Dive into an investigation, in the heart of the 19th century, to discover the origins of one of the most famous romantic heroes: the Count of Monte Cristo. This Sunday at 10:20 p.m. on La Trois, a documentary relates “The True Story of the Count of Monte Cristo”.
180 years after its publication, by Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) in the Journal des Débats, the incredible story of Edmond Dantès, this young sailor unjustly imprisoned at the Château d’If near Marseille, who transforms into a noble count for taking revenge on those who betrayed him, never ceases to fascinate the public. This is evidenced by the feature film released this year, directed by Pierre Niney and signed by the La Patellière-Delaporte duo, which was a real success with nearly 10 million admissions in French cinemas. Where did Dumas draw his inspiration to excite crowds so much throughout time?
Take inspiration from reality
The year 1844 was particularly fruitful for Alexandre Dumas Sr. First, from March to July, he published the first part of the “Three Musketeers” in the newspaper Le Siècle, drawing inspiration from the real company of the King’s Musketeers and its captain-lieutenant, Charles de Batz de Castelmore. says D’Artagnan… From August to October of the same year, with the collaboration of Auguste Maquet, Dumas once again delights his readers with a new story: that of the Count of Monte Cristo. The question then arises: did he also use a true story to develop his fiction?
“When Alexandre Dumas writes a novel, he often starts from real facts, carrying out a sort of investigation,” recalls Armelle Baduel, administrator of the Château d’If, in 20 Minutes. “To write “The Count of Monte Cristo”, he was inspired by a news item that took place in Nîmes. »
Mirror destinies
To develop his plot, Alexandre Dumas did rely on the writings of Jacques Peuchet, a French archivist specializing in police affairs, who died in 1830. In this collection, we find the story of Pierre Picaud (also called François , even François-Pierre), a shoemaker from Nîmes, whose destiny is similar to that of Edmond Dantès.
In 1807, Picaud was in love with a rich young woman, whom he intended to marry. But one of his so-called friends, Mathieu Loupian, a local merchant, is jealous of his good fortune and tells the police that François is in reality an agent in the service of England, France’s main enemy at home. era. These are just fabrications, but Picaud will still spend seven years in captivity. When he is released, he changes his identity to that of a religious man and sets out to destroy those responsible for his unjust defeat…
Love, betrayal, revenge, the main outlines of the destinies of Picaud and Dantès intertwine. At the end of his life, Picaud allegedly entrusted his story to a priest who himself revealed this story to the police, recording it in his archives.
Russian dolls
But the investigation to discover who is the “real” Count of Monte Cristo does not stop there: the news item relating the story of François Picaud would also be… a fiction inspired by the true adventures of a certain Gaspard-Étienne Pastorel, a convict from Marseille. “Gaspard-Étienne Pastorel, who was condemned to the galleys, took on several identities, as in the story of Picaud and Monte Cristo and of which, apparently, we can find traces in the archives of the Lyon Police Prefecture”, explains Isabelle Safa, specialist in the work of Alexandre Dumas, on France Culture. “Behind Picaud, there would be Pastorel. » A beautiful intrigue with drawers!
This article appeared in Le Télépro on 12/26/2024
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