Le Comte de Monte Cristo: 2ème époque - Le Châtiment

The second part of Robert Vernay's version of Dumas's famous work.Its current rating is totally unfair and should not stop you from watching it if you like the writer.

One of the greatest commercial successes of the Occupation days ,at a time when people needed escape stories ,it could not have come at a better time.The French people could easily identify with Edmond ,an innocent in a living hell ,humiliated and longing for revenge.

They could also identify with the avenger ,the Comte De Monte Cristo,and find hope that ,some day ,like him,they would defeat their enemy,the Nazis.There's possibly a veiled hint in the very last picture.

Pierre Richard Wilm's transformation,from a naive kind young man to a ruthless cold dandy-but who can show compassion in the scenes he shares with his ex-fiancée Mercedès whose life was ruined too- ,is stunning .The plot is an extravaganza ,even including events in Turkey,but it does not matter.Robert Vernay was so wonderful a story teller that everything went smoothly .

There are plenty of versions of this novel(and Stephen King owes him royalties for his "Rita Hayworth of the Whatsisname Redemption" ) ,but this one must be considered the best French effort.