The Count of Monte-Cristo (2024)
Original title: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo
Genre: Drama, Adventure, Historical
Directors: Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte
Writers: Alexandre Dumas, Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte
Stars: Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon, Anaïs Demoustier, Anamaria Vartolomei, Laurent Lafitte, Pierfrancesco Favino
Plot: After spending 14 years imprisoned on an island for a crime he did not commit, Edmond Dantès escapes and reinvents himself as the Count of Monte Cristo. Driven by vengeance, he meticulously plans to bring justice to those who betrayed him.
* * *
1815
Napoleon, driven from power, has taken refuge on the island of Elba.
While his supporters dream of his return, the new royalist power hunts them down mercilessly.
Arrests and executions continue to spiral in a climate of civil war.
On a stormy night off the coast of Cape Corso (Corsica), the merchant ship Pharaoh crosses paths with a boat in danger…
You saved her.
Get me a blanket!
I told you not to go!
You’re grounded! I don’t want to see you until Marseille!
What?
Do you find me brutal?
Not only do I know it, but I take pride in it.
Come on!
Come on, everyone to your stations!
Get her dry, before she freezes to death.
Wait!
Come on!
Did you sleep well?
You have something that belongs to me.
I had never seen the Emperor’s handwriting.
Give me that letter back.
I don’t think so, no.
What do you want?
A good reason not to report you.
Try money.
It often works.
I don’t have any.
But I have friends.
If you talk about that letter,
they will find you and they will kill you,
Captain Danglars.
Sir?
I’ve caused you a lot of trouble.
I don’t know how to thank you.
You just did.
Take care of yourself.
Miss…?
Angèle.
Edmond.
I will never forget your courage.
But forget my name.
Goodbye, Edmond.
Goodbye, Angèle.
Morrel wants to see you.
We had just changed shifts, off the coast of Cap Corse.
The swell was strong. We were 200 fathoms from the wreck.
Give me the logbook.
We were hitting the debris when Dantès wanted to launch the lifeboat.
I forbade him. It was madness.
Is that true?
Yes, sir.
We would have done it for one of our men.
It was my decision.
I took my responsibilities.
I ordered
to change course, and he dove.
You dove?
He didn’t forbid diving.
That’s enough.
Did you see that insolence?
Mr. Morrel, I tell you, this boy is uncontrollable.
I don’t want to sail with him anymore.
You will no longer sail with him.
I warned you.
Because you will no longer sail for me.
Pardon?
How could you let her drown?
I… I saved your cargo, Mr. Morrel.
Dantès saved my honor, Danglars.
Captain.
You are no longer captain.
Go prepare your things.
I will arrange your pay.
We don’t know who that woman is.
I know what you did. And that’s enough for me.
Kid, come here.
Come on!
Let this be a lesson to you.
Huh?
When you are a man, you don’t hide behind your rank
or under a table.
I present to you
my grandson, Maximilien.
Nice to meet you, Maximilien.
Maximilien, I present to you Captain Dantès.
Good day, Captain.
So, how old…
Captain?
Yes, try to be worthy of it, Edmond.
Of course, sir.
Of course.
Huh?
That’s good.
Edmond!
I can’t believe it.
I have to… I have to tell you something.
That you love me?
Yes… that. But…
No, there’s no “but.”
Wait.
But I…
You’re starting again.
You kiss a future captain.
You’re going to be…
Yes.
So we can…
Yes. We can.
I missed you.
I missed you. I missed you.
See you later.
Edmond!
Juliette. Are you well?
And you?
Yes.
How are you?
It’s Edmond, Louis’s son.
Good day, sir.
Good day.
Where’s father? I need to see him.
At home.
See you later.
You can smile,
it’s good news.
You look serious.
It’s joy.
I’m so proud of you.
Captain.
Captain.
Did you inform Mr. and Mrs. de Morcerf?
Not yet. I wanted to tell you first.
Everything is going to change, father.
We have to announce it to them.
This is all thanks to them.
And to you, too.
I didn’t pay for your naval studies.
Come on, go, my son.
Go pay your respects.
So, a toast! I raise my glass
to the memory of your mother, Edmond.
Because we miss her
and because she gave birth
to the youngest captain of Marseille!
Bravo!
Applaud him, he’ll be embarrassed.
There you go, perfect.
But above all
because Mathilde Dantès
was the nurse of a future peer of France
with a heroic destiny,
one of the finest officers in Europe,
I name Fernand de Morcerf, at your service.
Louis, come toast with us. This is the occasion.
Thank you, sir.
Maybe later.
You can scold Mercédès. She doesn’t listen to me anymore.
You’ll see, she’ll be late for her wedding.
Ah, finally!
Ah.
Excuse my delay,
aunt. Hello, uncle.
Horace de Balios
was being difficult. I almost gave him a spanking.
But really, Mercédès.
Who is this gentleman?
He’s a horse. He’s from a very good family.
Hello, my cousin.
Hello, my cousin.
Edmond.
Mercédès.
Are you ready to celebrate? Edmond has great news.
Yes, yes.
Yes, I’m going to be captain.
Captain of the Pharaon. It’s official.
Is that true?
Hm.
Bravo.
To the captain!
I got it!
Ah! To your health!
I’m happy for you.
Me too. I’m happy
for me. To yours.
Are you going to get a new uniform?
He nods.
And a new pay.
He’ll be able to enjoy life,
have a good time.
We’ll explain it to him.
I’m going to be able to marry, especially.
What?
You will be my witness.
Don’t count on it!
Well, yes!
The witness to a waste! Mercédès, say something.
I tried, but he’s madly in love.
Ah, completely crazy.
And her, does she know? Finally, is she in agreement?
Yes. From what she told me,
yes, yes.
I know.
It’s Juliette.
Who?
The maid with the mischievous look.
No! No, it’s not Juliette.
No, she’s a real woman,
very beautiful.
Not just beautiful.
Hm.
Mysterious and enchanting.
Yes! No, no,
yes, yes.
But who is it?
It’s your cousin.
Mercédès Herrera de Morcerf.
You?
Yes.
We’re getting married.
But you’re completely crazy.
And your mother will never agree.
You think mom will refuse me anything?
Then you’ll convince her. You’ve always been her favorite nephew.
AMEN!
I bring here,
signed by Mr. de Villefort,
the King’s prosecutor,
an arrest warrant for the named Edmond Dantès.
Follow us.
What’s happening?
No, let him be.
There must be an explanation.
Come.
Let me go.
Wait.
Fernand, do something!
What’s wrong? My son hasn’t done anything.
