The Son of Monte Cristo (1940) User Reviews

Montecristo sequel with great loads of action and adventures

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 19 November 2005]

This swashbuckler is developed in Europe on the epoch of Napoleon III empire .The Balkanes,steeped in the ancient traditions of romance and chivalry, people hold unswerving loyalty to the throne on which now sits the young great Duchess Zona(Joan Bennett)of Lichtenburg(a country similar to the ¨Prisoner of Zenda¨).She rules under the sinister shadow of one despotic tyrant(George Sanders)general Gurko Lamen who tries to take over . The son of Edmond Dantes (Louis Hayward), the famous Count of Montecristo ,simulating to be a foppish count and masked is ¨the Torch¨ helping the Duchess. She flees to find herself with the emperor Napoleon III.

The picture is a sequel to ¨The Count of Montecristo (1934)¨ also directed by Rowland V. Lee , though none connection exception of the father and son relationship. In the film there are action,adventures,melodrama,fencing duels, a love story,derring-do and is pretty entertaining and funny. Louis Hayward as masked avenger is very fine , his following films were a series of swashbucklers during fifteen years. Joan Bennett as the attractive duchess is enjoyable and enticing .Both played in 1939,¨The man in the iron mask¨, and again teamed up for this agreeable adventure.George Sanders as always plays a dastardly villain. Besides appear as secondaries actors,Clayton Moore(Lone Ranger),Montagu Love,Henry Brandon,Ralph Bird and Ian Wolfe. Direction by Rowland V. Lee is excellent, is famous in his films the extensive use of low angle shooting by means of a special device to heighten the impact of the scene . The movie was nominated to the best production design for Edward Boyle by its imposing sets though obtain none. The flick will appeal to swashbuckler enthusiastic and adventures cinema fans.

Swashbuckler Fun

[Space_Mafune · 7/10 · 23 February 2008]

Dashing Edmund Dantes Jr. (Louis Hayward), the son of the famed Count of Monte Cristo, uses the masked guise of the Torch to come to the aid of his beloved the fair Zona (Joan Bennett), royal grand duchess of Lichtenburg in an attempt to rescue both her and her country from falling into the hands of a determined dictator named General Gurko Lanen (George Sanders) who would be king and force poor Zona to be his queen.

While this is pretty typical fare of its type, that doesn't make this swashbuckler any less entertaining. This certainly manages to capture one's interest and imagination throughout, its supporting players even proving more than up to said task particularly Ian Wolfe as Stadt and Montagu Love as Baron Von Neuhoff. In the end, while this does deliver the expected goods in terms of lush scenery, a dashing daring do lead hero in Hayward and a devious, devilishly clever lead villain in Sanders, exciting climactic swordplay and further action and intrigue and even perhaps some symbolism of the political intrigue at work in the world at the time this was filmed, it really offers up very few actual surprises and proves far too predictable overall. Regardless, this proves a most enjoyable film experience.

Rescued by George Sanders

[guidon7 · 6/10 · 24 April 2007]

SON OF MONTE CRISTO, a swashbuckler with elements of ZORRO, ZENDA and SCARLET PIMPERNEL that, despite the familiarities, I found entertaining and watchable. However it would have been far less entertaining were it not for the performance of George Sanders as the villain, whose character is more than the two dimensional villains normally connected with films of this genre. He has human frailties in his makeup, yet comes across as a leader with charisma -- many would follow such a man. Really, I had forgotten over the years what a consummate actor George Sanders was. SON OF MONTE CRISTO is his film, and his film alone, no doubt about it. There are underlying political implications here, released as it was on the eve of World War II. The crew-cut Sanders with his military bearing and the ever present Iron Cross on his chest really represented Adolf Hitler; both of them highly ambitious self-made men from the lower class, contemptuous of aristocracy and fully determined to oust the old established order. Thru his determination and ruthlessness Sanders nearly accomplishes his goal. Louis Hayward turns in a fairly good performance as a Pimpernel-style hero with his best moments in scenes with Sanders, and the mental fencing between them both. I am always aware of Hayward's physical movements in his films; he moved like a cat. Heroine Joan Bennett, is, well, Joan Bennett. Enough said.

