I read the Count of Monte Cristo @ 14, and it instantly became my favorite book at the time. To this day it remains near the top in my mind (I will confess I've not read it since), surpassing even the better known Three Musketeers (another must-read). Beyond the poignant and riveting revenge story, the historical backdrop of France (and Europe) during and after the Napoleonic Wars, and 19th century aristocracy is just fabulous.
Has any film adaptation done justice to this magnificent story? I started watching the French mini-series starring Gerard Depardieu, but didn't make it very far.
I refuse to see any part of that 2h travesty released in 2002, based on belief that it is impossible to do justice to this epic tale in such a short period of time
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Speaking of the Three Musketeers, when I read it soon after, I was surprised to find a much, much darker and morally ambiguous tale than what the black and white "
Un pour tous et tous pour un!" heroism of pop culture had prepared me for. Not to highjack your thread, but I have to ask, did anyone else feel that way?
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H