It’s definitely a misunderstanding.
Where are you taking him? I’ll go with you.
We must take him alone, sir.
Lieutenant.
Lieutenant Fernand de Morcerf.
Tell your friends to let us through.
It’s a royal order.
I’ll take care of it.
Please follow us now.
Edmond!
I’ll be back, my love.
Edmond Dantès, Mr. Prosecutor.
Let us be.
I have always admired sailors like you, Mr. Dantès.
I only fear the sea.
It’s true, this endless abyss.
These black waters.
A monster always seems ready to emerge to devour you.
What am I being accused of? Why am I being arrested on my wedding day?
Do you have an enemy, Mr. Dantès?
An… an enemy?
Or a jealous one.
You’ve just been named captain, you’re going to marry a fine match…
You may have made some envious.
I don’t know, no.
I had a disagreement recently with a crew member,
but what could he accuse me of?
I don’t know.
Of being a Bonapartist agent, for example.
Excuse me?
But… that makes no sense.
We found this Bible in your cabin.
Is this your Bible?
Your name is written in it.
Yes, but that’s not a crime.
That’s true.
But we also found inside an order of mission
signed by Napoleon himself.
And that is a crime.
Wait.
No, this is the first time I’ve seen this letter.
If you have no enemy, who could have slipped it in there?
Off the coast of Cap Corse, I saved a young woman from drowning.
Did she thank you in your cabin?
No.
Danglars locked her up there. She left in Marseille.
You can check.
Ask Quartermaster Gaspard Caderousse.
Caderousse?
Yes.
What do you know about her?
Nothing.
Mr. Dantès.
I’ve interrogated dozens of conspirators
and I believe you’re not one of them.
I’m willing to help a friend of the Morcerfs,
but I need you to help me.
I swear to you I know nothing about her.
She told me her name was Angèle.
That’s all.
Did you…
reveal the name of this young woman to anyone?
No.
Not even to that Caderousse?
No.
To no one. I swear.
Well, you see, Mr. Dantès, I believe you.
However, I’m going to have to keep you a bit longer,
until I can interrogate the rest of the crew.
If they confirm your testimony, which I have no doubt they will,
I will return you to your fiancée, who will have plenty of time to hate me.
Count on her.
Fernand will bring you back.
I can’t take it anymore, I’m going.
You can’t do anything more.
It would suit you if they didn’t release him.
How can you say such horrors?
Gerard, whatever you’ve been told about Dantès, I stand by him.
Let us be alone for a moment, gentlemen.
Fernand, I’m sorry for your friend.
I know your ties.
But you don’t know everything.
We found an order of mission from the Emperor on him.
And his crew members claim he is one of his supporters.
I think you understand the seriousness of these accusations.
He was arrested before he could marry Mercédès
and before the irreparable was committed,
but if you are willing to vouch for him,
if you think these two men are lying…
If you are ready to take that risk,
then I will free him.
You only need to say one word.
No.
No?
He does not deserve…
He does not deserve what?
For our family name to be sullied.
If Dantès has betrayed us,
he should suffer the fate of traitors.
I can ensure…
that no trial will tarnish the reputation of the Morcerfs.
I will need your testimony.
Do you understand what is happening?
Then keep your mouth shut.
Mr. Dantès?
Did you get to speak to the prosecutor?
Yes, sir.
This is a day I will never forget.
Aren’t you taking me home?
No, indeed.
Go.
What’s happening? What’s happening?
Let me go.
Call the prosecutor. I spoke with the prosecutor!
Call him. Call him!
I’m innocent! I did nothing! Let me go.
Shh, shh, shh.
If you were guilty, they would have hanged you. They’re taking you away,
because you know things that they don’t want to hear.
Come on.
Stop.
Stop!
Let me go!
Where is he?
I couldn’t do anything.
Mercédès.
Let me be.
It wouldn’t help.
Mercédès…
Stop.
Please.
What’s going on, Victoria?
Aren’t you happy to see me?
Your sister is here.
Mademoiselle de Villefort.
You wear your secrets well.
Sorry I can’t return the compliment.
Cognac? Sorry, I’m all out of seawater.
Yes, it’s my job to know everything.
So you know that Dantès is innocent.
Innocent… Yeah.
But who is truly innocent?
He did nothing. Why did you arrest him?
In order to save your life.
My life or your reputation?
We’re both playing politics.
In politics, you don’t eliminate a man,
you eliminate an obstacle.
I knew you practiced your profession with cruelty,
but I had hoped you at least did it honestly.
Why don’t you confess in his place?
But I will, Gérard.
If you refuse to save him, I will do it.
But you would prefer that my existence be ignored,
as well as that of Victoria,
your mistress,
and your future child.
Just as I thought.
CHATEAU D’IF PRISON FOUR YEARS LATER
Alive?
Alive.
Alive?
Alive!
Alive?
Alive.
Take wide… Stay clear of the coast…
And who knows the way… Who knows exactly…
Is anyone there? Is anyone there?
Is anyone there? Is anyone there?
Is anyone there?
Is anyone there? Is anyone there?
Is anyone there?
Who are you?
Uh, I… Dantès, Edmond Dantès.
How old are you?
Your voice sounds like a young man’s.
I’m…
I don’t know anymore.
I was 22… when they imprisoned me.
On May 16, 1815.
That was four years ago.
You are 26 years old.
Four years?
And…
And you, who are you?
A prisoner.
Like you.
For how long?
Shh!
What?
They’re coming.
Wait.
Don’t leave me.
Who are you? At least tell me your name.
Your name!
34! Alive?
Alive.
I was waiting for you.
Do you really think you can get out of here?
I’ve dug 30 meters in six years.
To go around your cell and reach the outside,
it will take twice as long.
12 years?
Maybe a little less, now that we’ll be two.
Why? Do you have other plans?
No.
I am Abbé Faria.
Edmond Dantès.
Had you ever seen this letter?
No, never.
And you? Do you know why you are here?
Yes.
They wanted to silence you. They wanted to make me talk.
He speaks in Italian.
I choose the people I confide in.
You don’t know Italian?
No.
English, Arabic, Latin, Greek?
I only know the sea.
If you want, I’ll teach you.
With patience and will, in…
in 6 or 7 years, you will know everything I know.
History, philosophy,
mathematics.
These are…
These are weapons
that free just as much as this one.
Hm.
What is the first thing you will do
if we manage to get out?
I will find Mercédès.
What will you do if she hasn’t waited for you?
Then I will have nothing left.
I will tell you a story, Edmond.