As an aside, I would like to comment on the fact that George Sanders hated dueling in his films, although when he had to, as here, he did well enough it seems. Later on in THE BLACK SWAN, he wore a red beard along with his dueling double to disguise the fact that it was not he with the sword against Ty Power, the latter incidentally, the second best duelist in Hollywood, in the footsteps of Basil Rathbone. One viewing of MONTE CRISTO will do for me, for it is not ZENDA, ZORRO nor the SCARLET PIMPERNEL.

An Entertaining Adventure Story

[Snow Leopard · 20 January 2006]

With a good story full of adventure, action, and intrigue, plus a very good cast, "The Son of Monte Cristo" is an entertaining and enjoyable movie. Louis Hayward and Joan Bennett work well in the lead roles, and George Sanders is always a threat to steal any scene he is in. The story stands on its own, since the only connection it has with the often-filmed "The Count of Monte Cristo" is the main character's relationship with the previous Count. So there's no need to be familiar with the original to be able to enjoy this one.

Bennett is effective as the spirited Grand Duchess, and Hayward has a juicy role as the young Count, which gives him the chance to assume a different persona every so often during the course of the story. As the brutally ambitious general, Sanders's appearance is quite a bit different from the more familiar look he has in his best-known roles, but his voice and mannerisms are easily recognizable, and he comes across with a good blend of suavity and menace.

The story has the Grand Duchess being held at the mercy of the general, with the Count eagerly getting involved in the fictional country's affairs. The story has many turns and mild surprises, and it does a rather resourceful job of coming up with new predicaments and developments to keep things going. Most of the plot devices are familiar from other sources, but they are pieced together with skill, and its very good as light entertainment.

A must see for swashbuckler devotees

[rsoonsa · 7/10 · 15 May 2001]

Screenwriter George Bruce concocted a pastiche with affection in this film, wherein each scene and, indeed, each read line of dialogue is parodic in nature, although the work is so well crafted and edited that it has been accepted as simply an example of a swashbuckling adventure featuring some major studio players, including Louis Hayward and Joan Bennett. The plot involves a contest between Hayward, as the Count of Monte Cristo, and the redoubtable George Sanders as his rival, Gurko Lanen, for the hand of Bennett, who portrays Zona, Grand Duchess of the imaginary Balkan state of Lichtenburg, during the mid-nineteenth century, and ancillary issues involving Lanen's craving for the small state's throne. The three leads give full-bodied performances with straight-forward interpretations appropriate to a pastiche, while Hayward's rapid-fire intonation and expressions create a unique characterization, contrasted nicely with Sanders' satiny villain, all supported well by numerous Hollywood stalwarts, notably Ian Wolfe, Montague Love and Clayton Moore. Direction by Rowland W. Lee perfectly matches the clever Bruce scenario, and the cinematography by George Robinson, production design by John Schulze, set decoration by Edward Boyle (the latter two Academy award winners for their efforts) and the Saturday matinee serial music of Edward Ward are about as pertinent as can be imaginable, while the excellent print enhances a neatly packaged tale of derring-do.

THE SON OF MONTE CRISTO (Rowland V. Lee, 1940) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 13 May 2006]

I had watched this via a recording off local TV a few years ago and, though I subsequently erased it, I remember enjoying the film. As with director Lee's SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939), it's rather talky but never boring and emerges as an agreeable, though slightly overlong, swashbuckler (even if occasionally bordering on camp).

The same director had previously made THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (1934) and this sequel to it re-unites the stars (Joan Bennett, Louis Hayward) and writer (George Bruce) of the definitive screen version of yet another Alexandre Dumas classic, THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK (1939) - directed, interestingly enough, by James Whale. Incidentally, these two - both, as is THE SON OF MONTE CRISTO itself, produced by independent Edward Small - are perhaps the classic adventure films I would most like to watch and I wonder which DVD company owns the rights to all three titles...

Still, the film is equally influenced by THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1934) - in its hero's dual personality of fop/crusader - and THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937) - the Ruritanian setting - and, despite being a 'B' movie at heart, it's stylishly handled (with Oscar-nominated art direction/set decoration). It also makes the most of its fine cast: good leads, wonderful villainy from George Sanders, a nice role for Ian Wolfe (billed "MacWolfe"!), and including three actors from Universal's Frankenstein saga - Lionel Belmore (as a bartender), Michael Mark (hilariously made up as a bishop) and Dwight Frye (in a 10-second bit as an embassy official).

