Synopsis
Victim of a conspiracy, young Edmond Dantès is arrested on his wedding day for a crime he did not commit. After fourteen years of detention at the Château d'If, he managed to escape. Having become immensely rich, he returns under the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo to take revenge on the three men who betrayed him.
NB: The image comparisons (.jpg compression, 8-bit) are strictly for illustrative purposes and are not representative of what the Ultra HD Blu-ray will broadcast on your calibrated UHD HDR screen.
In order to highlight the concrete use of Wide Color Gamut (WCG) on this edition (see tutorial here), the pixels which are located in the standard/BT.709 range (confined inside the small triangle REC.709) are presented to you here entirely desaturated. Conversely, those part of the expanded BT.2020 range, exclusive to the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc (which extend outside the small triangle REC.709) are presented to you in color:
????️ “He alone who has experienced extreme misfortune is capable of feeling extreme happiness.”
Imagine a young man, Edmond Dantès, with a soul as pure as the azure of the Mediterranean sky. A sailor with a bright future, his heart filled with love for his beautiful Mercedes. Suddenly, the nightmare. Betrayal, brutal and cold like the iron of a sharp blade. Those he considered brothers condemned him to an existence in the shadows, in the lair of the Château d'If. A stone hell that will last for him 14 years. His destiny is broken.
But Dantes is not dead. He falls. And in this stone tomb, something new takes shape. Something dark, calculating, fueled by pain and revenge. From this shadow, Dantès will be reborn in the guise of the Count of Monte Cristo, a mysterious and merciless figure forged by a new inner fire. The metamorphosis is both spiritual and intellectual: the innocent sailor transformed into a ruthless strategist, his quest for revenge becoming his new driving force. He infiltrates Parisian high society, a wolf among lambs, his aristocratic mask hiding a tortured soul. Like a surgeon, he dissects the lives of his tormentors, orchestrating their downfall with chilling precision. Each blow is calculated, each step a movement on the chessboard of his revenge.
Ce Comte de Monte Cristo transcends the limits of conventional historical drama. The directors, Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte, free themselves from absolute fidelity to Dumas' novel to offer a more visceral and contemporary interpretation. The psychological evolution of Dantès, his descent into hell and his gradual rebirth, are now at the heart of the story. The aesthetic approach confirms this same desire to break with the visual conventions of previous adaptations. Inspired by the glorious Technicolor of the 60s and 70s, the photography displays a sumptuous color palette. It combines the modernity of digital capture with the elegance of an anamorphic format specific to the great epics of the past. A rich cast, led by Pierre Niney, and sumptuous sets and costumes, above all contribute to enhancing a story that is as captivating as ever.
Video Quality
The Count of Monte Cristo (2024) was shot digitally using the industry-leading Arri Alexa 35 camera. The intermediate master was supervised in 4K. The film, lasting close to 2h58, is reproduced on a BD-100 disc with 88.1 GB of space actually used. We find the options HDR10 and Dolby Vision (here 12-bit FEL).
The use of Arri Alexa 35 cameras and anamorphic optics gives the images a unique visual identity, imbued with a certain princely glamour. The transposition of Dumas' novel to the screen involves the careful reconstruction of settings worthy of the myth: from the majestic interiors, to the vast panoramas of the port of Marseille, to the multiple wide shots of the large residences with their lush green settings. Every detail added was done with obvious attention. And this is highlighted by the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray edition whose rendering precision proves to be the most accomplished. The contribution in definition remains subtle but appreciable. It is revealed in the exterior shots of the Château de Ferrières, the oriental-influenced lounge of the Château de Monte-Cristo, and the wide shots of the three-masted ship seen during the final sequences. A slight noise gives depth to several dark passages. But no plausible grain was emulated in post-production. This seems to be part of the desire to create a modern and clear image, in line with current standards.
The Count of Monte Cristo (2024) shares with D'Artagan the same artistic team, including director of photography Nicolas Bolduc. But when it comes to HDR grading, the approach today is much less conservative. This is a film of strong, modern contrasts, with a mood that shines through as both beautiful and menacing. Bright peaks around 1000 nits on speculars and very highlights are a reality on this title. And although scenes using practical lighting sources (many candles) appear darker and denser than on the Blu-ray counterpart, the whole retains a remarkable naturalness. Flesh tones are sumptuously rendered, and colors are fully highlighted. The image gains in precision, depth and volume. The Wide Color Gamut (WCG) enhances landscapes, including the lush greenery of gardens and azure Mediterranean skies, giving them a striking realism and richness.
Audio Quality
The Count of Monte Cristo (2024)it's also an impressive Dolby Atmos mix that will make a great impression on you. The recording level is lower than usual. We invite you to increase the volume of your amplifier by 4 decibels. But the dynamics of this VOF are intact, without any trace of compression. It’s a solid mix in every way. And you don't have to wait long to realize it. As soon as the first contextual messages appear, the storm rumbles and immediately takes over the vertical channels and never lets you go. We are in the heart of a tormented night, on the open sea, on the merchant ship Pharaon. And the waves, the storm, the storm take over all the channels at your disposal. This introductory scene sets the bar very high in terms of immersion. And it would be very unfortunate to reduce this mix to this single passage. The atmospheres are absolutely rich: that of the port of Marseille, punctuated by commercial activity; the cells of the Château d'If, with their cavernous acoustics and amplified echoes; the scene of the hunt with the barking of the dogs mixed with the feverish gallop of the horses. Above all, in Atmos, the use of vertical channels is illustrated on more than one occasion: the inaugural storm, the dramatic landslide at 44:56, the underwater scene when Dantes' body is thrown into the sea at 51:15. .. Some examples are presented to you in our attached video in binaural reproduction.
The VOF is reproduced in Dolby Atmos (core TrueHD 7.1, 5055 kbps, sous 24-bit). In 7.1.4 configuration, our dynamic range (DR) measurements reveal a transparent value of 25. A VF in audio description accompanies this disc in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (24-bit, 1731 kbps).
Bonus
– Making-of
– Interviews with the film crew
Conclusion
Le Comte de Monte Cristo (2024) is a beautiful French production aimed at the general public. The image is just resplendent and the Dolby Atmos mixing enhances this adaptation which has the merit of being well balanced, mixing adventure, romance and twists and turns. An excellent Home Cinema moment in perspective!
