The Count of Monte Cristo [Blu-ray]

Director: Kevin Reynolds Kevin Reynolds

Overview

The classic tale of swashbuckling adventure by the senior Alexandre Dumas comes to the screen in its umpteenth incarnation, this time from Kevin Reynolds, directing his first feature in five years. James Caviezel stars as Edmond Dantes, an honest sailor who plans to marry his beautiful lover Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk). Edmond doesn't know that his best friend Fernand Mondego (Guy Pearce) secretly desires Mercedes for himself and schemes with fallen aristocrat Villefort (James Frain) to frame Edmond for a crime he didn't commit. Sentenced to life on the remote island prison of D'If, Edmond becomes consumed by plans for revenge. Thirteen years pass and he meets a fellow innocent convict, Abbe Faria (Richard Harris), who becomes Edmond's mentor in swordfighting, finance, and escape, confiding that a vast treasure awaits a discoverer on the island of Monte Cristo. Eventually, Edmond is able to get away using Faria's tunnels and makes his way to Monte Cristo, where he retrieves the fortune and uses it to make himself over as the wealthy "Count of Monte Cristo." With the help of a loyal sidekick (Luis Guzman), Edmond insinuates himself into French royalty and sets about getting revenge on Villefort and Fernand, who is now married to Mercedes. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) also stars Michael Wincott and Albie Woodington.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/13/2011
UPC:	0786936800517
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Touchstone / Disney
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	2:11:00
Sales rank:	2,792

Special Features

5 Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Filmmakers Including Alternate Final Duel; "The Napoleonic World" - Production Design Featurette; "En Garde" - Multi-Angle Sword Fighting Feature; "The Pen" - Retrospective On Author Alexandre Dumas; "Adapting A Classic" - Screenwriting Segment; "The Clash of Steel" - Stunt Choreography Piece; Layer-By-Layer - Interactive Sound Design Feature; Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Reynolds

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Guy Pearce	Mondego
Richard Harris	Faria
James Frain	Villefort
Dagmara Dominczyk	Iguanada
Luis Guzman	Jacopo
Michael Wincott	Dorleac
Albie Woodington	Hermine
Henry Cavill	Mondego
Helen McCrory	Villefort
Alex Norton	Napoleon
Christopher Adamson	Maurice
JB Blanc	Luigi
Guy Carleton	Mansion Owner
Barry Cassin	Old Dantes
Briana Corrigan	Casino Prostitute
Brendan Costello	Viscount
Maireid Devlin	Partygoer No.2,Actor,Partygoer No. 2
Stella Feeley	Partygoer No.3
Patrick Godfrey	Morrell
Joe Hanley	Partygoer No.1
Katherine Holme	Julianne
Freddie Jones	Col. Villefort
Joseph Kelly	Gardener,Gardener
Ivan Kennedy	Outrider
Alvaro Lucchesi	Claude
Karl O'Neill	Marchand
Robert Price	Pascal
Derek Reid	Banker
Eric Stovell	Nobleman Duellist
Jude Sweeney	Mondego Servant
Brian Thunder	Gendarme
Gregor Truter	Lt. Graypool
Andrew Woodall	Gendarmes Captain
Roger Birnbaum	Actor
Jay Wolpert	Actor
Jonathan Glickman	Actor
Chris Brigham	Actor
Gregory James	French Dragoon
Zahara Moufid	Holga
Guy Pierce	Actor
James Caviezel	Edmond Dantes,Actor
Ed Shearmur	Composer,Composer

Technical Credits

Jay Wolpert

Kevin Reynolds	Director
Jay Wolpert	Screenwriter
Gary Barber	Producer
Roger Birnbaum	Producer
Chris Brigham	Executive Producer,Producer
Kevin Byrne	Special Effects
Jonathan Glickman	Producer
Priscilla John	Casting
Karl Mooney	Special Effects
Marcia Ross	Casting
Paul Weston	Stunts
Chris Chrisafis	Producer
Derek Evans	Producer
Morgan O'Sullivan	Producer
Rebekah Rudd	Producer
Andrew Somper	Producer
Sefi Carmel	Sound Effects
Paul Curtis	Sound Effects
Adam Daniel	Sound Effects,Sound Effects
Brendan Deasy	Sound Effects
Peter Joly	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

One of the best of the many adaptations of Alexander Dumas’ beloved novel, this lavish 2002 version offers swashbuckling adventure of the highest order. An innocent man, Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel), is imprisoned for years on a godforsaken island while the friend who betrayed him (Guy Pearce) takes Dantes’ ravishing fiancée (Dagmara Domincyzk) for himself. Dantes eventually escapes, recovers a fortune in buried pirate treasure, transforms himself into the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, and methodically goes about exacting his revenge. This sumptuous production does a splendid job of re-creating the novel's 19th-century French setting: The costumes, locations (the film was shot in Ireland and Malta), and lush cinematography are breathtaking. Caviezel and Domincyzk are equally gorgeous (especially since neither of them appears to age one whit over the course of 16 years); Pearce makes a memorable bad guy; and Richard Harris is excellent as Abbé Faria. Director Kevin Reynolds has a real feel for action, and he manages to infuse the frequent sword fights with tension and drama. Most important, the scenes in which Dantes exacts his long-plotted revenge offer the deep, cathartic satisfaction that has made The Count of Monte Cristo such an enduring classic.

Barnes & Noble - Kryssa Schemmerling

A return to form for superlative action director Kevin Reynolds, who isn't hampered by the two most common drawbacks to his work: dumb scripts and the presence of his one-time friend Kevin Costner in the cast. This time, Reynolds draws creative water from the well of a classic adventure novel and casts excellent actors Guy Pearce and James Caviezel in the leads (as well as terrific supporting players Richard Harris and Luis Guzman in smaller roles). Pearce in particular chews up the scenery with a witheringly fey, callow performance that challenges the best villain turns of Tim Roth. The overall result is a solid, efficiently crafted swashbuckler. The director also remains consistent in tone and theme, a major flaw of his previous big-budget efforts such as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) and Waterworld (1995), two pictures that displayed moments of real grace and inventiveness, but which were seriously hampered by Costner's wooden acting and too many boneheaded attempts to play to the cheap seats with ironic one-liners, foolish plot ideas, and anachronistic humor. Reynolds is going for a pulpy feeling in most of his work and he finally achieves a tangible Classic Comics flavor here, successfully mounting scenes that would have played as unintentionally hilarious in his earlier work -- such as the Count's arrival at his own "coming out" party via hot air balloon -- but here achieve a giddy showiness that urges the audience to join in the fun. That's not to say that the film succeeds on all levels; distracting indeed are some rather modern lines of dialogue and the fact that it takes only a goatee and longer hair for the Count to disguise himself from those who have known him his entire life. Fans of Superman should have little problem with this, however, and that gets to the heart of the film; Alexandre Dumas isn't exactly William Shakespeare, so filmmakers can be forgiven for taking poetic license in adapting the Frenchman's purple prose. Especially when they've done so this well. The Count of Monte Cristo is a fine and worthy B-picture in the best tradition of its genre. One longs to see what Reynolds could do with the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert Louis Stevenson or Jack London.

All Movie Guide - Karl Williams

A gorgeously photographed, sumptuously designed adaptation of the Dumas swashbuckler...Jessica Winter

Village Voice

Old-form moviemaking at its best. Stephen Hunter

Washington Post

This new movie version of the Alexandre Dumas classic is the stuff of high romance, brought off with considerable wit. Bob Graham

San Francisco Chronicle