Carrying a Torch for Joan Bennett

[wes-connors · 7/10 · 15 August 2007]

Some surprisingly glorious scenery and set direction highlight "The Count of Monte Cristo". Louis Hayward cuts a fine Count (aka "The Torch"). Joan Bennett is the beautiful queen - attracting the attentions of both Mr. Hayward and a deliciously wicked George Sanders. They, and the supporting players work very well together, and keep the movie interesting.

My favorite of the many nicely envisioned scenes is when Ms. Bennett, in a garden prison, releases a bird from its cage. Cleverly symbolic. I also like the "graveyard" hiding place - decorated with skeletons. The film's ending is terrific. With a tightening of its script and a little more budget, this might have attained classic status. It's a great example of a cast and crew making the absolute most of what they were given by a studio.

******* The Son of Monte Cristo (12/5/40) Rowland V. Lee ~ Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, George Sanders

Seems like a rehash of "Man in the Iron Mask"...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 16 February 2007]

Another bigger than usual budget for an Edward Small film that is very much in the same pattern as THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK, with the same stars--LOUIS HAYWARD and JOAN BENNETT--with Hayward again as the man who assumes a disguise (as a fop) in order to win the freedom of the Duchess of Litchtenberg from the clutches of villainous GEORGE SANDERS and his traitorous ways.

Full of intrigue, swashbuckling and occasional moments of romantic byplay, it's handicapped by Bennett's ice princess manner of performing in these costume roles as a damsel in distress--beautiful but expressionless. LOUIS HAYWARD, on the other hand, is very animated and charming in the title role, showing prowess with the swordplay and finally getting the upper hand in a duel of wits and swords with Sanders.

It's enjoyable but full of deja vu for those who've seen other swashbucklers of this ilk. FLORENCE BATES has a few wry moments as Bennett's maid, and MONTAGU LOVE is effective as a wrongly imprisoned nobleman.

The musical score by Edward Ward is helpful in sustaining an air of adventure but certainly not one of his more notable scores.

Summing up: Standard entertainment that must have made Saturday matinée audiences happy in the '40s--but it's all just too familiar with no original touches.

The story of WW II in Europe?

[webbbarton · 7/10 · 5 April 2005]

Since this comment compares the entire plot of the movie to World War II in 1940, don't read this if you are avoiding spoilers.

I could not help noticing while watching the movie that the basic roles of the characters in the story match very closely to the major nations' roles in the war going on at the time.

Gurko Lanen - Powerful, corrupt, ruthless, uses spies, back stabs - he is clearly the Germans

Zona - Strong heart, good intentions, pure but realistic. How can she win against such overwhelming force? - the British, who, at this time stood alone against the Germans.

Baron von Neuhof - Allied with Zona, outwitted and imprisoned - The French

Prince Paul Pavlov - Signs a secret treaty that protects Lanen against a war with the French, secretly 'selling off' the citizens of Lichtenburg (who represent the Poles (or perhaps all of the free peoples of Europe), I think) - The Soviets (who else?)

And finally - 'The Torch'/Count Monte Cristo - The savior that is willing to risk his life for Zona, even though he has no interest in Lichtenburg - his ambition is to fight oppression wherever it lies - The USA

Naturally Stadt represents the German SA (Ernst Rohm) that was betrayed by Hitler after building the Nazi party into a viable force, and also obviously the Gestapo (German secret police).

Remember that in 1940, The Soviet Union was NOT at war with Germany. In fact, the Germans and Soviets conquered Poland and divided the nation in accordance with a 'secret' clause in their Non-Aggression Pact.

It is so similar that I can't imagine that the movie wasn't a veiled attempt to encourage the USA to join the war on the side of Britain.

In fact, the plot of the movie even has The Count lending money to Lichtenburg. The USA was officially neutral, but certainly mostly Anglophilic at the time, which would be consistent with this theme.

Maybe I am reaching a little bit, but I have a strong feeling that this is the case.

Does anyone know of any official connection? Has this been discussed before?

