The Son of Monte Cristo (1940)

In response to webbarton's astute observation above and query regarding this film--I saw it last night on TCM's on demand service after not seeing it for about 50 or 60 years. The analogy to WWII which you point out did not appear to me until the scene where Gurko Lanen finds the printing press. He orders all the windows in the store smashed. I immediately thought of Kristallnacht. This was obviously intended as there was no reason at all to smash all the windows. Lichtenberg also appears to be Serbia which was always a strong Russian ally and in the film there's an Orthodox wedding. Serbia's also Orthodox. Who would guess this film could be so deep?

They made some outstanding unpretentious swashbucklers in those days, rarely equaled since. -- "The Mark of Zorro," "The Adventures of Robin Hood," among others. They carried no message, just that good was better than evil, and that the audience should enjoy the arousal jag while watching the former humiliate and defeat the latter. They had the directors and actors to pull it all off too. And they had the chutzpah to invent whole kingdoms like Ruritania and, as here, Lichtenburg.Eighteen sixty-five. Poor Lichetenburg. The jewel of the Balkans, rich in tradition, as the prologue tells us. It's ruled by the admirable Joan Bennet, more popular with her fans than Lady GaGa is with hers. Alas, there is a festering authoritarian sore just under the benign monarchy. The filthy General George Sanders, who's been given the haircut of a World War I aviator, the direction to unloose his sneer whenever he likes, and is given the name of Gurko Lanen. Now, think about it. Could anyone named Gurko Lanen ever have a kind thought? You bet he couldn't. Oh, how Sanders would love to rule Lichtenburg, grind his boot into the necks of the hoi polloi and smash babies' heads against the stone walls. He's the kind of guy who could clear a room without using a gun. He's decked out in a black uniform, riding breeches and boots, reminiscent of Hitler's SS. This is 1940 we're talking about. But his last name conjures up images of the spiritual leader of the Bolshevik revolution. The German-Russian Non-Aggression Pact lasted from 1939 to 1941, so both Nazi Germany and the USSR were seen as enemies of the good guys. The Soviet threat surfaces again later. If there were any doubts they're dispelled by the scene in which Sanders and the Russian representative stand side by side signing what amounts to an agreement of mutual support. Inimical to Sanders' ambitions is the Prime Minister, Montagu Love, loyal representative of the Grand Duchess. Sanders has him put away on a fake charge.At any rate, Louis Hayward, the son of the Count of Monte Cristo, and the richest man in Europe, takes up the cause of the reformers and worms his way into the palace posing as a hoity toity fop. He does numerous good deeds and in this more daring, masked persona he gives himself the name of Zorro -- I mean The Torch. Both Tyrone Power and Errol Flynn were better at this game. Hayward comes across as a nice guy but a little daft. He never takes anything seriously, even while waiting in a dungeon to be hanged. Joan Bennet is pretty without bringing much to the party.But George Sanders is outstanding. He dominates the screen no matter what the role is -- sardonic hero, sardonic brutal villain, or sardonic suave villain. The guy never lets you down. He looks somewhat like the novelist Vladimir Nabokov. They were both born in the same year in the same city, St. Petersburg. I've often wondered whether they were one and the same person. People claim all sorts of false identities. Look at Prince Michael Romanoff the late restaurateur. Look at Sebastian Melmoth. Look at Bernie Schwartz. As far as I know, no one has seen Sanders and Nabokov in the same room together. As far as I'm concerned, Q.E.D.I don't think too many would argue that this is fresh material. The story of the skilled swordsman acting the pouf is from "The Mark of Zorro" and so is the scene in which a snarling soldier rips a treasonous paper from the public wall while surrounded by frightened peasants, and so is the hidden passageway in the basement and the wet footprints on the stone floor that lead to the secret panel in the wall.As for the working out of the plot, I leave it to you to decide whether Hayward escapes from the dungeon, interrupts the marriage of Sanders to Bennet, engages in a climactic sword fight with Sanders, kills him after a suitable wisecrack, and sweeps the Grand Duchess up in his arms at the end.That climactic sword fight is brief because neither actor is particularly graceful and neither knows anything about fencing. You want to see a match that thrills, see "The Mark of Zorro" or "Scaramouche."

