foibles to bring them down - the greed of "Danglars" (Donald Pleasence); the ambition of "de Villefort" (Louis Jourdan) and the treachery of acclaimed general "Mondego" (Tony Curtis) who also managed to marry his sweetheart "Mercedes" (an unimpressive Kate Nelligan). My favourite parts of the book are the start - here they are generally skirted over, with little attention to the causes of his betrayal or to his time in the claustrophobic prison that ultimately drove his determination for revenge. Pleasence is good though, he portrays the avaricious banker well and Jourdan comes across strongly as the prosecutor but Tony Curtis is well past his best and the sub plots around the interesting "Caderousse" and the impressionable and honourable young "Albert" (Dominic Guard) characters are largely subsumed into the underwhelming leading role. It looks fine, the production and costumes work well enough - but somehow it is all just a bit lacking. The ending varies from the book - ordinarily that might not matter, but here is robs "Dantes" of the vaguest semblance of humanity which I felt was part of his ultimate redemption story. It's an OK watch, I didn't hate it, but a bit more by way of depth from the star would not have gone amiss.

As I have stated elsewhere this was a well made adaptation of the Dumas work, but it is not the novel, which is not this feature's fault. Neither have any of the other American versions that I have seen. With the novel the are so many layers of subtlety and subtext in Edmond Dante's search for revenge, and they are not present here.

That having been said Richard Chamberlain obviously attacks this role with his usual relish and reveals why he has become one of the top picks for many TV mini-series) Trevor Howard gives a reverent and subtle performance as the Abbe Faria. Donald Pleasance and Louis Jordan are both excellent in their roles as well. Tony Curtis is the souring of the milk as it were. His Count Mondego is just not that believable. While I esteem him in many of his roles over the years he was horribly miscast here. The rest of this cast were well picked and the adventure is there. Actually it is a well done feature considering it had to be made on a television program budget. A better script and big screen budget might have taken this film much further. Still, it is worth a watch. I give it nine thumbs up.

Though this was one of many versions of the book, and was done 30 years ago, it still holds up well in comparison to later productions. It is too bad it was never released on DVD, and the video can only be purchased as used, since it is out of print. That being said, the production itself was beautifully shot in elegant European locations, and the costumes and dialects of the strong and impressive cast add to the authentic feel for the period the movie is portraying. Of course, as in all movies made from wonderful novels, there simply is not enough time to capture the expansive details an author puts forth in their literary work, but as long as you look at the movie as more of a short-handed summary of the book, you should like this particular rendition. What sets this apart from later versions, is that Richard Chamberlain, at the height of his career, fit the description of what the Count physically looked like much better than Gerard Depardieu ( a very fine actor!) Mr. Chamberlain was perfect casting, as he was tall,slender, and elegant, and looked dashing and handsome in the period costumes of the era. In addition, his classical speaking voice is perfect in presenting the Count as the charismatic mystery man depicted in the novel. A great supporting cast completes the movie, particularly Trevor Howard, Louis Jourdan and Kate Nelligan as Mercedes, and I also especially like the two young actors who portrayed Albert Mondego and Jacopo--very talented!! All in all, a very entertaining ensemble piece from the 70's, that is very well paced, and still holds up 30 years later.

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. ****

Strange, almost all reviewers are highly positive about this movie. Is it because it's from 1975 and has Chamberlain and Curtis in it and therefore forgive the by times very bad acting and childish ways of storytelling?

Maybe it's because some people get sentimental about this film because they have read the book? (I have not read the book, but I don't think that's a problem, film makers never presume that the viewers have read the book).

Or is it because I am subconsciously irritated about the fact that English-speaking actors try to behave as their French counterparts?

I went to see the new production of The Count of Monte Cristo this past weekend and then rewatched the one with Richard Chamberlain. This one captured the book far better than the new one did. It follows Dumas' original more closely and the character of the Count is calculating and single-minded just as in the book. The supporting actors weren't bad but Richard Chamberlain is who makes this movie as enjoyable as it was.

This is one of the greatest films based on novels i have ever seen. and if it involves Richard chamberlain, it's always worth the watch.

After his captain dies at sea, Edmond Dantes carries this letter from his captain and returns home to marry his girlfriend. but since this takes place in the 1800's, there are bonapartists, followers of Napoleon Bonaparte. And if you were a follower in those days, you were screwed, one way or another. Anyways, this letter Dantes holds, is what gets him thrown in prison, because it has something to do with his father being a bonapartist. so, Dantes is thrown in prison. after 14 years, he escapes and plots revenge. but will his plan succeed?

After i saw this movie, i felt awesome. it's a 70's movie which was really good. normally 70's movies are badly set and yada yada. but if you want a decent movie on the count of Monte christo, rent this, or borrow it from my grandma.

This takes the 8/10 ranking because it's awesome