Seven hundred years ago,
in Jerusalem, during the First Crusade,
the knights
charged with protecting the tomb of Christ create the Order of the Templars.
On the first day,
they are just a few, but they have immense faith.
Thanks to their victories,
the order amasses a fortune…
considerable.
Consi… Considerable.
I’m talking about the greatest treasure the Earth has ever known.
And…
over time,
their power, their wealth, makes them envied.
And on Friday, October 13, 1307, the King of France, Philip the Fair,
orders their arrest
and the seizure of their goods.
But no one ever found the treasure.
Do you know…
what these knights did with this immense fortune?
No.
Nothing!
Edmond, nothing.
Too busy seeking revenge,
punishing those who had betrayed them,
they died one after the other.
At least, almost all of them.
The last of them
was Cardinal Spada.
At the end of his life, sheltered on the island of MonteCristo,
he had time to train one last knight.
This young man was called…
Giuseppe Faria.
I am the last survivor, Edmond.
And I know
where the treasure is.
Half of which
belongs to you today.
But what will you do with this fortune?
Will you do good
or will you let your heart fill with hatred?
10 YEARS LATER
I’m going to empty the bag.
Edmond.
Huh?
It’s salty.
The water, it’s salty.
We’re almost there. It’s a matter of days.
We’re there, we’re there.
I’ll be right back.
Step back!
Abbé?!
Abbé! Abbé!
Here.
Edmond.
No, no, don’t talk.
I’m going to call for help.
No.
(In Italian) It’s too late.
Don’t be sad.
You have been the only comfort of my life.
The Lord gave it to me…
a little late, but he gave it to me.
I am not mad, Edmond.
I know.
The treasure exists.
You know where to find it.
We will go look for it together!
Don’t forget.
MonteCristo.
MonteCristo.
Mount…
Don’t leave me.
Don’t leave me. Huh?
Don’t leave me.
Alive?
Alive!
Alive?
Number 17?
Oh, 17!
Oh, Abbé?
Oh! He is dead, throw the sack!
Which one is it?
Abbé
Alive?
Alive!
Alive?
Alive?
Stand up.
Stand up!
I said stand up!
Alert!
ONE…
Alert!
TWO…
Alert!
AND THREE!
Hey! You shouldn’t be here.
Go away!
I came to see Louis. Louis Dantès.
Did you know Louis?
Yes.
We buried that poor Louis.
A long time ago.
No, that can’t be true.
He let himself die of hunger after his son’s death.
He wanted to join him.
But his…
But his son is not dead.
I’m sorry.
You were a sailor too?
Yes.
Hm.
I will give you something to eat. But then you disappear, okay?
And Mercé… Mercédès?
And Fernand de Morcerf?
They haven’t come by in 7 or 8 years.
They have been living in Paris since the birth of their son.
You are too late.
Avoid the Ligurian Sea
and its endless patrols.
Set course for Sardinia.
You can stop at Santa Teresa di Gallura.
The island of MonteCristo is
to the west of the Tuscan Archipelago.
You will dock at the southern tip.
I know you will be overwhelmed by its austere beauty.
I envy you for discovering it for the first time.
There.
That’s it.
The tomb of the illustrious Spada family.
The rest, Edmond,
is your story.
The story of a man who holds the world
in the palm of his hand.
MARSEILLE ONE YEAR LATER
I beg you, go ahead.
Stop.
I’ll pay you tomorrow.
No, no. Gaspard, get out.
M. Caderousse is my friend.
On his deathbed, Edmond Dantès asked me to share with those
who mattered to him.
He thought he had been betrayed by a certain Danglars.
But he was convinced that two men had remained loyal to him.
He told me:
“One is named Gaspard Caderousse,
“and the second, Fernand de Morcerf.”
Keep your diamond.
None of us deserves anything.
Wait, my son.
If I reveal what I know, they will know it came from me.
And these people are rich and powerful.
You have nothing to fear,
I am bound by the secret of confession.
Have a seat.
Dantès was right about Danglars. He is the one who betrayed him.
But Fernand de Morcerf? He was his friend.
Can one be a friend to someone whose woman one covets?
Out of love for Mercédès,
he sacrificed Edmond.
He will live. But to everyone, he will be dead.
Hm.
The only one who would have deserved Dantès’ affection is Morrel.
The shipowner?
He fought to free him.
And he too, providence has rewarded him little.
After Dantès’ arrest,
he had to take Danglars back as captain.
But Danglars betrayed him too.
He made half of his fleet disappear,
allegedly stolen by pirates.
Ruined, Morrel had to sell the company.
And guess who bought it for a pittance?
Danglars.
Two months later, the ships reappeared.
But the prosecutor Villefort didn’t budge.
To be fair, they shared a secret.
Little Victoria, Villefort’s mistress,
she had become Mrs. Danglars.
She is a baroness today
Morrel, on the other hand, died in poverty.
And you, in all this, Mr. Caderousse?
You?
What could I do
against a captain, a count, and a prosecutor?
If I had been braver, I would surely have ended up like her.
Her?
Angèle.
She had gone to see her brother to save Dantès.
I got rid of Dantès for you.
Now it’s your turn to get rid of her.
You see? I have friends too.
What happened?
Did she get killed?
She would have suffered less.
Danglars had other plans for her.
He sold her to the Maillard brothers, the masters of a brothel in Toulon.
The girl was pretty,
he got a good price for her.
You knew everything and did nothing.
I am ashamed, Father.
One day, I will return.
And I will offer you the chance to redeem yourself.
I no longer come to plead or seek you out,
but only to warn you:
I am going to do what you could not do.
From now on, I am the one who rewards and punishes.
Do you want something?
Who are you?
Years ago,
you told me:
“I will not forget your courage, but forget my name.”
Well, I have forgotten neither your name nor your courage.
Dantès.
I came to find you, Angèle.
For me, it’s too late.
But you can save the child.
The child?
When I arrived here,
I had only one idea in mind:
to take revenge on my brother.
For weeks, I looked for a way to escape.
One day, the opportunity presented itself. I fled.
With a client.
A draper from Paris.
I knew Gérard had been appointed there.
I tracked down Victoria,
his mistress.
I wanted to pick up the story where it had left off.
It was freezing cold.
That night…
Gérard had to die.
Nothing could stop me.
I can still feel the metal of the knife in my hand.
But nothing went as planned.
I heard a scream.
The scream of Victoria.
When Gérard came out into the garden, he was carrying a chest.
I followed him.
I got closer when…
I heard the muffled cries of a child.
I couldn’t leave him.
He still had his mother’s blood on his body.
Between vengeance and life…
I chose life.
