The classic novel by Alexander Dumas has been a subject of numerous cinematic adaptations, including a rather recent Hollywood attempt which was directed by Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld), but none in my opinion have been as successful as the 1998 made-for-TV mini-series directed by Josee Dayan. The French rendition of Le Comte de Monte Cristo featuring some of the best French and Italian actors from the last twenty years such as Gerard Depardieu (as Edmond Dantes), Jean Rochefort (Fernand Mondego), Pierre Arditi (Villefort), and Ornella Muti (Mercedes) despite its lengthy running time of almost seven hours quite frankly ranks as one of the more truthful renditions of this timeless odyssey.

Following the unfortunate story of Edmond Dantes who is unjustly imprisoned at Château d'If, the most brutal prison of the French Empire, Le Comte de Monte Cristo is a journey of struggle, revenge, and human redemption. At Château d'If Edmond Dantes befriends Abbe Faria, an old an eccentric prisoner, who keeps the key to an unimaginable treasure buried on the island of Monte Cristo. Hours before he dies Abbe Faria reveals his secret to Edmond Dantes who miraculously manages to escape Château d'If.
With the assistance of a dubious character who agrees to take Edmond on his ship the treasure of Monte Cristo soon becomes the driving force behind one of the most legendary revenge stories in classic literature-transformed as the Count of Monte Cristo Edmond Dantes will seek justice for those who sent him to prison. But can a man and his unmatched wealth succeed where God has failed?

Besides Les Trois Mousquetaires Alexander Dumas' Le Comte de Monte Cristo is certainly his most beloved and widely celebrated novel ever. There have been a number of film adaptations, some better than others, which directors from around the world have used to retell the famous story with the needed for such masterpiece accuracy. As I stated above Josee Dayan's take on the classic novel is amongst the better ones relaying on a spectacular cast and more importantly great script marvelously adapted by Didier Decoin. What truly shines in this magnificent TV production however is the degree of detail which the French-Italian crew has managed to achieve. With lavish costume designs, excellent replicas of the French countryside, and a beautiful photography this is indeed quite a triumph for Josee Dayan and his team.

It is indeed impossible to talk about this French TV production without using a fair share of accolades for Gerard Depardieu and his marvelous reincarnation as Edmond Dantes. Convincing, accurate, and above all simply a pleasure to behold Depardieu's acting is flawless. From the minute he is thrown at Château d'If to the moment when his eyes meet the stunned face of the always beautiful Ornella Muti (simply the perfect choice for Mercedes) Depardieu is a sea of emotions which never seizes to impress. Indeed, I can hardly think of another French actor who could have come even close to what Depardieu conveys in these mini-series. What a success!

Above all however the reason I could not get enough of this great production is the dialog. If you are fluent in French you would certainly understand how delicate, nuanced, and utterly stylish every single phrase is. The English translation is also well-deserving of this classic masterpiece. From the playful conversations between Edmond and Mercedes, to the revengeful overtones in Edmond's speech to Villefort, to the heart-stopping moments of redemption, everything is undeniably one beautiful game of eloquence...just as Dumas' writings reveal.

I find it hard to analyze, let alone critique, such notorious works as Le Comte de Monte Cristo without being overly judgmental to those who aspire to retell the famous story. With Josee Dayan's adaptation however my job has been rather easy as everything in this marvelous production seems to be of exceptionally high quality. In fact, as a viewer you would be hard-pressed to find another TV production as elaborate as Le Comte de Monte Cristo. It seems to me that with a few exceptions this is indeed one of the more successful takes on Dumas' work which will satisfy even the most demanding fans of the King of Paris.

Le Comte de Monte Cristo is the winner of the Audience Vote for: Best Actor (Gerrard Depardieu) and Best Movie made for TV at La nème Nuit des 7 d'Or, Paris, France (1998).

How Does the DVD Look?

If you are a fan of the TV series you are probably well aware of the fact that they were already released once in R1 land by a notorious for its poor treatment of foreign films studio. While the old discs were in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (which many sites incorrectly claimed was the original aspect ratio) this time around we actually do get the series in their original aspect ratio of 1.66:1. Letterboxed but not enhanced for widescreen TV's the image reveals some minor examples of "combing" that will certainly be an issue for those with more sensitive home set-ups. In addition I noticed a few instances of "color-bleeding" which I think could be just as distracting as what I described above. With this said, everything else is rather acceptable for tube-viewing. Contrast is handled well and image quality is for the most part stable. Of course, the inevitable question is...is this new version better than the now out of print older Fox Lorber version? The answer is Yes, even with the marginally better picture quality and non-progressive transfer I would still recommend this double pack over the old Fox version. As far as I am concerned this may be the best the series will look on a R1 DVD for quite some time.

How Does the DVD Sound?

The standard French 2.0 track has been added for this release. I did not notice any improvement over the old 2.0 track (it is just as clean and fresh as the old one). With optional yellow English subtitles.

Extras:

Aside from a few trailers for other Koch Lorber releases there are no extras on this DVD set.

Final Words:

As you could probably tell I absolutely adore these mini series. Spread over two discs this almost seven-hour saga is in my humble opinion one of the best renditions of the classic Dumas story there is. With an excellent cast and simply spectacular acting the series hardly feels like a TV production.
The new double set is slightly above average in terms of audio/video quality but to be honest I don't think we will see the TV series look any better in a near future. Certainly you would not be impressed by the quality (and hopefully you will be able to tolerate the "combing" described above) but I still RECOMMEND that you have the set for your collections. It is well worth it!!