The Count of Monte Cristo
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Edmond Dantes, a young French sailor, is a victim of the sinister machinations of three men, Danglars, Fernand, and Villefort, who arrange for his imprisonment in the notorious Chateau D'If, based on an accusation of conspiring with Napoleon against the King. Leaving his heartbroken new wife Mercedes, Dantes languishes in the island prison for many years. He finally escapes in a burial sack intended for the elderly Abbe Faria, a fellow prisoner who, years earlier, had informed Dantes of a fabulous treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo. Dantes recovers it and is able to return a wealthy man to his native Marseilles to accomplish his revenge. Calling himself the Count of Monte Cristo, Dantes brings about the downfall of his enemies "One, Two, Three," by exposing them for the treacherous men they are, and finally is reunited with his wife and their son Albert.
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
James O' Neill was a famous American actor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who toured the United States for many years in the role of Edmond Dantes. Not the same person as James O'Neill who worked for the Solax Co. and Famous Players in the late teens, or James Neill who worked for Universal in the teens, this James O'Neill was the father of playwright Eugene O'Neill. The younger O'Neill's play Long Day's Journey Into Night is a largely autobiographical dramatization of the family's relationship.
This film was the first production of the Famous Players Film Co., but because of litigation with the Selig Co. over a rival three-reel version of the Dumas novel starring Hobart Bosworth and directed by Colin Campbell, the release of this production was delayed almost a year. The Prisoner of Zenda, the company's second American production thus became its first release. Modern sources credit the screenplay to Hampton Del Ruth. James O'Neill is often mentioned in modern sources as the first actor to receive a percentage of the film's profits as part of his salary.
In addition to this version, the story has been remade several times, including a 1922 version entitled Monte Cristo by Fox directed by Emmett J. Flynn and starring John Gilbert (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.3687); a 1934 British production directed by Rowland V. Lee, starring Robert Donat (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.0824); and a 1975 television movie directed by David Greene and starring Richard Chamberlain.
