Alexandre de La Patellière-Matthieu Delaporte, duo behind The First Nameare once again sparking with this grandiose romantic fresco broadcast this Friday, January 3, 2025 at 9:05 p.m. on Canal+. Thanks in particular to a magnificent Pierre Niney.
Over the past two years, Alexandre Dumas has found a new lease of life in the cinema. The diptych The Three Musketeers had laid a (uneven) first stone in the incredible (modernized) universe of the illustrious author. The no less famous Comte de Monte Cristo does much better. Already, behind the scenario of the adventures of d’Artagnan and his gang, the duo Alexandre de La Patellière-Matthieu Delaporte transposes the story of Edmond Dantès while also donning the hats of directors. We all know the story. A young sailor arousing jealousy is arrested on his wedding day and imprisoned at the Château d’If. Fourteen years later, he escapes to take revenge on the three men who betrayed him.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo : Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte intelligently adapt the work of Dumas
Men of theater as much as cinema, Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte have a way with words. Dumas’ work suits them wonderfully. Without betraying it, they take liberties – impossible to do otherwise when adapting a work of more than 1,400 pages – to better modernize it but above all to sublimate it. The sumptuous natural settings provide an impressive visual scale. The classic, no-frills production reserves some spectacular scenes (the opening sequence, the escape, or the final duel to name a few). This romantic epic in the form of a thriller of almost three hours runs at breakneck speed, with no downtime, and without the tension ever letting up.
Pierre Niney between the shadow of the Count of Monte Cristo and the light of Edmond Dantès
This breathtaking story of revenge takes on incredible power thanks to a perfect cast from A to Z. As convincing as the sunny and naive Edmond Dantès, as the dark and implacable Count of Monte Cristo, Pierre Niney disappears behind his character and impresses even in his gestures and his voice. Helped by fascinating makeup, he becomes a superhero consumed by hatred. A terrible dark avenger in disguise, long before a certain Batman, the fashion for comics and the hegemony of Marvel in the cinema. The light comes from the hypnotizing Anamaria Vartolomei, while Anaïs Demoustier powerfully portrays the superb romantic heroine that is Mercédès. Attracting more than 9.3 million curious spectators in theaters, our national Edmond Dantès has also beaten Deadpool & Wolverine (3.7 million entries). Sales of the book even exploded. Alexandre Dumas didn’t ask for that much.