A dark swordplay for 1940

[jromanbaker · 7/10 · 23 January 2021]

Restored by Renown Pictures this film is well worth buying. Although made in black and white this accentuates the darkness of 1940, and the audience of the time would have seen more in it ( veiled ) than todays audience. Set in a Balkan's state this is a country full of repression, smashing in of windows of those not wanted in the state ,and prone to executing ' traitors ' this would have chilled many. The title of the film is a come on as it bears no resemblance to Alexandre Dumas or ' The Count of Monte Cristo ', but it is quite obvious that Lichtenburg must be saved from its tyrant Gurko who wants total rule. Joan Bennett good as always plays the Head of State who Gurko wishes to marry so as to have complete control. As played by George Sanders Gurko is a man to be afraid of, and there are those in the country willing to get rid of him even within his army. He plays the role brilliantly and only Louis Hayward is a little bit too ' light ' an actor for the lead role as the Count's son ( and no you do not need to know about his father ). I liked it a lot. Fast paced and entertaining on a superficial level it has very dark undertones indeed. Well worth watching.

Beware of The Torch

[AAdaSC · 5/10 · 27 December 2014]

Joan Bennett (Zona) is the Head of State of Lichtenburg, although the real ruler is George Sanders (Gurko) and he is planning a marriage to Joan so that he can legally assume power by becoming king. Prime Minister Montagu Love (Von Neuhoff) is in alliance with Joan and both are opposed to Sanders and his power-mad schemings. It's up to Louis Hayward (Count of Monte Cristo) to sort out the mess. And maybe snag Joan for himself….

Not enough tension or variety in the settings to the story. It seems set in one location and it lacked some kind of variety. It cracks along at a fair pace and if you drop off asleep during it, you'll definitely miss plot developments. It's not a bad film, but nothing very standout about it. You can tell that George Sanders was uncomfortable with sword fights – his posture is terrible during his fencing sequences. I used to fence at school so it is very easy for me to spot. "The Mark of Zorro" is a better film from 1940 with regards to swordplay. This film also has a similar story but it's not as good.

Louis Hayward steals all hearts

[Igenlode Wordsmith · 8/10 · 11 July 2002]

It is almost invariably a bad sign when the villain of the piece utterly steals the show in the first ten minutes - even when said villain is played by the inimitable George Sanders. I was seriously tempted to give up on this film before the eponymous Count had made his (delayed) appearance; indeed, memory suggested that on a previous occasion I had actually done so. To have missed the remainder of this charming film, however, must now rank as one of my most serious misjudgements so far!

George Sanders is superb as the ruthless Gurko Lanen, but a performance of this calibre in the role of the villain holds the danger of overbalancing the film in the absence of a totally outstanding performance on the part of his opponent. But the introduction of Louis Hayward's slender, charming Monte Cristo as an outsider into the cliche'd Ruritanian mix proves to be the vital spark that not only saves the film but catapults it to rank as a joyous classic of its genre. As Gurko Lanen sardonically observes, it is an adversary with a sense of humour who is dangerous.

No-one could claim originality for the plot. There are strong echoes of 'The Mask of Zorro' to be found, as our well-born young hero alternates the pose of a fop - suffering the scorn of his ladylove - with the role of masked defender of the downtrodden masses. But expectations are constantly subverted; like its title character, the film has the endearing knack of not taking itself too seriously.

This is one hero, for all his skill, who has been known to lose when launching himself gaily into battle against overwhelming numbers of his rival's henchmen; who takes his nom de guerre at the whim of a moment from the banner heading of an underground news-sheet; who shrugs off his enemy's imprecations and his lady's upbraiding both alike, with a merry grin; who clearly takes enormous enjoyment in sending himself up by playing the part of a foppish banker to deflect General Lanen's suspicions. In a nod to the Dumas original, the tool that gains him access to the General's plans and confidence is the prospect of a banking loan from the fabled Monte Cristo fortune, and despite his title the young Count is able to point out that, like Gurko Lanen, Edmond Dantes the elder was a self-made man.

For, if the hero is not entirely infallible - and all the more likeable for it - neither is the villain entirely without our sympathy. As we see in the opening scenes, Lanen is neither a fool nor a coward, and despite his cultured suavity he is the son of a stonemason, and proud of it; a gifted peasant who has dared to aspire, first to the rulership of his tiny country, then to the hand of the greatest lady in the land, the Grand Duchess herself. It is not a romance that the audience can possibly favour - the would-be suitor is too old, too brutal, too jaded to be a suitable match for young Zona - but it is hard not to wince at the haughty manner in which his courtship is dismissed. To this viewer at least, the proposal sounded genuine, evoking the old proverb that 'if she would not take him, still the lady might make him' - but any possibility for redemption is lost by the all-too-evident contempt of the Grand Duchess for the low-born upstart General.