I fled with him.
I didn’t know anyone in Paris.
So I returned to my draper.
But the Maillard brothers had found him.
And they were waiting for me.
Angèle…
What happened to the child?
Hello, André.
Angèle sent me to fetch you.
Why?
She is going to die.
I will take you to her so you can say goodbye.
After, we will leave.
We will take…
all the time we need to be ready.
Ready for what?
To take revenge, André.
To take revenge on the three men who stole her life,
yours
and mine.
I want to kill them.
That would be too easy.
Too sweet.
No.
We must rip out their hearts.
Who are you?
I am the Count of Monte Cristo.
General de Morcerf has decided today to leave the army
to dedicate his life to politics, to the House of Lords.
The French army loses a great soldier,
but France gains a great man.
Fernand de Morcerf
fought at Moskova, at Leipzig,
in Turkey…
Everywhere, at the risk of his life, he defended
a certain idea of the kingdom of France.
Fernand paid in flesh the price of his commitment and the respect
of the word given.
Ten years ago, when France’s ally
Ali Pasha of Janina was besieged by Turkish troops,
Colonel de Morcerf went all in.
At the head of a squadron of valiant soldiers,
he broke through the back line of the Ottomans
And come to his ally’s aid.
This act of insane courage
unfortunately wasn’t enough, but all the French know:
“You do not fight in hopes of success!
“No! No, it is even more beautiful when it is useless.”
Is it better?
You haven’t been very attentive with Eugénie Danglars.
Father.
She will have 2 million as a dowry,
the day of her wedding.
Fernand!
So I must pay attention to her fortune.
Better to have one less medal and one more zero.
Our son is a man of his time. He is a romantic who believes in…
Give the medal back!
There!
That’s enough.
If I had known the honor of your visit, I would have prepared for it.
If I had known the honor of your visit, I would have prepared for it.
Get out!
Gentlemen… If I had known the honor of your visit,
I would have prepared for it.
I apologize for welcoming you into an improvised home.
I have only been in France for a short time.
Count, I am sorry to intrude,
but we can never thank you enough.
I am certain he would have done the same for me.
Count, I owe you my life.
I am glad to see you on your two feet.
I had it repaired, the stock was cracked.
It is yours now.
I thank you immensely, but I cannot accept.
I already have a debt to you that I do not know how to repay.
Do you like weapons?
Please.
This is one of my finest pieces.
Ottomanstyle pistol.
Yes, but the iron guard with engraved foliage
indicates that this barrel is rather Europeanmade.
From Venice, indeed.
You are a connoisseur.
My father fought against Sultan Khursit
alongside Ali Pasha.
Morcerf.
You are the famous General de Morcerf?
I am very impressed.
Would you try it?
Unfortunately, I am expected at the Chamber.
Another time.
It won’t take a moment.
You deserve your reputation,
General.
Let’s change the target for you, Albert.
Remind me to never
challenge you to a duel.
Thank you for letting me have your son for a few hours.
I look forward to learning more about the one that providence has placed in my path.
I am participating in the hunt of Baron Danglars on Sunday.
Join us.
I can’t, I have to welcome the son of Prince Cavalcanti.
Come both of you then. There will be enough deer.
See you soon.
On Sunday, I hope.
Is everything alright?
I kept a little metal memento from my Ottoman stay.
Do you prefer singing to the music of weapons?
Follow me.
I beg your pardon.
I did not mean to disrespect your… your wife.
Haydée is not my wife. She is my goddaughter.
After you.
Haydée.
What a wonderful name.
It is quite a common name in Greece.
It could be translated as… modesty or… innocence.
May I ask you to introduce me to Haydée?
You seem to be a trustworthy young man.
So, I will introduce you to Haydée, but you must make me a promise.
I promise you in advance.
I am not joking.
Never seek to seduce her.
So you think me dangerous?
No.
But she is.
If you do not keep your promise, she will break your heart
and her own.
But…
She is not yet ready to love.
The secret of her voice lies in her past.
After her father’s assassination, she was sold to a Wallachian tribe.
That is where I met her and took her in.
You know, there are sorrows and wounds
that take years to heal.
They leave a veil over the souls.
Never try to lift that veil, Albert.
I promise you.
Good.
You will walk softly, without a glance at us.
You will only turn around when I call you.
Haydée.
Albert de Morcerf, I present to you Haydée.
Delighted.
Delighted.
Delighted, miss.
And what if he doesn’t try to meet me?
He will.
Stand tall!
Standing straight is surviving.
Hiding that you grew up in poverty, is surviving.
Do you understand? Why, André?
Because I am Prince Andrea Cavalcanti.
Cavalcanti, doesn’t that mean goat?
What?
Don’t look surprised. Do you hear me say “what”?
Start again.
I am Prince Andrea Cavalcanti.
You don’t have an accent, prince. How come?
A very strict teacher made me lose it with a stick.
Impertinence. Your elbows.
Dear count,
I am pleased to meet you.
Allow me a confession.
French life is still unknown to me, I beg your pardon
if my manners seem too Slavic, Neapolitan, or Arab.
Barking
Here is Count of MonteCristo and Prince Andrea Cavalcanti.
Gentlemen.
Count.
Prince.
The meeting with your father, as overwhelming as it is,
must not divert you from your target: Baron Danglars.
Thanks to stolen boats, he made a fortune in slavery.
Your reputation precedes you.
Don’t trust his smile.
He is brutal. Not only is he aware of it, he’s proud of it.
May I confess something to you?
French life is still unknown to me, I would ask you to excuse me
if my manners seem too Slavic, Neapolitan, or Arab.
When one is rich, one is never too anything.
His daughter is his weak point.
Prince.
Baron.
Eugénie.
Is the ground good?
It’s perfect.
Then let’s go.
On horseback, gentlemen.
Your honor, Count.
Thank you,
but I swore long ago
to only kill in selfdefense.
Then let me take your defense.
Perfect.
Prince.
Please.
Let’s go have lunch.
Eugénie?
Thank you. Suzanne, I present to you Prince Andrea Cavalcanti,
MonteCristo’s Italian protégé.
He looks after me.
My father fears that the beauties of Paris will lead me to make foolish decisions.
You speak perfect French.
A very strict teacher made me lose my accent with a stick.
But that’s awful.
That’s false, mostly.
My mother is French.
What an idiot.
I’m glad you could join us.
Your protégé’s hand didn’t tremble.
The animal didn’t even suffer.
And it’s a specialist in executions who speaks to you.
Do you often chop off heads?
Much less than before. The trend is towards leniency.
