by Relive the story of “The revenge of Monte-Cristo”, the adaptation of the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas in which a young Henry Cavill, aged 19, taking his first steps in the cinema…
While the Count of Monte-Cristo, with Pierre Niney, was a hit last year, it is interesting to remember another adaptation of this masterpiece, less known in France. Indeed, the revenge of Monte-Cristo has attracted only some 33,000 spectators in French theaters, despite the presence of stars like Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce. You may have seen it … But have you recognized Henry Cavill in this film?
Released in April 2002, Monte-Cristo's revenge was a more contemporary adaptation of the novel. At the time, one of his actors was not yet the essential star he is today. This young actor is of course Henry Cavill.
Touchstone Pictures Henry Cavill, Jim Caviezel and Luis Guzmán
At 19, he played Albert Mondego, the son of Fernand Mondego (interpreted by Guy Pearce) and Mercedes Inguanada (Dagmara Dominkzyk). This character is a variation of Albert de Morcerf in the original work, except that in this version, he is the son of Edmond Dantès, born during the imprisonment of the latter. The film therefore modified certain aspects of history, in particular by making Fernand Mondego an adoptive father, ignoring the true biological identity of the child.
If the film met with a nice success in the United States and received a favorable reception from American criticism, it has made the minds less in France. This version of the novel, condensed in 2 hours, offers a more direct approach to the revenge of Edmond Dantès, while removing several secondary characters and intrigues. But despite these choices, it offers a dynamic and captivating spectacle.
Touchstone Pictures
For Henry Cavillthis film was only its second feature film. It was not until five years later, with his role as Charles Brandon in the series Les Tudors (2007-2010), that he begins to really point out. Subsequently, he will play the iconic role of Clark Kent in Man of Steel, and will participate in other films in the DC universe, then that of Geralt de Riv in the first 3 seasons of The Witcher on Netflix.
More recently, he was chosen to lead the Highlander reboot, after being playing with the Action Comedy The Ministry of Sale War (2024) by Guy Ritchie, available on Prime Video.
To be able to (re) discover the revenge of Monte Cristo, we will have to turn to the DVD editions of the film.
