Just what I expected

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I've seen several movie versions of this famous Alexandre Dumas story, and it's frankly hard to imagine any filming of the story to be bad...the story is that interesting. However, it did strike me as odd that the original unhappy ending (or at least somewhat unhappy ending) is replaced by an upbeat one instead! Edmond Dantes (Robert Donat) is an honest sailor who has just become a captain. However, while he thinks he's a lucky man, his life is about to be destroyed by three man who all have different movies pushing them to do this. The end result is that Dantes is tossed into a god-awful prison to rot....or so everyone assumes. However, after years of languishing, an older prisoner tunnels into Dantes' cell and they soon become friends. This prisoner knows of a huge fortune and tells Dantes where it is. The two plan on rescuing the treasure together, but the old man dies before this can occur. Dantes then escapes and creates a new life, as the Count of Monte Cristo. And, the rest of the story is his complicated plan to exact revenge against the three who imprisoned him.Up until the latter portion of the film, I loved the story. However, the courtroom scene was drawn out too long and became a bit dull. And, following this was the odd happy ending...an ending that seemed to lose much of the intent of the original novel. Worth seeing, but I prefer the 1975 or 2002 versions.

I saw this film as a youngster and never forgot it. About 15 years ago I was able to tape a version off TV. The sound track had a whirring on it that rose and fell in pitch throughout. As a result, as much as I liked the film I never watched it again. Last night I DVR'ed it when shown on TCM just on a hunch. The print was soft but the sound was impeccable. It was everything I remembered with some nice surprises. The film has everything: action, adventure, romance, spirit, bravura performances, memorable lines, wonderful sets, inspiring score and crisp direction. In my opinion it is the perfect recording to the screen of a classic novel.What I had forgotten was the score. The finale of Our Daily Bread had become a favorite. Then I discovered it in Les Miserables. And now I know where it originated. Hearing all the riffs on the main theme was a pleasure.Donat was wonderful of course. But I'd forgotten just how amazing Landi's work was here. Not a false note. Louis Calhearn wears is mantle as the screen's greatest sophisticated villain with pride. It was also a pleasure to see Harry Cording here. I collect his often minuscule roles. Here I think he is both a jailer and the assassin in the tableau.

This version differs significantly from the original Alexandre Dumas story; but, it's still the one to see. Most obviously, the film punctuates Dumas' story of justice through revenge with an ending not at all evident in Dumas' original work. So, "The Count of Monte Cristo" becomes the happier "love story" of Dantes and Mercedes. Notably, she "imagines" saying "I do" to Dantes only; and, his other lover (Haydee) is barely mentioned. Otherwise, the story is very neatly trimmed. And, it's certainly better than several imitations.Under Rowland V. Lee's direction, Robert Donat (as Edmond Dantes) performs exceptionally; his transformation from innocent, unsophisticated youth to the older, vengeful "Count" is beautifully conveyed. In the later half of the film, Mr. Donat's facial expressions approach horrifying. Donat's escape from prison, and his calculating revenge on Sidney Blackner (as Mondego), Raymond Walburn (as Danglars), and Louis Calhern (as Villefort) are the better parts of the movie. Elissa Landi (as Mercedes) gives a lovely performance; she ideally matches Donat's early naiveté, and later maturity. Douglas Walton (as Albert) offers, perhaps, the greatest support; he not only recalls the lovers' earlier youth, but also contrasts their later maturity.******** The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) Rowland V. Lee ~ Robert Donat, Elissa Landi, Douglas Walton

As a story The Count of Monte Cristo still has great power. Case in point, the movie Sleepers where four young men from Hell's Kitchen were sexually abused in a reform school they were sentenced to. They found in the Alexandre Dumas novel a man they could understand very easily given their street code. Edmund Dantes code of street justice translates very easily to just about every culture in the world, be it the mean streets of New York or the post Napoleonic Era in France.Robert Donat is Edmund Dantes an ordinary seaman who carries a letter from Elba about Napoleon Bonaparte's imminent return to France in 1815. Now he doesn't know he's carrying the letter, it was given to him by his dying captain. Three men who have their own reasons not to see the truth come out imprison Donat without trial in an island prison off Marseilles. After years there Donat effects his escape and plans to wreak vengeance on them, but not just to kill them, to expose them because all three have risen to importance in France. He's the Count of Monte Cristo now, having been bequeathed a hidden treasure by another inmate.The kids from Sleepers as well millions of others have learned what Dumas tried to convey, that hot blooded revenge killing won't do. If you have to take vengeance make sure it is an extremely calculated series of moves.Monte Cristo is the perfect kind of role for the cerebral Robert Donat. Donat makes us believe his transformation from the young and hopeful Edmund Dantes to the calculating Monte Cristo. If it were not for the Oscar Donat received for Goodbye Mr. Chips this one would have been the signature role of his career.Also look for some good acting by Elissa Landi, Louis Calhern and especially Raymond Walburn in their parts. He's usually the jovial gladhanding type, often a knave, but never a villain as he is here. Not a Walburn you're used to.