Excuse me for stealing the Count away, but I want to introduce him to someone.
Count.
Gentlemen.
Muffled conversation
Dear.
I finally introduce you to Count of MonteCristo.
Madame de Morcerf. My respects.
Is everything all right?
Yes, it’s…
It’s the emotion of meeting the man without whom I would be in tears.
Sir, I owe you my son’s life,
and for this kindness, I bless you.
You reward me too generously for a simple act.
But I am happy to have spared you the sorrow.
I proposed to the Count to be our guest,
but he has so far refused.
Perhaps you will have better luck?
Will you do me the pleasure and honor of being our guest one day?
Certainly, madam.
Permit me to take my leave. I would hate to monopolize you.
But… what is happening?
Would you like me to call someone?
Albert.
What do you know about this man?
Mother.
You always distrust my new acquaintances,
but the Count saved my life.
He is as rich as a king.
What should I fear from him?
You are right.
My fears are foolish.
Mr. Attorney General,
it is on my honor, as a lieutenant of the royal armies,
that I attest here that the named Edmond Dantès
has shown in my presence and on numerous occasions
sympathy for the usurper
and his desire to take up arms to overthrow the monarchy.
These words weigh heavily on me because Edmond Dantès was my friend,
but I cannot let this crime go unpunished.
I have seen too many men die because of traitors to the homeland.
That is not how you will find sleep.
I wasn’t looking for it.
Do you fear your nightmares?
I fear not having them anymore.
They help me keep my wounds open.
Have you seen her again?
Yes.
Was she as beautiful as in your memories?
I thought that grief would have changed her.
It must have been shortlived.
Her eyes were not those of a woman who has cried too much.
She will find the taste for tears when they take her husband away.
I’m passing.
200…
plus 500.
I fold.
I wouldn’t invite you to my table if you knew how to play.
There you go.
There are only three of us left.
I’ll leave you two alone.
Two pairs.
Well done.
Color.
You have far too many hearts.
I’m fleeing before I ruin my father.
Come on, let’s go, Albert.
Yes, that’s right,
go see those ladies.
Unlucky at cards, lucky in love.
I like your prince very much.
He is charming.
I barely know him, to be honest. His father is a business associate.
A good family, without a doubt.
If by “good,” you mean “rich,” then yes, it’s the second fortune of Italy.
Hm…
The second?
So you know the first?
Don’t make me immodest.
Finally, people richer than me.
His family dreams of seeing him marry a girl in Paris, but…
if the son is as fickle as the father, beware.
Rest assured,
I distrust everyone in general.
And foreigners, in particular.
I am a foreigner myself.
You, Count, that doesn’t count. You are a count.
And besides, it rhymes, you see?
You are a poet.
By the way, speaking of foreigners,
L’Impartial was bought by an Englishman.
Absolutely,
a certain Halifax. A Lord, it seems.
He buys newspapers to spread false news
and speculate on the stock market.
He is a rogue of the worst kind.
You don’t seem to like this Lord very much.
Let’s just say I like many people,
but I only truly hate certain individuals.
Hating an Englishman is not a sin. It’s common sense.
Are you leaving already?
It’s almost midnight. Our carriage will turn into a pumpkin.
Albert.
Miss.
You were about to forget your fan.
Thank you, sir.
Can I count on you?
For what?
To join me for dinner
that I am organizing soon in Paris. I found a place to stay.
Well… Of course.
Good.
See you soon.
Count.
Madame de Morcerf.
You’re leaving just as I arrive.
Don’t see any connection.
I wanted to apologize to you.
Apologize to me?
For my dizziness the other day.
You reminded me of someone I once knew well who disappeared
under tragic circumstances.
For a moment, I…
It’s happening again, I can’t find my words.
I’m sorry to have reminded you of that painful memory.
Rest assured, it has dissipated.
Good.
I wish you a good evening.
Count.
Albert.
“Haydée.
“I’m not supposed to write to you. So I won’t write to you.
“I must not meet you…”
So I won’t suggest that we meet at the Jardin des Plantes,
tomorrow at 5 o’clock.
This place, where I won’t be tomorrow,
holds the most mysterious flowers of Paris.
You come from a country nicknamed the land of clouds and jasmine.
We can count on the Parisian sky for the clouds,
I’ll have jasmine in my buttonhole.
So I won’t say see you tomorrow.
And I won’t tell you that since I saw you,
your voice and your face have not left my mind.
Albert.
Is he going to report us?
He is very loyal to the Count,
but he has a weakness for me.
It’s a strelitzia.
Where I come from, there were some on a path leading to the sea.
It’s also called the bird of paradise,
pasărea paradisului.
Pasărea paradisului?
Exactly.
How is it that you don’t have a fiancée?
But maybe you do?
My father wants me to marry the daughter of a baron.
But I…
I’m looking for something that this young lady will never have.
That… indefinable charm that is to a woman what fragrance is to a flower.
Or what flavor is to fruit.
I don’t know if Parisian women like to be picked or tasted,
but not me.
That’s not what I meant.
I was teasing you.
Will you be at the Count’s dinner on Saturday?
No. I will serve as an alibi for my mother
who avoids social events like the plague.
And you?
I don’t know your mother,
I don’t know her tastes,
but I share her dislikes.
Neither he nor his mother will come to the dinner.
But Fernand de Morcerf will certainly be present.
What’s the matter?
Are you not going to tell me about Albert?
There’s nothing to say.
It’s normal to doubt.
To be afraid. I understand that.
But when the time comes, you must remember…
I don’t need you
to remind me of what his father did to mine.
He placed his lips there.
Thank you,
my dear.
Of course.
Dear friends.
Good evening, Victoria.
I expected something more spectacular,
there’s no need to make that face.
There must be surprises inside.
Hm…
You seem to have little appetite.
I had an appetite before the pig and the poultry.
This house is… magnificent.
I sense you are still surprised.
Nothing escapes you.
I thought a man like you would choose a more central neighborhood,
like… the ChampsÉlysées or SaintGermain.
I bought this house precisely because it was advised against.
Why?
Well, they say it’s haunted. Gasps from the guests
They say a crime occurred here… an abominable one, years ago.
Be careful, we have the King’s prosecutor here.
It’s true.
A child was said to have been sacrificed.
That’s dreadful.
You bought this house despite everything?
You did well.
These ghost stories are nonsense
invented by malicious servants.
Or jealous neighbors.
Don’t be mistaken, prosecutor.
I lived in Asia and the Indies,
and it’s hard to return without knowing that there indeed exists
a world…
invisible, populated by spirits.
