The Count of Monte Cristo

Edmond Dantès is a young sailor with a fiancée, about to be made captain, who believes he has no enemies. Three men denounce him. He is shut in the Château d'If without trial. By the time he escapes, years later, his name, his money and his single purpose have all changed. Rowland V. Lee directs. Robert Donat plays Edmond Dantès and Elissa Landi plays Mercédès. The source is Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel. The book is very long and this adaptation splits it in two: the prison section passes quickly and the weight goes on how the revenge is constructed. The best thing in it is Donat. He does not raise his voice in the revenge scenes; he is polite and calm, and the calm frightens the other man more. The part introduced Donat internationally and he made Hitchcock's The 39 Steps the following year. Edward Small produced and it was released through United Artists. Among the many Monte Cristo adaptations made since, this is the one usually held to be the best. Who it is for: viewers who like classical Hollywood adventure and Dumas adaptations. Who it is not for: most of the novel is cut, the female characters have no function, and the pace slips in places by present standards.