The Film (2001)
Just when you had lost any hope of ever seeing a decent Hollywood adaptation of an Alexandre Dumas novel—recall the excruciating The Musketeer, The Man in the Iron Mask and The Three Musketeers—along comes the dark and mysterious Jim Caviezel, who under the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo avenges years of shameful swashbuckling pictures.
The Films & TV Movies
Seldom has a literary work inspired so many adaptions whether in film, television or theater. Written in 1844-45 by Alexandre Dumas, the Count of Monte Cristo has been seen in more than thirty versions (silent, black and white and color) shown on both the large and small screen since 1908.
The Château d'If - Visit & Pictures
Oddly, most Marseillais never venture out by boat to visit this infamous offshore island. They see it everyday and will readily tell you that "there's nothing there except an empty castle on a rock." Well, that's precisely the reason to go as a tourist. Finished in 1529, the fortress, whose first stone was laid down by King Francois I in 1516, consists of the chateau, church and a guardhouse.
The Novel
Originally published as a serial in Le Siècle newspaper in 1844, The Count of Monte Cristo is without any doubt the most famous work of Alexandre Dumas after The Three Musketeers.