When I visited this house, I…
I immediately knew…
I had the strange conviction that a crime had been committed here.
So I asked
to be left alone.
But…
were you not afraid?
If your conscience is pure, ghosts do not haunt you.
They speak to you.
And what did they tell you?
But yes, what did they tell you?
That night, I settled here.
Right in front of this fireplace.
I smoked a bit of opium to be more receptive.
There’s nothing like it to expand the spectrum of your consciousness.
And in the sweetness of the smoke…
I felt as if… suspended.
I hear a knock in the walls.
Then a second.
I place my hand.
And I hear screams coming from upstairs. I go up the stairs.
The screams turn into… moans.
It comes from a room
at the end of the hallway.
I push the door and find myself in a bedroom.
In the middle, there’s a bed.
I place my hand on it.
And I see a woman writhing in pain.
She is giving birth to a child. She is alone, abandoned.
She screams.
And then I feel a presence behind me.
All of a sudden.
It knocks on the table. Victoria screams.
You frighten these ladies.
And you entertain us.
Continue, I beg you.
Get a hold of yourself, you’re ruining the party.
I turn around, trembling.
And at that moment,
I hear a whisper in my ear.
It’s the voice of a child.
The voice of a child begging me
to set him free.
I finally find a door,
a hidden door that I hadn’t seen.
I push it open.
Stairs… They lead to the garden.
And the child’s voice returned.
He told me he had been alone for so long. He was crying.
He calls for his mother.
That night, I…
I searched, but…
the garden was too big.
What… What did you do?
Pardon?
The garden was too big…
What did you do?
Yes.
The next morning, we dug.
Everywhere.
We uprooted the apple trees, turned over the path…
And nothing.
So I had a truffle pig brought in from Périgord.
And then?
Since it didn’t find anything either,
we ate it that evening.
Wonderful!
I did say it was just a fable.
A fable, exactly.
At least, that’s what I believed. Until yesterday.
While we were planting
the torches for the reception,
one of them broke clean.
We dug at that spot and…
we discovered a chest.
And then?
What was inside?
I don’t know.
What do you mean?
I waited for you… to open it.
And what if there’s a body?
We will give it a burial.
Prosecutor, perhaps you’d like
to open it?
I beg you, don’t open it.
Enough.
Abracadabra!
Oh, I don’t know
what’s true in this story, but you are a magician,
count.
How is it possible? He spoke as if he had been present.
All those details, it was… I thought I was going crazy.
Calm down, please.
Where is our child’s body?
I don’t know.
You had placed it there, right?
Yes.
You told me he was dead! You told me!
Of course, he was dead.
Then where is he?
I don’t know.
Where is our child?
I don’t know!
Be quiet, you are hysterical! I don’t know.
Calm down.
I know one thing.
It’s that within eight days,
I will know who this Mr. MonteCristo is,
where he comes from, where he’s going,
and why he speaks before us of buried children.
Danglars is obsessed with money.
He won’t be wary of someone
who asks for none. Morcerf trusts me
since I saved his son.
Then there’s Villefort.
Villefort is the prosecutor.
He is suspicious.
And thanks to this dinner, Victoria will demand explanations.
So to reassure her and reassure himself,
he will conduct an investigation.
And since we always learn more from malicious tongues,
it’s the count’s enemy he will visit.
Lord Halifax.
(English accent)
What do you want to know?
If I can harm him, it will be my pleasure.
Has the count ever been to Paris? He claims he hasn’t.
If he had already come, I would know.
But then, do you know where he was 15 years ago?
But…
I must say,
at that time, he still amused me.
But after…
After what?
Well, one evening I was correcting a servant
who had it coming.
But…
MonteCristo had taken a passion for those savages,
with their pagan gods, their absurd magic.
Ridiculous beliefs.
So he challenged me to a duel.
For a native?
Yes! A native!
Can you believe it?
Ah.
It’s hot, don’t you think? What heat!
Someone bring me my fan, for heaven’s sake!
We’re suffocating in here!
Not that one.
Thank you.
Hm. And you,
Mr. Villefort?
What has he done to you?
Nothing.
I don’t know if I should count him among my friends or enemies.
If he were your enemy, you would know already.
He has flaws, but he’s not the type to hide his intentions.
Hm.
But…
be careful.
Mr. Prosecutor.
If he becomes your friend,
that will make you my enemy.
Of course.
Yes.
Thank you, Mr. Villefort, it was very pleasant
to talk with you, but I have much to do.
I thank you.
Mr. Prosecutor.
Victor.
Count?
Prepare the horses, we are going back.
Now that Villefort has let his guard down,
we can prepare our attack.
I’m heading south.
I’ll return for Danglars’ party for his daughter’s 20th birthday.
I’m counting on you,
André, to get close to her.
And on you, Haydée, to enchant Albert.
Go ahead.
Good.
It can hold up to 600 slaves, 700 if pushed a bit, but…
I am a humanitarian.
I named it Hercules.
My mother said that’s the line of people destined for great things.
And this is your… love line.
And here, I read that…
I need to tell you something.
Yes?
I would like to love you,
but I can’t.
I know.
You won’t offer me
the feelings you have for Suzanne.
It will be our secret.
It will be our secret. It will be well kept.
I know what it’s like to be double.
I know what it’s like to be double.
Not being able to say who you are.
I will be your alibi.
The time has come to redeem yourself.
I relive in dreams
every second of those moments with you.
I will carry into my night the memory of your eyes,
and I don’t want to speak to anyone
to not waste the echo of your words
that still trembles in my heart.
I keep your score close to me.
I love it for the image it gives me of you,
but also and above all for the memory it will forever hold,
that of a moment of life that is worth a whole lifetime.
See you later.
See you later.
Prince.
Eugénie. This party is a reflection of you, vibrant and joyful.
Thank you, Andrea.
Will you count the Count of Monte Cristo among your guests?
17.
17?
You are the 17th to ask me that question.
And what do you answer everyone?
That there won’t be an 18th. Here he is.
Excuse me.
Miss.
Count. Did you have a good trip?
Wonderful.
Thank you.
Eugénie is eager
to see you again, miss.
Count, may I?
With pleasure.
Does the count know that we have met?
I haven’t told him anything.
Can he have guessed?
God alone knows what he is capable of.
Aren’t they beautiful?
They seem so eager to live.
One is always eager to be happy.
No?
Honor me with your arm.
I want to take a few steps.
Your hand trembles.
You seem cold.
In my family, we have cold hands but warm hearts.
Here. This will warm us.
Our grapes are not as good as in Sicily
but you will be indulgent with our northern sun.