(And I never could see why Baron von Neuhof's arrest for plotting to bring in Louis Napoleon's troops in order to return his own faction to power gets dismissed as "trumped-up charges", when Lanen's last-ditch resort to a similar bargain with the Tsar is trumpeted as a vile betrayal of his country....)

It's obvious from the start that this is one villain who is going to give the hero and his allies a run for their money; and so he does. Monte Cristo's flattery doesn't fool the General for an instant, though he is prepared to tolerate the fop as long as he remains useful, and the identity of the spy who ultimately betrays 'The Torch' has been skilfully established from the very first scenes. As soon as Lanen's suspicions are aroused he contrives, with only a little manipulation of those most loyal to his audacious guest, to discover both his secret identity and his concealed escape route in time to have him arrested and thrown in jail.

Ruthless and resourceful to the very last, Gurko Lanen keeps us gasping as he gambles everything to achieve his aims. Yet above all, it is Louis Hayward, in the irrepressible part of Edmond Dantes the younger (surely a kindred spirit of Simon Templar?) who really brings the picture to life. It will take all the wit and daring of an opponent as ingenious and endearing as the Son of Monte Cristo to stop the General... with a little help from Zona, who at the crucial moment yet again subverts the genre by saving herself!

Bloopers are few, although the Grand Duchess' achievement in adhering side-saddle behind her rescuer on the rump of a galloping horse is little short of miraculous, as is the apparent availability of sticky tape in 1865 for silencing the mouth of the Russian ambassador! During Lanen's balcony speech, a distant off-stage voice can faintly be heard prompting him line by line; while it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that the character would have had a prepared speech 'cued' to him in that situation, I somehow doubt that this was intentional :-)

Despite having little to really do with the original film, an enjoyable little film.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 21 April 2012]

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!

Some Sympathy for a Devil

[KingCoody · 5/10 · 15 July 2005]

As a previous commenter has stated,George Sanders' Gurko Lanen character isn't all unsympathetic,in fact in "reality" he would've been labeled a great national figure if he had pulled his coup off. If the country had been(and it seems to be implied) founded and ruled by Germanic lords over Slavic types,Lanen coming up from a peasant artisan background already is a true man of the people. The officer class featuring a non masked Clayton Moore represents the old outland overlords are especially resentful that such a one as Lanen has gained ascendancy . Miss Snooty is being properly Victorian looking down on the upstart,but if a climatic sword duel had been written the other way,I am assured Miss Bennett would've become a good Nasty Girl ala Woman In the Window,cooing and ooing at her Lany Nany. And if Louis Hayward had actually been a banker from such a background as the original Count, his sympathies would have gone to a fellow self made man. But it didn't and Gurko Lanen fell to lie in an unmarked grave of swashbuckling cinematic badguys. But unlike many of them,his is still cared for by adherents much like many of Basil Rathbone's blood and thunderers( though I'm sure Robin Hood's foe lies in the family crypt-he was a Norman you know).

He carries a torch for her.

[ulicknormanowen · 6/10 · 20 July 2020]

Although there are hints at the father's feats ( the best swordsman in his native France ;his imprisonment and his escape -based on real life Picaud's story) , Alexandre Dumas never wrote the offspring's yarn so the screenwriter could claim his script quite legally.

This is a pleasant entertaining yarn , sometimes recalling "the prisoner of Zenda" ,although the hero looks like a cross between Zorro and shrewd French gentleman cambrioleur , Arsène Lupin ;the characters are stereotypes ;Louis Hayward is the dashing hero ,a great pretender ; Joan Bennett is a gorgeous grand duchess,but a naive politician : to help her against the vilain's ominous plans ,she calls another dictator ,Napoleon (Napoleon the Third ,that is) to the rescue ;Georges Sanders plays Georges Sanders ,the perfect suave baddie ,always with style .

Edmond Dantès would have been proud of his son !

