''Dumas'' (original title: ''L'Autre Dumas'') is a 2010

French film The cinema of France comprises the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe, with prima ...

directed by

Safy Nebbou Safy Nebbou (born 27 April 1968) is a French actor and director. Life and career Nebbou was born on 27 April 1968 in Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France to a German mother and an Algerian father. He is the brother of actor Mehdi Nebbou. He ...

about 19th-century French author

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

Plot

In February 1848,

(

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor. An icon of French cinema, considered a world star in the same way as Alain Delon or Brigitte Bardot, he has completed over 250 films since 1967, most of which as ...

) is at the height of his fame. He has withdrawn for a few days into the immense Château de Monte-Cristo near

Le Port-Marly Le Port-Marly () is a commune in the outer western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region, north of Versailles. In 2019, Le Port-Marly had a population of 5,481. Population See also * C ...

, that he is building. There he works with his collaborator, Auguste Maquet (

Benoît Poelvoorde Benoît Poelvoorde (, ; born 22 September 1964) is a Belgian actor and comedian. Early life His mother was a grocer and his father a driver, who died when Poelvoorde was still a minor. He attended the Collège Saint-Paul (Godinne), Jesuit Boar ...

). If the books bear Dumas' name, the tiring work undertaken by Maquet is colossal. Nevertheless, for ten years, Maquet has remained in the great man's shadow and never challenged his supremacy. When a quarrel breaks out between the two men, after Maquet passes himself off as Dumas in order to seduce Charlotte (

Mélanie Thierry Mélanie Thierry (born 17 July 1981) is a French actress. Early life and career Mélanie Thierry began her career as a model in France, then moved into acting. She began with a series of roles in French productions, and at the age of 17 appeared ...

), a crucial question presents itself: what is the exact part each man has in the work's success? Who is the ''father '' of

d'Artagnan Charles de Batz de Castelmore (), also known as d'Artagnan and later Count d'Artagnan ( 1611 – 25 June 1673), was a French Musketeer who served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard. He died at the siege of Maastricht in the Fr ...

, and of '' Monte Cristo''? In short, who is really the author? Their formerly peaceful relationship is now in doubt and topples over into confrontation. And not far away, in Paris, a revolution is building which will seal the fate of another relationship—that of

Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

— with the people of France.

Cast

–

– Auguste Maquet *

Dominique Blanc Dominique Blanc (born 25 April 1956) is a French actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' May Fools'' (1990), '' Indochine'' (1992), '' La Reine Margot'' (1994), '' Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train'' (1998), and '' The Other One ...

– Céleste Scriwaneck *

– Charlotte Desrives *

Catherine Mouchet Catherine Mouchet (born 21 August 1959) is a French actress. She studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, following the courses of Jacques Lassalle and Claude Régy. Her performance in the film '' Thérèse'', directed by Alain Cavalier, won he ...

– Caroline Maquet *

Jean-Christophe Bouvet Jean-Christophe Bouvet (; born 24 March 1947) is a French actor, director and screenwriter. Best known in his homeland for his role as General Edmond Bertineau in Luc Besson's ''Taxi'' film series, he gained international fame for his appearance ...

– M. Bocquin * Philippe Magnan – Guizot * Florence Pernel – Ida Ferrier Dumas *

Michel Duchaussoy Michel René Jacques Duchaussoy (29 November 1938 – 13 March 2012) was a French film actor, who appeared in more than 130 films between 1962 and 2012. At first a theatre actor, he worked for many years in the Comédie Française, where he ...

– Sub-prefect Crémieux * Roger Dumas – M. de Saint Omer *

Ophélia Kolb Ophélia Kolb (born 1982) is a French actress. Career She was nominated twice to the Molière Award for Best Supporting Actress, winning in 2019 for her role in '' The Glass Menagerie'', directed by Charlotte Rondelez. Theater Filmogr ...

– Marion * Christian Abart – Inspector Flanchet *

Alexis Michalik Alexis Michalik (born 13 December 1982) is a Franco-British actor, scriptwriter and director. He adapted Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'' into his play ''R & J'' and he has written and staged his own plays, including '' Le Porteur d'histoire'' ...

– Jean-Baptiste Béraud

Reception

The Council of Black Associations of France criticized the decision to cast the white actor

to play the part of Dumas, who "was the grandson of a Haitian slave and often referred to himself as a

negro In the English language, the term ''negro'' (or sometimes ''negress'' for a female) is a term historically used to refer to people of Black people, Black African heritage. The term ''negro'' means the color black in Spanish and Portuguese (from ...

References

External links

* 2010 films 2010s French-language films Alexandre Dumas Films set in 1848 French biographical films Films about writers Films directed by Safy Nebbou 2010s French films 2010s biographical films French-language biographical films {{2010s-France-film-stub