1975·Adventure·1h 59m
7.1
★
Young sailor Edmond Dantès is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes, finds treasure, and reinvents himself as the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.
Directed by David Greene
treasure
based on novel or book
falsely accused
return
revenge
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Richard Chamberlain
Edmond Dantès
Trevor Howard
Abbé Faria
Louis Jourdan
Villefort
Donald Pleasence
Danglars
Tony Curtis
Fernand Morcerf Mondego
Kate Nelligan
Mercédès
Angelo Infanti
Jacopo
Alessio Orano
Caderousse
Ralph Michael
M. Dantes
Dominic Barto
Bertuccio
Harry Baird
Ali
Taryn Power
Valentine De Villefort
Crew
David Greene
Director
Aldo Tonti
Director of Photography
Alexandre Dumas
Novel
Walter Patriarca
Art Direction
Walter Patriarca
Production Design
Popular Reviews
23 reviews
Rebel NotoriousPRO
4.0★ · 04/08/26
“The world is mine!”
So, I gave some 3 months between finishing Dumas’ novel and tackling any of the adaptations as I wanted to avoid spending too much of the experience making comparisons, noting changes or cuts because more often than not this can rob a film of what it has to offer. From page to screen, things always need to be changed or omitted or otherwise restructured. Yet, what the 1975 made for TV adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo presents is so faithful to its source material that it is unavoidable.
The first half is a very solid capture of Edmond’s downfall, his time in the Chateau d’If and subsequent escape. Thereafter, however, is where the cracks begin. Around 3/4 of the novel are relegated to the other 50 minutes of runtime and it leads to very sloppy narrative structuring and editing, the flow of the film simply begins to disintegrate. There’s no real build up to Edmond’s revenge on each character, all the manoeuvring that he does to bring these characters to justice is passed over or condensed into near nonsense for anyone without prior knowledge of the material. Of course, entire plot lines are omitted, the original novel is dense with characters but even some include in the film could have been completely cut at no loss to this version. Valentine, Noirtier and Albert all make scant appearances and bear almost no relevance to later events. Albert is the sole exception as they still attempt to play out his lynchpin role in the story. I highlight these three characters specifically because they are ultimately incredibly critical to Edmond’s character arc. The scenes between Edmond and Mercedes may just be some of the best in the film, they really carry any bit of emotional weight the film can muster. But it still falls flat at the end.
By being so utterly faithful to Dumas’ sprawling tale of adventure and revenge, the movie sealed its own fate of never truly capturing what makes the novel so good. The characters, the scheming, the identity swapping and the events that Edmond could never foresee within his schemes. I think the best way to sum up this adaptation is this: it is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
So, I gave some 3 months between finishing Dumas’ novel and tackling any of the adaptations as I wanted to avoid spending too much of the experience making comparisons, noting changes or cuts because more often than not this can rob a film of what it has to offer. From page to screen, things always need to be changed or omitted or otherwise restructured. Yet, what the 1975 made for TV adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo presents is so faithful to its source material that it is unavoidable.
The first half is a very solid capture of Edmond’s downfall, his time in the Chateau d’If and subsequent escape. Thereafter, however, is where the cracks begin. Around 3/4 of the novel are relegated to the other 50 minutes of runtime and it leads to very sloppy narrative structuring and editing, the flow of the film simply begins to disintegrate. There’s no real build up to Edmond’s revenge on each character, all the manoeuvring that he does to bring these characters to justice is passed over or condensed into near nonsense for anyone without prior knowledge of the material. Of course, entire plot lines are omitted, the original novel is dense with characters but even some include in the film could have been completely cut at no loss to this version. Valentine, Noirtier and Albert all make scant appearances and bear almost no relevance to later events. Albert is the sole exception as they still attempt to play out his lynchpin role in the story. I highlight these three characters specifically because they are ultimately incredibly critical to Edmond’s character arc. The scenes between Edmond and Mercedes may just be some of the best in the film, they really carry any bit of emotional weight the film can muster. But it still falls flat at the end.
By being so utterly faithful to Dumas’ sprawling tale of adventure and revenge, the movie sealed its own fate of never truly capturing what makes the novel so good. The characters, the scheming, the identity swapping and the events that Edmond could never foresee within his schemes. I think the best way to sum up this adaptation is this: it is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
“The world is mine!”