More than meets the eye

[trc134 · 7/10 · 16 February 2016]

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?

loveable B flick

[didi-5 · 22 November 2001]

It was done on the cheap - see how the backdrops are so obvious in the first scenes where the Duchess and Cristo meet, see how the stunt 'doubles' are, well, hardly doubles - but it is very funny, very loveable, and wins you over. I will admit to a soft spot for little Louis, the very small hero of this, and Joan Bennett has that haughty beauty of so many B pic heroines. But it delivers, and that's what counts. It manages to be entertaining and move along quite well. Perhaps it could have been a bit better in quality but I'm certainly not complaining ...

Did I Interrupt Your Plans?

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 8 February 2016]

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."

Very good cast in an enjoyable swashbuckler

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 26 April 2014]

"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.

good swashbuckler

[marktayloruk · 7/10 · 17 April 2020]

Bit too talky.Had some unavoidable sympathy with George Sanders ' villain- could it be remade with him as the lead character? And how could they have rushed French troops to a Balkan state in 1865?

" The power of diplomacy lies in the fact that the people never discover the truth until it's too late."

[DoorsofDylan · 7/10 · 1 May 2023]

Watching the light fade on Lured (1947-also reviewed) I decided to expand on this viewing, by making it a George Sanders double bill. Checking Talking Pictures free online catch-up service, I was happy to find an Adventure title that had a few days left on the site starring Sanders, leading to me meeting the son of Monte Cristo.

View on the film:

Riding in on rear screen projection backed by a rousing score from Great Expectations (1934-also reviewed) composer Edward Ward, The Sun Never Sets (1939-also reviewed) director Rowland V. Lee & Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951-also reviewed) cinematographer George Robinson jump over any limitations in the mid-budget, and land in a joyful swashbuckler atmosphere, swift dolly shots displaying the detailed castle/ palace sets, which roll out to distorted panning shots that place the viewer right in the middle of the crowd, as the clash of steel from the nifty sword fights between Cristo and Lanen.

Stamping round the kingdom like a mad general with a shaved head and jackboots, George Sanders walks into his eighth film role of 1940, and gives a magnificent performance as Lanen, whose venomous dialogue is performed by Sanders with a real relish, matched by the stern glances Sanders gives all those who question the imposing figure of Lanen.

Reuniting with Sanders after they had worked on James Whale's Green Hell (1940-also reviewed) Joan Bennett gives a glittering performance as Zona, who Bennett has hold her head high in a regal manner, which Bennett balances with a firmness in her vocal delivery, expressing Zona pushing back on Lanen's demands.

Joined by a welcomed appearance by James Whale's regular collaborator Dwight Frye, Louis Hayward gives a dashing turn as Cristo, where he rolls with the punches and expert sword-fighting with a striking confidence, that Hayward brings over to Cristo being gleeful outsmarting Lanen while secretly out of the mask.

Drawing swords close to the Fantastique films made im France during the Occupation, the screenplay by George Bruce intelligently uses the characters from Alexandre Dumas's novel, as a foundation to explore the unfolding horror WWII. Surrounding Lanen with henchmen who wear black shirts, Bruce keeps Lanen's power-grab as a dictator one that is grounded in realism, with book burning and arresting all political opposition, which cleverly raise the stakes in the action set-pieces, as the town gets covered in Operation Cornflakes- leaflets, spread across the bowl by the son of Monte Cristo.

General Gurko Lenin intriguing and aspiring for total power with Russian help but fooled by Monte Christo's money

[clanciai · 9/10 · 12 August 2019]

This is old Hollywood at its best in a splendid swashbuckler yarn of a corrupt regime somewhere in the Balkans beyond Hungary (evidently Romania, since the religion is orthodox,) and Louis Hayward is as elegant as any Douglas Fairbanks Jr or Errol Flynn, and Joan Bennett, still young and fresh here, plays the part of Olivia de Havilland. The ace of the show however is George Sanders as the crook, impeccably gentlemanly in all his absurdity, and quite convincing as a figure representing corrupt state politics. There are many gorgeous scenes, but the most interesting part of the action is the freedom movement, set ablaze by The Torch, a kind of Balkan Zorro, who encounters all the problems and difficulties in the rowdy Balkans as Zorro in Spanish California. The music is perfectly matched to the action all the way, and the totally artificlal plot causes no disturbance or alarm - the Balkans are like that, and Gurko makes the perfect figurehead. He excelled in crooks like this and always made them perfectly convincing, the more rotten to the core, the better. The story is actually quite original, having nothing to do with Dumas or Monte Christo but fabricated independently by Hollywood's inspired script writers, and the result will remain a joy forever as first class entertainment.

