Louis Hayward stars in a film that is supposed to be a sequel to the story "The Count of Monte Cristo" but it really has very little to do with the story and really could have stood pretty well on its own. My advice is not to worry about the original film—just watch this one and enjoy.
The film, is set in a small mythical European country in 1855. A vicious general (George Sanders) has taken over the country and is keeping the rightful queen (Joan Bennett) from running the nation. To help him do this, he has the army behind him as well as an army of sniveling spies. When the Prime Minister and Queen try to make a break for it, he captures them and threatens to have the Prime Minister executed and force the Queen to marry him. But, the Count of Monte Cristo arrives and decides to help. Posing as a character VERY similar to the foppish persona of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Monte Cristo joins up with the underground and tries REPEATEDLY a variety of plans to stop the General.
Overall, this is a very fun swashbuckling film. While a lot of it seemed very familiar, it was quite enjoyable throughout—with a nice pace and excellent characters. I liked how the Count was not above killing people (he killed at least 3or 4) and Sanders made for an excellent villain. The ending was also quite nice. The only complaints I have are that the plot was, at times, too busy. Too many twists and failed plots—I think it could have been streamlined just a bit. Also, a silly mistake are the skeletons in the crypt—some of them are obviously anatomy skeletons—with the tops of their skulls sawn in two—something you'd NEVER find in a normal crypt!
The film, is set in a small mythical European country in 1855. A vicious general (George Sanders) has taken over the country and is keeping the rightful queen (Joan Bennett) from running the nation. To help him do this, he has the army behind him as well as an army of sniveling spies. When the Prime Minister and Queen try to make a break for it, he captures them and threatens to have the Prime Minister executed and force the Queen to marry him. But, the Count of Monte Cristo arrives and decides to help. Posing as a character VERY similar to the foppish persona of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Monte Cristo joins up with the underground and tries REPEATEDLY a variety of plans to stop the General.
Overall, this is a very fun swashbuckling film. While a lot of it seemed very familiar, it was quite enjoyable throughout—with a nice pace and excellent characters. I liked how the Count was not above killing people (he killed at least 3or 4) and Sanders made for an excellent villain. The ending was also quite nice. The only complaints I have are that the plot was, at times, too busy. Too many twists and failed plots—I think it could have been streamlined just a bit. Also, a silly mistake are the skeletons in the crypt—some of them are obviously anatomy skeletons—with the tops of their skulls sawn in two—something you'd NEVER find in a normal crypt!