Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Al Westerfield I saw this film as a youngster and never forgot it. About 15 years ago I was able to tape a version off TV. The sound track had a whirring on it that rose and fell in pitch throughout. As a result, as much as I liked the film I never watched it again. Last night I DVR'ed it when shown on TCM just on a hunch. The print was soft but the sound was impeccable. It was everything I remembered with some nice surprises. The film has everything: action, adventure, romance, spirit, bravura performances, memorable lines, wonderful sets, inspiring score and crisp direction. In my opinion it is the perfect recording to the screen of a classic novel.What I had forgotten was the score. The finale of Our Daily Bread had become a favorite. Then I discovered it in Les Miserables. And now I know where it originated. Hearing all the riffs on the main theme was a pleasure.Donat was wonderful of course. But I'd forgotten just how amazing Landi's work was here. Not a false note. Louis Calhearn wears is mantle as the screen's greatest sophisticated villain with pride. It was also a pleasure to see Harry Cording here. I collect his often minuscule roles. Here I think he is both a jailer and the assassin in the tableau.

ev_srikrishna Count of Monte Cristo, a splendid novel by Alexander Dumas, touching every person, every feeling, every character and every aspect of life. Hope and Despair being comparable to Light and Darkness are the main theme of the novel. It tells us not to despair in adversity but to hope for the best yet to come. It also ends up with a note that when one attains all the success in the life, he should not forget the Supreme, controlling all of us. One may think of everything is under his power. But, such a feeling is far from truth.One can compare the theme of the novel, with the wording of Lord Krishna in Bhagavadgita. Those words promulgate that, doing the activity cast upon you, is your duty. The result is in someone else's hands, for which you should not bother.Every character in the novel is specifically chosen to reflect one or more features of humankind. All the facets of human life, such as, greediness, jealousy, kindness, love, affection, courage, selfishness, misery, poverty, humbleness, integrity, intelligence, etc., are depicted in the most possible lucid manner.The ups and downs of the life, are the focal issue of the novel. A person may suddenly drop down to the earth, even without fault of his own. An innocent person can be made to suffer for something, he never committed. A person can crush the life of another human being, for the sake of his own growth and security. A person can also sacrifice and put his life in danger, for somebody.The process, thinking and evolution of a person, who was suddenly made to suffer, without fault of his is illustrated in detail. The conversion of Edmond Dante in to Count of Monte Cristo, is by no means a simple process. The agony and the misery of a person, resulted in such a conversion.The rigors of jail life are portrayed in a perfect manner. The loneliness of jail life will crush a man's belief in his own physical and physiological strengths. It will force him to despair. Anger will overcome one's rationality. One will think of all the evil to come to all those he hates or he believes to be the cause of his misery. In such a process, he loses balance and faith in God. One would think of committing suicide, losing interest in life.However, even a small or faint hope of freedom, which is so dear to such a person, would rejuvenate all his energies to focus and he comes back into life. All the energy, ability and ingenuity is focused and centralized when it comes to aspect of attaining freedom.The novel ultimately drives the reader to accept the fact that, forgiveness is supreme to punishment. As the Christ prays to His Holy Father, ' Forgive Father, for they know not what they do ' , one should ultimately come to such conviction that, hatred results in more hatred and it will end in nowhere. One should read the novel from beginning to the end, without interruption or diversion. It is not a material to have a look at and forget. A person's character is to be built upon by studying the nature and life of each person in the novel.The essence of life, viz., equilibrium in all phases of life is to be learned. One cannot fall in cases of adversity. One should not forget the Supreme, in cases of prosperity. Life of oneself or another is not in one's hands. The Supreme, controls the lives of humankind, without any bias, without any prejudice, without any compassion or without any injustice. A person should try to inculcate such abilities by making a humble effort keeping the Supreme as the model. However, in such a process one should not lose ground to put himself in place of the Supreme.As the writer himself puts, most appropriately at the end of the novel, there is hope. Only one should be able to believe in it. And, most importantly, one should be able to wait till such hope is realized.

wes-connors This version differs significantly from the original Alexandre Dumas story; but, it's still the one to see. Most obviously, the film punctuates Dumas' story of justice through revenge with an ending not at all evident in Dumas' original work. So, "The Count of Monte Cristo" becomes the happier "love story" of Dantes and Mercedes. Notably, she "imagines" saying "I do" to Dantes only; and, his other lover (Haydee) is barely mentioned. Otherwise, the story is very neatly trimmed. And, it's certainly better than several imitations.Under Rowland V. Lee's direction, Robert Donat (as Edmond Dantes) performs exceptionally; his transformation from innocent, unsophisticated youth to the older, vengeful "Count" is beautifully conveyed. In the later half of the film, Mr. Donat's facial expressions approach horrifying. Donat's escape from prison, and his calculating revenge on Sidney Blackner (as Mondego), Raymond Walburn (as Danglars), and Louis Calhern (as Villefort) are the better parts of the movie. Elissa Landi (as Mercedes) gives a lovely performance; she ideally matches Donat's early naiveté, and later maturity. Douglas Walton (as Albert) offers, perhaps, the greatest support; he not only recalls the lovers' earlier youth, but also contrasts their later maturity.******** The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) Rowland V. Lee ~ Robert Donat, Elissa Landi, Douglas Walton

ozthegreatat42330 Of the three top English Language versions of "The Count of Monte Cristo," this one will always be my favorite. First of all because Robert Donat is simply the finest actor to ever undertake this role. Secondly, this version strays less from the Dumas novel than the later versions. It is simply a top notch well directed performance. Having said that I still hope against hope that sometime in the future, while I am still living, that someone will go back to the book and make the complete version, probably as a mini-series that captures the flavor and the subtle under layers of Edmond Dantes slowly unfolding plot of revenge that takes years to come to pass. Still, this film has the bittersweet tragedy of man who's revenge leaves him without the great love of his life, when all is said and done.Beautiful and tragic. I rate it at 10.