Overview: Edmond Dantes is falsely accused by those jealous of his good fortune and is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a notorious island prison.

DVD Verdict: An early TV adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel. Edmond Dantes is falsely accused by those jealous of his good fortune, and is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in the notorious island prison, Chateau d’If.

While imprisoned, he meets the Abbe Faria, a fellow prisoner whom everyone believes to be mad. The Abbe tells Edmond of a fantastic treasure hidden away on a tiny island, that only he knows the location of. After many years in prison, the old Abbe dies, and Edmond escapes disguised as the dead body. Now free, Edmond must find the treasure the Abbe told him of, so he can use the new-found wealth to exact revenge on those who have wronged him.

Funnily enough, and although the original Dumas novel is extremely long (over a thousand pages) and has a plot of labyrinthine complexity, this television version gets the story into just under an hour and a half.

The 1958 television adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo (broadcast as an episode of The DuPont Show of the Month) is a skillfully condensed adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s classic tale. Directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Hurd Hatfield as Edmond Dantès, the film was celebrated by critics for its intelligent pacing and strong, competent performances.

Indeed, Hatfield delivers a nuanced, grounded performance as Dantès, tracing his journey from an innocent sailor to a bitter, calculating Count. His portrayal brings a somber, intellectual weight to the themes of revenge and moral unease.

Supported by a capable cast that includes Elizabeth Sellars (as Mercédès) and George Voskovec (as Abbé Faria), the production rises above the typical limitations of 1950s television, offering an atmospheric and highly faithful rendition of the core narrative.

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