I regret.
I beg your pardon, but…
I never drink.
Will you at least eat something?
I will have to decline again.
Mr. Count, there is an Arab custom that makes friends eternally
those who have shared bread and salt under the same roof.
I know it, madam.
But we are in Paris and not in Tangier.
Here, there is no more eternal friendship than sharing bread and salt.
But after all… We are friends, aren’t we?
Of course.
Why wouldn’t we be?
So, in the absence of bread and salt, share with me some memories.
What would you like to know?
Is it true that you have seen so much,
traveled so much,
suffered so much?
What makes you say that?
Your eyes.
There is in every traveler the desire to find or to flee something.
Did you find it?
I haven’t finished my journey.
Do you live alone?
I have neither sister, nor son, nor father.
I only have Haydée who, I am sure, will leave me soon.
How can you live like this,
with nothing that ties you to life?
I loved a young woman.
That I was going to marry.
Years ago.
But when the war came and took me far from her…
I thought she would love me enough to wait for me.
To remain faithful to me until the grave.
But when I returned,
she was married.
I may have had a heart weaker than others.
I suffered more than they would have.
That’s all.
That love has remained in your heart?
We truly love only once.
Don’t we?
Have you seen her again?
Never.
Never?
Never.
Have you forgiven her for your suffering?
One can only forgive those who ask for forgiveness.
And if she asked you for forgiveness today?
Buy L’Impartial! The Danglars fleet stolen in Marseille!
L’Impartial, ladies and gentlemen! L’Impartial!
Buy!
How can one steal ships in a port in broad daylight?
They were insured, at least?
What do you think?
The Danglars stock is crashing.
But thanks to the army’s telegraph,
Danglars will quickly learn that nothing really happened.
You were supposed to steal his ships.
Everything comes to those who wait.
You are safe. Your ships are fine.
What?
L’Impartial lied.
“The Danglars fleet is still
“afloat, moored in the port of Marseille”!
Thank you. Thank you, my friends.
Danglars will remember my words and he will think…
That it’s a blow from the new owner of L’Impartial,
our dear Lord Halifax.
Exactly.
MonteCristo was right.
The Englishman uses his newspaper to speculate at my expense.
We need to publish a denial.
Not at all.
I don’t understand. We must…
Shh!
Do you hear?
Listen.
The nice sound.
That nice little sound.
The sound of money falling.
I don’t understand either.
Think. He knows something that no one knows yet.
Imagine: you’re playing poker and you know your opponent’s hand.
What do you do?
I raise.
The stocks are at rock bottom.
If I buy them back now, in two days, I’ll make a huge profit.
My best move.
Buy back your shares?
How much would that take?
500 million.
500 million?
500 million. But it has to be done today.
Before the market closes and before that scoundrel Halifax does.
How do we find 500 million by this evening?
By going to see the greatest enemy of that Lord Halifax.
I’m sorry, Baron, but…
the sea has always brought me bad luck.
I won’t buy back your stocks.
Count.
However,
I never refuse to help a friend and punish an enemy.
So I will lend you this money and you can do as you wish with it.
And I can guarantee you an interest rate of 20%.
I will lend you money interestfree.
In Sicily, they say:
“You won’t get rich at the expense of a friend.”
I insist.
I had a mortgage drawn up on all my properties.
So, it’s not for 500 million, but…
200 million, I promise.
No, Baron, your word is enough for me.
In France, they say:
“Good accounts make good friends.”
Very well then. Out of friendship, I accept your personal guarantees.
In a week, I will have repaid you.
We will make that Halifax pay dearly.
A complaint is ready.
I will personally take charge of the proceedings against him.
I can’t wait to be in court to witness this execution.
Lord Halifax, owner of L’Impartial,
called to the bar today
to answer the charges of defamation,
had to leave the country in haste.
But he commits to having his representative
before this court at 2 PM.
Mr. Judge, the comedy has gone on long enough.
This is not the boulevards.
I ask the representative of Mr. Halifax to identify himself.
What are you doing? It’s not over yet.
I am the representative of Lord Halifax.
I stand before you
because L’Impartial is accused of spreading false news.
But I assert here
that the Danglars boats have indeed disappeared.
Nonsense, my fleet is in Marseille!
This is a farce!
What proof do you have?
You just need to
contact the port authority of Marseille.
So you persist in your claims?
I persist and I sign, Your Honor.
But I want to do it under my real name.
You have a false one?
I am known by the name of Andrea Cavalcanti.
After years on the streets, I was taken in by a great
and wealthy family of the Italian aristocracy.
I grew up as a thief
and ended up a prince.
It’s not a more honest profession, but much more pleasant.
It is here, in Paris, that I finally found my real father.
I was born on November 3, 1815.
In Auteuil.
Mr. Judge, could…
the accused present evidence for what he claims?
I’m getting to that, Mr. Prosecutor.
Your patience will be rewarded.
I am the bastard of a French aristocrat and his mistress!
My mother does not know I am alive because… my father
told her that I died at birth.
He wrapped me in cloth and buried me alive.
You speak, sir, of an attempt at infanticide.
That’s what should have happened
if my aunt had not dug me up.
Who do you accuse?
A respectable man…
whom you all know.
His coat of arms is on this cloth.
My father…
is none other than the man before me.
Prosecutor Villefort.
Silence!
Or I will have the room evacuated.
Calumny!
I will sue you!
Mr. Cavalcanti,
do you understand the seriousness of your accusations?
I will not settle for a cloth, even stained with blood.
Mr. Prosecutor will bring you the proof of what I assert.
But you are delusional!
Father.
.
Do not force my mother to come testify.
She has, I believe, suffered enough.
The trial is suspended
for the duration of an inquiry. Clear the room!
And one.
Come on, Victoria, let’s go! Excuse me.
Let us pass.
Why didn’t you tell me the truth?
Your father wanted me as a soninlaw, but…
it cannot be, your mother is also mine.
Do not forget your life lines.
Be happy, my sister.
Count!
Count!
This story makes no sense. We’re swimming in madness.
My boats were still in Marseille yesterday. I…
I will need a… a delay to pay you back.
If…
You have nothing left, Baron.
Everything that was yours is now mine.
The only thing you have left are these clothes.
Leave Paris, and perhaps I will not let your wife
and your daughter starve.
But, Count, I…
Do you find me brutal, Baron?
“Not only do I know it,
but I take pride in it.”
You should escort your wife home.
She looks quite pale.
And two.
Father!
From Angèle.
Get away!
No!
Why?
Why?
Don’t cry.
