Le comte de Monte-Cristo

Denys de la Patelière is not one of those French directors who strike a knowing cord but his body of work reflects a steady hand and a capacity to extract good performances from his actors. Those qualities are certainly present in this miniseries, to my mind the closest to the spirit and the actual story written by Alexandre Dumas.

Jacques Weber, an actor I knew nothing about until I saw this miniseries, posts an exemplary piece of restrained acting very much in keeping with the dictum that revenge is a dish best served cold.

That said, LE COMTE DE MONTE CRISTO is not just a story of revenge. It is, in fact, a story of personal redemption. Edmond Dantés (a man who suffers the closest thing to Dante's Inferno as a result of the cowardice, greed, and callousness of people to whom he had done no harm) could easily have followed the road of pure and simple vengeance, and he would have had good reason to do it - but he is a God-fearing man who knows that it is not in his power to save or punish others.

I read the book a long time ago and found it rather rambling. This filmed version enlightened me and I stand corrected: it is a must-read book just as this is a must-see series.