''The Count of Monte Cristo'' is a 1975

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

produced by

ITC Entertainment The Incorporated Television Company (ITC), or ITC Entertainment as it was referred to in the United States, was a British company involved in production and distribution of television programmes. History Incorporated Television Programme Compan ...

and based upon the 1844 novel '' The Count of Monte Cristo'' by Alexandre Dumas, père. It was directed by David Greene and starred

Richard Chamberlain George Richard Chamberlain (born March 31, 1934) is an American actor and singer, who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show '' Dr. Kildare'' (1961–1966). He subsequently appeared in several TV mini-series, such as ''Shō ...

as Edmond Dantès,

Kate Nelligan Patricia Colleen Nelligan (born March 16, 1950), known professionally as Kate Nelligan, is a Canadian stage, film and television actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1991 film ''The Prince of Tide ...

as Mercedes,

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

as Fernand Mondego, Louis Jourdan (who played Edmond Dantès in the 1961 film adaptation of the novel) as De Villefort,

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

as Danglars,

Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved star status with his role in the film ''Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by ''T ...

as Abbé Faria, and Isabelle de Valvert as Haydee. ITC had previously produced a 39-part TV series based on the same source material, in 1956. This film had a

theatrical release An art release is the premiere of an artistic production and its presentation and marketing to the public. Film A film release is the authorization by the owner of a completed film to a public exhibition of the film. The exhibition may be in theat ...

across some

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an countries. The film was remade in 1986 in Telugu as

Veta ''Veta'' () is a 1986 Indian Telugu-language period action film starring Chiranjeevi, Jaya Prada and Sumalatha. It was released on 28 May 1986. The film was made by Samyuktha Movies, whose earlier blockbuster was '' Khaidi''. The movie is based ...

Plot

The film emphasizes the theme of revenge and manipulation of characters by Dantès until the final swordfight with Mondego. The courtroom scene in which Dantès brings down crown prosecutor De Villefort is a highlight of the film, as is the scene between Dantès and Mercedes when he reveals Mondego's treachery to her (which occurs almost precisely as in the novel). However, important characters are omitted and several scenes differ from the novel. Villefort's wife for instance, never appears, and there is no mention of her ever having poisoned anyone. In the novel, it is Mondego rather than Danglars who commits suicide, and Dantès and Mondego do not engage in a swordfight. As in the novel, Dantès loses Mercedes because of his vengeful bitterness. Haydee has only a minor role in the film, and there is no confirmation that she and Monte Cristo become lovers as in the book.

Cast

as Edmond Dantès *

as Danglars * Louis Jourdan as Gérard de Villefort *

as Fernand Mondego *

as Mercédès *

as Abbé Faria *

Dominic Guard Dominic Guard (born 18 June 1956) is an English child psychotherapist and author, formerly an actor. Early life Guard was born in London on 18 June 1956. His father, Philip Guard, was an English stage actor, his mother, Charlotte Mitchell, an ...

as Albert Mondego *

Taryn Power Taryn Stephanie Power (September 13, 1953 – June 26, 2020) was an American actress. Biography Early life Taryn was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1953, to actors Tyrone Power and Linda Christian.Deutsch, Linda (Associated Press)(2 Janua ...

as Valentine De Villefort * Dominic Barto as Bertuccio * Alessio Orano as Caderousse *

Angelo Infanti Angelo Infanti (; 16 February 1939 – 12 October 2010) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1961 and 2010. He was born on 16 February 1939 in Zagarolo, Italy. He died on 12 October 2010 in Tivoli, Italy due ...

as Jacopo * Isabelle De Valvert as Haydee * Anthony Dawson as Noirtier De Villefort * Harold Bromley as M. Morrell * George Willing as Andre Morrell * Carlo Puri as Andrea Benedetto * Ralph Michael as M. Dantès * Harry Baird as Ali

Characters omitted

The following participants in major sub-plots of the Dumas novel are not portrayed in the film: *Luigi Vampa *Maximilian Morrel *Hermine Danglars *Eugenie Danglars *Lucien Debray *Beauchamp *Heloise Villefort *Edouard Villefort *Marquis Saint-Méran *Marquise of Saint-Méran

Production

The film was produced by Norman Rosemont, who originally tried to do it as a mini series but could not sell it. Instead he signed a deal with NBC to make it as a TV movie, although the film would be released theatrically in Europe. The budget was one and a half million dollars. Bell Telephone Company sponsored and Richard Chamberlain agreed to star. It was part of the Bell System Family Theatre. Rosemont remembered "grave doubts were expressed by the networks about whether there was a mass audience for period* pieces. They were in costume, there was the worry about accents and inevitably they would cost more than a period* drama."Why Norman Rosemont Likes to Film the Classics: Norman Rosemont's TV Films By DAVID LEWIN. New York Times 23 Nov 1980: D35. Filming took place in Rome starting in August 1974. There was location filming outside Marseilles. The cast included Taryn Power, the daughter of

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James'', ' ...

and

Linda Christian Linda Christian (born Blanca Rosa Henrietta Stella Welter Vorhauer; November 13, 1923 – July 22, 2011) was a Mexican film actress, who appeared in Mexican and Hollywood films. Her career reached its peak in the 1940s and 1950s. She played Mara ...

. "We tried to stick as closely as possible to the novel," said Rosemont. "And with Chamberlain in the lead I've got to say the show worked out better than anyone could want." Chamberlain called it "a great story" and said he chose not to see the previous movie versions because "I didn't want to copy even unconsciously."Is that Richard Chamberlain?: 'Three Musketeers' Adventure story Henry James series Treading water By Arthur Unger. The Christian Science Monitor 8 Jan 1975: 9.

Reception

The show received good ratings. Market research showed the program had good "commercial recall" and reflected well on sponsor Bell, so they wanted more. Rosemont went on to make adaptations of ''The Man in the Iron Mask'', ''Captains Courageous'' and ''The Four Feathers''.

Performance awards

The film was nominated for two

Emmys The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

: Richard Chamberlain for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Special Program – Drama or Comedy,Richard Chamberlain: Awards
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

and Trevor Howard for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special.

References

External links

*
Character relations in the Dumas novel
at Wikimedia Commons {{DEFAULTSORT:Count Monte Cristo 1975 ITC Entertainment films 1970s adventure drama films Films based on The Count of Monte Cristo 1975 television films 1975 films Films directed by David Greene British adventure drama films 1970s English-language films Television shows based on The Count of Monte Cristo 1970s British films