The Secret of Monte-Cristo

1948 1h 25m FR

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 1

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

One of Alexandre Dumas's most popular adventure novels is "The Count of Monte-Cristo". What is little known is that the famous writer made up neither its plot nor its characters. Dumas actually heard the true story of a man named François Picault during a stay at a private mansion and only adapted it into the novel everybody knows . Picault (who in the book would become Edmond Dantès) was about to marry the beautiful Marguerite (Mercédès in the novel) when he was denounced by three jealous friends who falsely accused him of being a spy for England. Picault was placed under a form of house arrest. In his prison, he made friends with an Italian abbot. When the man died, he left his fortune to Picault whom he had begun to treat as a son. On his release, Picault, who had become wealthy, was able to pursue his ruthless revenge on the three men who were responsible for his misfortune.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Pierre Brasseur
François Picault
Georges Vitray
Gervais Chambard
Pierre Larquey
Jacob Muller
Marcelle Derrien
Isabelle
Madeleine Lebeau
Marguerite Vigouroux
Edmond Ardisson
Guilhem Savori
Jean Brunel
Robert Dalban
Mathieu Loupian

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Albert Valentin
Writers: Léon Treich, Denis Marion
Languages: French

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

78 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Albert Valentin, shot by Robert Batton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Pierre Brasseur and Georges Vitray and Pierre Larquey carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0217033 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Albert Valentin directs. Robert Batton behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
278 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Albert Valentin, shot by Robert Batton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Pierre Brasseur and Georges Vitray and Pierre Larquey carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0217033 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Batton
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Secret of Monte-Cristo (1948)

Also by

Albert Valentin

Key crew

DialoguePierre Laroche
MusicMarcel Landowski

Release history · US

When it landed

Theatrical1948-09-17

6.3