The Count Of Monte Cristo Book & Movie Review

I saw the movie before I read the book, and I appreciate both of them but not as the same piece of work, if that makes any sense. Though, having read the book first and thoroughly enjoying it, it's my favorite out of the two. The book was filled with characters that were just an absolute pleasure to read about. I mean, you really get a sense of how everything and the characters really came together after Dantes is stuck in prison. I feel bad that Edmond and Mercedes didn't reunite afterwards, but it was a nice deviance showing how each of them accepted the world they live in now. Personally, I think my favorite two characters in the book were Maximilian and maybe Valentine, although it has been a while since I've read the book. But I don't think either of the 'characters' appeared in the movie (Valentine did, but she was Villefort's wife instead of his daughter, I think). So there are enough differences between the two that I really can't judge them as the same piece of work but I can value them as different ones.

The movie screen writers must have been mentaly impaired to massacre the book as they did! I loved the way the book was always moving, it was never dull for a second. Many people seem to think that the book was too long and too complex with the many characters, but I thought that made it all the better. When it was over I was dissapointed, not by the story, but by the fact that I was finished reading it. I have to admit being a little dissapointed that Mercedes and Edmond don't end up together, and that Edmond and his friends end up seperated, but really I was not expecting the book to end the way it did (again Hollywood's fault!) and so I was actually pleasantly surprised to be surprised. I don't think the book could have been any better than exactly as it is. The bottom line is that it is an exellent book.

What is The Count of Monte Cristo about? It is about humanity. Humanity at its best and worst. The frailty and strength of the human mind, body, and soul. It is about life and death, love and loss, jealousy and revenge, hope and forgiveness, redemption and despair. It is about greed, anger, and hatred. It is about justice and injustice.  The star of the book is a man we first meet as the young Edmond Dantes. A man falsely accused and convicted of a crime. A man imprisoned for fourteen years. A man who isn't released from prison, but a man who escapes. narrowly escapes at that. from his cell and seeks to reclaim life. A man who through the help of his deceased friend is able to start again, to start completely from scratch, a man who is able to rewrite his history, his life, give himself a new name. But his primary identity is as the Count of Monte Cristo or "the count". But though extraordinarily wealthy--filthy rich at that--money can't buy happiness. Money can, however, help pave the way for the most complex and complete and as the count would say "providential" revenge or vengeance. Here is one man who is very angry and bitter still over those fourteen years, over the lost opportunities, over the death of his father (starvation) and the loss of his betrothed “She married another man”. He thinks revenge is the only way to give his life meaning. The Count of Monte Cristo is a multi-generational novel. Which is just one of the reasons the book is so complex. We're introduced to one set of characters in the first section of the novel, and then hundreds and hundreds of pages later, we're introduced to a second generation, the children though mostly fully grown by this point, of those characters.

As to whether the story is realistic or not, I believe that most literature in the past are reflections of what a man is capable of doing. And whether what Edmund Dantes/the Count was doing is possible, I think that all of the things he had done are tangible. Looking at the world today, man's capacity is greater than what is expected of him; especially with the right drive or inspiration, he becomes almost limitless.

“God will give me justice,” this line which was engraved in the wall on the prison was retained on my mind when I watched the movie” The Count of Monte Cristo.” This movie amazed me very much because of its excellent theme. My adrenalin rush got higher because of many exciting scenes. First, was when Edmond Dantes was whipped in the prison by the authorities where he suffered in pain. Second, when another innocent prisoner taught him to write, read and to fence where he became wise and plotted revenge. Thirdly, when he fought with Fernand Mondego because it was very dramatic and it suspend me. He eventually finds his way to the island of Monte Cristo, where he finds riches beyond his wildest dreams. With this newfound treasure, Edmond reinvents himself as the Count of Monte Cristo, traveling all over the world buying beautiful things. He begins to hatch an elaborate plot to take revenge on Danglars, Fernand, and Monsieur Villefort. Eventually, the Count finds himself in Paris where Danglars, Fernand, and Villefort have all settled. Each of them is very wealthy, successful, and married with children. Fernand has married Mercedes. The Count is an instant hit with these social-climbing families. He's mysterious, sophisticated, wise, and elegant – everyone wants to be his best friend. The Count's intricate revenge plot gains momentum in Paris and around Paris where he gradually ruins the lives of each of his enemies. Trusting that all actions, both good and evil, will be repaid in full is hard for a non-Christian to understand. God is the ultimate judge, and He knows best how to attain the justice we all seek. When we take matters into our own hands, the result is that we need to dig two graves: one for our enemies, and one for ourselves. Vengeance destroys, and it can never bring about the closure that we desire. It is all consuming and easily blinds and leads astray, driving those who practice it to destructive ends. Christians can trust that God knows best how to achieve the goals we wish for, and that He will judge each according to their own. He knows our hearts, and will reward godly actions and punish evil ones.

The 2002 movie version of The Count of Monte Cristo is much more lavish and visually interesting than its predecessor. It may not be completely period correct, but it offers plenty of spectacular visuals, from the beautiful French landscapes to the gorgeous clothing at the high society parties. It also shows the different levels of society in that time, from the working class families that Edmond, Mercedes and Danglars come from, to the dark and dirty prison of the Château d’If, and ultimately to the wealthy and extravagant social order of the nobles. As is often the case with books that contain a large array of characters, many of them were eliminated or altered significantly. The main differences from the novel have to do with relationships between characters. For example, Valentine is shown to be Villefort’s wife in the film, while in the book the character with this name is Villefort’s daughter. In the book Albert Mondego is the son of Fernard and Mercedes Mondego, and is viewed by Edmond as the son that he should have had with Mercedes. In this film he is the son of Mercedes and Edmond, changing a large aspect of the story. Also, the relationship between Edmond and Fernard is changed. In the book, Fernard is only an acquaintance of Edmond and is Mercedes’ cousin; in this film he is Edmond’s best friend. The ending of the film is also very different from the ending of the book. In this film Edmond kills Fernard in a duel (instead of Fernard committing suicide) and ends up regaining the family that he had lost, Mercedes and Albert. This gives Edmond’s revenge a feeling of justification, for in the end Edmond is given what had been denied him before. This is definitely a more satisfying ending, appealing to our desire for fairness, but it doesn’t teach the lesson that victory through vengeance is hollow.

I would say that the theme of revenge in a passionate way is good only for cases like Dantes wherein he got to really have it. But for most of us, it probably is not good to think about having it one day because that would only make us bitter and pathetic. Good for him he had the priest to help him. But how about those countless innocent people who experienced the same ordeal and never got to have their revenge because they had nobody, no “priest” to help them? On the other hand though, it would give the readers/watchers of the story to have hope and not to turn down true love in order to have something to anchor upon in times when you know you are going to do something negative.