![]() ![]() The coldness and bloodthirstiness of the Count is not emphasized as much as it might (one sequence at an execution has a very different spin from the way it's presented in the book, for example), nor is the extent of his hatred. Depardieu is a fine actor but his portrayal allows Dantes to come off far more sympathetic than I think Dumas intended. ![]() A more serious criticism is that Dantes's character is too soft. (I should add that some sequences were very sensibly cut). The ending, too, is happier than Dumas's. They couldn't, of course, portray everything - the book itself is well over 1,000 pages and in truth has padded sections - but some worthwhile aspects of the story were cut, most notably early sequences with the Abbe Faria (who teaches Dante how to read and write) a very famous part that's usually included in dramatizations of the story. The first and more minor one is that even this long adaptation doesn't have everything. Set design and production values are excellent. ![]() The cast is general is very good and convincing, with Ornella Muti certainly the definitive Mercedes. Depardieu (once you get past his size) is excellent as the Count, a man who, as the reviewer from Amazon says, exchanges one prison for another, a prison of his own hatred. Eight hours allows for a greater presentation of the many subplots and complexities of the storyline. ![]()
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