"The Son of Monte Cristo" is a nice swashbuckler that stars Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett and George Sanders. The story is a familiar one, involving a fictitious country in Eastern Europe. It was a curious thing for such a movie while World War II was going on in Europe. But, the screenplay and script are quite good. I agree with another review on the beautiful and rather elegant set, especially for the castle of the Grand Duchess. Hayward plays Edmund Dantes, Jr., Bennett is the Grand Duchess Zona of Lichtenburg, and Sanders is the evil – but almost likable, Gen. Gurko Lanen who would rule the kingdom. Even with the sword play and fisticuffs in this movie, there isn't a lot of gruesome killing or torture. As I watched Hayward with his energy and vigor, and his funny quips just at the right moments, it struck me that that was a common trait of most swashbuckler films. They had some level of humor. It was most often a talent of the hero. The South African-born Hayward played mostly drama, mysteries and action films during his career. He did do some comedy, and was in a few good war films – mostly about World War I. He also starred as Simon Templar in the early three films made about the detective known as "The Saint." He planed opposite leading ladies of the time and worked in films from various studios – MGM, Paramount, Universal, Warner Brothers, RKO and United Artists. He also made some British films. In the 1950s and 1960s, he did mostly TV work with an occasional film. Bennett also had a long, successful career in Hollywood. She didn't reach the star status of the biggest names, but she starred in many films and played opposite many of the leading men of the time. She did some comedy but her forte seemed to be drama and mysteries. She too drifted more into TV work from the mid-1950s through the 1970s, with just an occasional Hollywood movie here and there. A very attractive woman, Bennett had something of a Bob Hope nose – that turned up just a bit at the end. It was cute, but she was seldom seen from the side – I suspect for that reason. But I did notice her side shot and cute nose a couple of times in this film. The acting is very good all around. Another reviewer noted some of the young supporting cast who would go on to fame in some specific roles. Clayton Moore plays Lt. Fritz Dorner and would later become the Lone Ranger. There are a couple of silly aspects here as well. The idea of a whole outside wall of a curved turret swinging open to reveal a hidden passage is quite funny. Then in the catacombs, there were skeletons exposed and not in crypts or niches. Also, the catacombs were lower than the city sewers. Well, this film has lots of action and makes for an enjoyable time with the whole family.

Louis Hayward stars in a film that is supposed to be a sequel to the story "The Count of Monte Cristo" but it really has very little to do with the story and really could have stood pretty well on its own. My advice is not to worry about the original film—just watch this one and enjoy.The film, is set in a small mythical European country in 1855. A vicious general (George Sanders) has taken over the country and is keeping the rightful queen (Joan Bennett) from running the nation. To help him do this, he has the army behind him as well as an army of sniveling spies. When the Prime Minister and Queen try to make a break for it, he captures them and threatens to have the Prime Minister executed and force the Queen to marry him. But, the Count of Monte Cristo arrives and decides to help. Posing as a character VERY similar to the foppish persona of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Monte Cristo joins up with the underground and tries REPEATEDLY a variety of plans to stop the General.Overall, this is a very fun swashbuckling film. While a lot of it seemed very familiar, it was quite enjoyable throughout—with a nice pace and excellent characters. I liked how the Count was not above killing people (he killed at least 3or 4) and Sanders made for an excellent villain. The ending was also quite nice. The only complaints I have are that the plot was, at times, too busy. Too many twists and failed plots—I think it could have been streamlined just a bit. Also, a silly mistake are the skeletons in the crypt—some of them are obviously anatomy skeletons—with the tops of their skulls sawn in two—something you'd NEVER find in a normal crypt!