So, I gave some 3 months between finishing Dumas’ novel and tackling any of the adaptations as I wanted to avoid spending too much of the experience making comparisons, noting changes or cuts because more often than not this can rob a film of what it has to offer. From page to screen, things always need to be changed or omitted or otherwise restructured. Yet, what the 1975 made for TV adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo presents is so faithful to its source material that it is unavoidable.
The first half is a very solid capture of Edmond’s downfall, his time in the Chateau d’If and subsequent escape. Thereafter, however, is where the cracks begin. Around 3/4 of the novel are relegated to the other 50 minutes of runtime and it leads to very sloppy narrative structuring and editing, the flow of the film simply begins to disintegrate. There’s no real build up to Edmond’s revenge on each character, all the manoeuvring that he does to bring these characters to justice is passed over or condensed into near nonsense for anyone without prior knowledge of the material. Of course, entire plot lines are omitted, the original novel is dense with characters but even some include in the film could have been completely cut at no loss to this version. Valentine, Noirtier and Albert all make scant appearances and bear almost no relevance to later events. Albert is the sole exception as they still attempt to play out his lynchpin role in the story. I highlight these three characters specifically because they are ultimately incredibly critical to Edmond’s character arc. The scenes between Edmond and Mercedes may just be some of the best in the film, they really carry any bit of emotional weight the film can muster. But it still falls flat at the end.
By being so utterly faithful to Dumas’ sprawling tale of adventure and revenge, the movie sealed its own fate of never truly capturing what makes the novel so good. The characters, the scheming, the identity swapping and the events that Edmond could never foresee within his schemes. I think the best way to sum up this adaptation is this: it is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
So, I gave some 3 months between finishing Dumas’ novel and tackling any of the adaptations as I wanted to avoid spending too much of the experience making comparisons, noting changes or cuts because more often than not this can rob a film of what it has to offer. From page to screen, things always need to be changed or omitted or otherwise restructured. Yet, what the 1975 made for TV adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo presents is so faithful to its source material that it is unavoidable.
The first half is a very solid capture of Edmond’s downfall, his time in the Chateau d’If and subsequent escape. Thereafter, however, is where the cracks begin. Around 3/4 of the novel are relegated to the other 50 minutes of runtime and it leads to very sloppy narrative structuring and editing, the flow of the film simply begins to disintegrate. There’s no real build up to Edmond’s revenge on each character, all the manoeuvring that he does to bring these characters to justice is passed over or condensed into near nonsense for anyone without prior knowledge of the material. Of course, entire plot lines are omitted, the original novel is dense with characters but even some include in the film could have been completely cut at no loss to this version. Valentine, Noirtier and Albert all make scant appearances and bear almost no relevance to later events. Albert is the sole exception as they still attempt to play out his lynchpin role in the story. I highlight these three characters specifically because they are ultimately incredibly critical to Edmond’s character arc. The scenes between Edmond and Mercedes may just be some of the best in the film, they really carry any bit of emotional weight the film can muster. But it still falls flat at the end.
By being so utterly faithful to Dumas’ sprawling tale of adventure and revenge, the movie sealed its own fate of never truly capturing what makes the novel so good. The characters, the scheming, the identity swapping and the events that Edmond could never foresee within his schemes. I think the best way to sum up this adaptation is this: it is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Julia Paul
4.0★ · 02/01/26
I don't like this version
I don't like this version
Lasse Jørgensen
7.9★ · 08/09/25
Am I the only one who loves the “TV-Movie” style, like the vibes are just cozy and they feel like something that I would watch a Saturday afternoon with a biscuit and a cup of tea, while it’s raining. Just love the vibes and this story is just amazing and an all timer.
Am I the only one who loves the “TV-Movie” style, like the vibes are just cozy and they feel like something that I would watch a Saturday afternoon with a biscuit and a cup of tea, while it’s raining. Just love the vibes and this story is just amazing and an all timer.
Lilamy
9.0★ · 04/19/25
Sure, unrealistic af, bur still a banger.
Sure, unrealistic af, bur still a banger.
SP
10.0★ · 07/28/26