The Count of Monte Cristo
Short description
Edmond Dantès is a young sailor who is sent to prison after being betrayed by his closest friend. While incarcerated, he spends many years planning his retaliation against those who wronged him. With help from a fellow prisoner, he manages to escape and discovers a hidden fortune. Using this wealth, he adopts the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo to infiltrate high society and execute a calculated plan of revenge against his former betrayers.
Directed by Kevin Reynolds, this film followed his previous work on One Eight Seven. The cast features Jim Caviezel as Edmond Dantès, Guy Pearce as Fernand Mondego, and Richard Harris as Abbé Faria, with additional roles played by James Frain, Dagmara Domińczyk, and Michael Wincott. The production involved companies from the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, and Switzerland.
The film was produced on a budget of 35 million USD and earned 75 million USD at the worldwide box office. It has been well received by audiences, holding a 7.7 rating on IMDb based on 159,000 votes and a 7.7 rating on TMDB from 2,115 votes. These audience scores are higher than the 6.8 rating provided by film critics.
What's left behind the scenes
- In the scene of Abbé Faria’s first appearance on screen, he enters Edmond’s cell through the floor. This was insisted upon by the film’s director, Kevin Reynolds, who decided that entering the prison cell through a hole in the wall was too cliché.
- When the project was approved by Disney, they believed it would be a film for family viewing and would be released directly under the Disney brand, rather than that of a subsidiary.
- The final scene was filmed in two stages, with shooting taking place in the autumn. However, the grass was already withered, and it was decided to reshoot the scene the following spring. Upon close inspection of the grass behind Guy Pearce’s character, you can notice that it is withered in places.
- In the scene of Abbé Faria's (played by Richard Harris) death, when the tunnel vault collapses on him, the stones were made of cork and polystyrene foam painted to look like stone.
- During one of the fencing scenes, the tip of a rapier accidentally hit Guy Pearce and inflicted a minor wound during an incorrectly executed move. Pearce was immediately taken to the hospital, where the wound was treated. After his discharge, Pearce boastfully bragged about the wound, while Caviezel repeatedly apologized.
- The Château d'If was filmed at an ancient castle in Malta; today it is used by the military as a communications and meteorological center.
- The scene at the beginning of the film where the heroes sail to the island was filmed in a huge tank in Malta, and the image of the island was later superimposed onto the footage. Jonathan Mostow also filmed "U-571" (2000) in this same tank.
- Screenwriter Jay Wolpert devised a plot point not found in the novel (1844-1846), namely that the characters of Guy Pearce (Fernand Mondego) and James Caviezel (Edmond Dantès) should initially be friends. He believed that when a black cat runs between two friends, turning friendship into hatred, the resulting animosity is always stronger and more believable.
- The popular science television show "MythBusters" (Episode 4, 2006) used footage from the 2002 film in a segment testing the myth that one sword can cut another.
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