Interesting superstars as co-stars

[ralamerica · 8/10 · 16 February 2007]

While watching the movie, I was shocked that it took so long for the son of the count to get even with George Sanders as the ruthless Gurko Lanen. The son of Monte Cristo, as the Torch, spends a lot of time trying to save Joan Bennett from the evil clutches of Saunders. Why, by golly, he had the most famous cop in the world and the hero of the Old West to help him out. Lieutenant of the Guards is played by none other than that masked man himself, Clayton Moore (the Lone Ranger). As the film begins we also see Ralph Byrd (the essential Dick Tracy) duking it out with Sanders. And to top it off, Rand Brooks is on hand to give aid to the Torch. Rand, as many should recall, would a couple of years later play Lucky Jenkins, one of Hopalong Cassidy's crime-fighting sidekicks. Is it s coincidence that with these two cowboy stars on hand that the script resembles more the "Mark of Zorro" than a sequel to "The Count of Monte Cristo"?

For the liberty and people of Lichtenberg

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 4 July 2011]

Louis Hayward never got quite the acclaim that swashbuckling actors like Tyrone Power and Errol Flynn did for these roles. He was an independent and never had a big studio to back him. This film, The Son Of Monte Cristo was an Edward Small production released by United Artists and it shows Hayward at his best advantage as a larger than life hero who fought for honor, his lady's as well as a cause of freedom.

As we know from Alexandre Dumas's novel The Count Of Monte Cristo, he became the wealthiest man in Europe with a taste for the cause of liberty and a man who as a banker knew how to settle all kinds of accounts. His son Edmond Dantes, Jr. is following in Dad's footsteps and they've brought him to the Duchy of Lichtenberg whose military dictator George Sanders rules with a brutal hand in the name of the Queen, Joan Bennett. But Sanders ambition knows no limits as the viewer of this film learns, he'll make Lichtenberg a satellite of a major European power if he can be king as well as military ruler.

The film borrows from both The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Mark Of Zorro as Hayward turns Monte Cristo into a dandified fop representing his banking house. By night however he becomes the hooded Torch, symbol of liberty for the people of Lichtenberg who keeps striking where Sanders least expects it.

This film along with The Man In The Iron Mask from the previous year marked Hayward's apex as a film star. His service as a combat photographer with the Marines during World War II earned him a Silver Star. But his absence from the screen put a halt to his rise to the top of the Hollywood pinnacle. Other stars like James Stewart, Tyrone Power, and Clark Gable made it all the way back, but sadly Hayward never did.

Joan Bennett is a beautiful heroine willing to bear the unbearable for her people and life with Sanders as a husband and king is pretty unbearable. Montagu Love who is usually a bad guy in these kind of films is a good guy here as the minister Bennett has confidence in. Ian Wolfe who usually plays nebbish types is a particularly sneaky and nasty spy for Sanders and he really gets what's coming to him. You'll also recognize Clayton Moore with that distinctive voice in a part without the Lone Ranger mask and young Rand Brooks who was Olivia deHavilland's brother in Gone With The Wind plays another eager young patriot.

As for Sanders this film is business as usual for him as he plays yet another distinctive cad as a villain.

Heroes aren't real heroes in our more cynical age which is the reason that sadly films like The Son Of Monte Cristo aren't made any more.

Great swords and great Hollywood 1940

[kramerafii-1 · 10/10 · 10 July 2005]

Well, it might have a good bit of Ruritaninan clichés, and we might just guess the outcome, but it is a fun "B" sword dasher. George Sanders never looked so threatening until he showed up as Addison DeWitt in "All About Eve". He did have the face of menace. And it is good to see any of the Bennett sisters on screen. It does tweak your memory. Is it Joan? Is it Constance? Is it someone that I remember from some other movie on the Saturday afternoon filler? And then you do have Florence Bates as the best friend (maid) to the star. This role would be taken by Thelma Ritter in about ten years. Although, Thelma Ritter looked as if she contended with Macy's and Gimbels's. I cannot picture her in period costume. Unless, Klein's on the Square (14th Street and Union Square) ever went high hat. Thank goodness not!