We knew it would end like this.
We knew.
Haydée!
He disobeyed.
Disobeyed?
Disobeyed what?
You taught him nothing but hatred.
You put this dagger in his hand.
It’s your pain that speaks.
I loved him like a son.
Do you love me too?
Do you also intend to sacrifice me for your revenge?
This is not revenge.
It’s justice.
Do not forget your tears, Haydée, your mother’s screams
and your father’s blood.
And the name of the one who betrayed them.
Do not forget his name!
If you love me
as I love you, do not seek to see me again.
You are too noble of heart not to understand.
I keep my strength to fight against myself and drink my tears.
Be happy far from me, you deserve it.
Albert?
Albert.
You are crazy.
You cannot stay.
Haydée, I have only known you for a short time…
Leave.
Flee from me like one flees from the plague.
I will bring you misfortune.
But flee with me.
I swear to you, Haydée,
instead of despair, it is happiness that I promise you.
You do not know me. You do not know the Count.
Haydée…
If you love me as I love you…
Say goodbye to me.
I beg you.
Say it!
I will therefore tell you
testifying to God, who reads the depths of my heart…
I wish you a happy life without my memory.
Goodbye, my love.
This look.
Without you, my life is lost.
My misfortune, certain.
What will you do?
But rest assured, I will keep my promise.
But please, will you live?
What do you care?
In your eyes, I am already dead.
Let’s flee.
Haydée.
If you wish to join the Morcerf family,
Albert deserves to know
your story.
If you remain silent, I will be forced to speak on your behalf.
Must I really speak
in your name?
Count, please.
Haydée is the daughter…
Stop!
I will speak.
My father was an illustrious man known as Ali Tebelin.
Pasha of Janina.
I was 10 years old
when he was killed in front of me and my mother.
He had received a French soldier
who was supposed to be our ally.
Even after being pieced by a dozen bullets,
my father
still found the strength to attack
the man who had sold him out
by putting out one of his eyes.
I never saw my mother again.
That oneeyed officer sold me as a slave
to a Vlach tribe in the Balkans.
His name was…
That’s enough.
Albert.
You manipulated me.
I warned you.
You used me.
You might regret your words.
You think you can scare me?
Don’t provoke me.
Albert, please.
Count!
You took everything from me. Except my name, which you have tarnished.
No!
Oh, count, I beg you.
I take your glove as thrown.
I will return it wrapped around a bullet tomorrow.
You have no mercy?
Did they show any for Edmond Dantès?
Look at me.
I am nothing but the ears of a deaf and blind fate.
Fernand de Morcerf will know what my father knew.
If you kill Albert,
you will no longer be able to say: “God is with me, for me.”
You will be a murderer.
The Bible says that the sons will pay for their fathers’ crimes.
Jacopo, follow her.
Leave us, Jacopo.
Madam.
What are you doing here?
Edmond, you will not kill my son.
What name did you utter?
Yours.
It’s not Madame de Morcerf
who stands before you; it’s Mercédès.
I don’t know anyone by that name.
I recognized you as soon as I saw you.
And even without seeing you, I would have recognized your voice.
My mind struggled, but my heart knew. Since then, I’ve been following you, watching you,
I seek what you want at Morcerf.
Fernand, you mean, madam.
Since we are recalling our first names.
The guilty one is me.
It is I who lacked strength in the face of your absence.
It is I who lacked faith in your death.
Me!
Why? Why were you alone?
Why was I absent? Why was I arrested?
Why was I declared dead?
I don’t know.
I imagine he no longer writes you love letters,
but you will easily recognize his handwriting.
Here.
Look, Mercédès.
Here is what your husband wrote
to Villefort twenty years ago.
I must take my revenge, Mercédès. It is necessary.
Then take your revenge, Edmond.
But on the guilty ones.
Revenge yourself on Fernand who betrayed you, revenge yourself on me, but spare Albert.
If you knew all the prayers…
If you knew all the tears I have shed…
Did you lose your father in solitude?
Did you see the one you loved in the arms of your rival?
Did you see all of that?
No.
Yes.
But I see the man whom I have never stopped loving
ready to become the murderer of my son.
What do you want?
Do you want your son to live?
He will live.
Thank you.
Thank you, Edmond.
I find you again.
As I have always dreamed of you, as I have always loved you.
We must say goodbye.
Goodbye?
If I renounce taking justice into my own hands,
I renounce what keeps me alive.
The duel will take place tomorrow.
Goodbye, Mercédès.
Mister Albert de Morcerf,
you have publicly challenged the Count of Monte Cristo.
The duel will take place at twenty paces, at my command.
Priority to the offended.
Ready.
Go, gentlemen.
Fire!
Fire!
I believe I see in your eyes a glimmer of disappointment.
I will never forgive you for taking his life
and for tearing my heart out.
So you loved him.
Did I love him?
Everything urged me to hate him, but who knows why one falls in love?
You can try to reason with yourself, but it’s too late.
You have lost your balance.
Your secret voice whispers to you that there is no more chance.
But instead of listening to that voice, it was yours that I listened to.
I have brought about his misfortune and mine!
What will I do with this love that I did not give him?
With these words that I did not say to him?
You said them to him.
And he heard them.
Albert…
Count!
Run away, now.
Run away and do not let anyone steal your happiness.
Edmond!
Edmond!
Edmond, show yourself!
I was waiting for you.
You finally show your true face.
I sought to know yours.
To know who you were.
So I followed your traces.
I went everywhere you went.
I met them all:
your friends, your comradesinarms, your enemies, all…
Who did you not betray?
To whom have you remained faithful?
Everywhere, you showed your true face.
I have lost faith in Man, the day you betrayed me.
You should have killed me.
It’s never too late.
Look at me.
Look at me!
Kill me.
We always find greatness in the dead.
In the end, we forgive them.
I don’t want anyone to forgive you.
Mercédès, I came to say goodbye where life tore us apart, twenty-one years ago today.
So much has broken within me and around me since then, that the man you knew is no more.
I promised to love you until my death and long after, and I will always love you, but it is no longer in my power to bring you happiness.
I can only offer you consolation now.
Your son will be happy.
Albert and Haydée will live the story that we could not live.
Happiness to our children who will survive us and taste the sweetness of love.
As I write to you, I live my last moments with you.
Everything after will be just memories.
I will carry them with me across the sea, the only place on earth where everything is horizon and where there are no traces left by men.
Live and be happy.
Never forget, until the day when providence may reunite us again, that all human wisdom is contained in these two words: wait and hope.
Edmond Dantès, Count of Monte Cristo.
