CANNES – The serialized feuilletton of Alexander Dumasthe revenge classic of French literature, the novel that with The Three Musketeers made the writer (1802-1870) famous throughout the world and is now a film, out of competition, at the festival.
To activate the subscription to The dreamers newsletter, dedicated to cinema and TV series, click here
Spectacular, compelling, with a very successful cast: alongside the talented Pierre Niney as Edmond Dantes, Anais Demoustier in those of the lover Mercedes, Laurent Lafitte in those of the prosecutor de Villefort, Anamaria Vartolomei in those of Haydée, the Count’s protégé. And for the iconic role of Abbot Faria the directors Matthieu Delaporte And Alexandre de la Patellière have chosen Pierfrancesco Favinowho paraded on the Montée de Marche with the cast of the film but was absent from the press conference due to his role as a juror.
“We really wanted him to be our abbot, we have admired him for a long time, he is one of the greatest in the world, for his interpretation of The traitor he should have won every possible award, we didn’t dare hope that he could do it,” said de la Patellière. “In common with Pierre, both extraordinary actors, there is the fact that they see acting as a gourmandise (gluttony, ed.) , extremely ready to listen and play. She put her talent at the service of those long and difficult scenes. We spent many days in a hole, which was the prison cell.”
‘The Count of Monte Cristo’, Pierre Niney is Dantes, Favino is Abbot Faria
To refresh school memories: in Marseille 1815 the youngest captain of his time Edmond Dantes (Niney) is betrayed, framed and thrown into prison by enemies and false friends. There, after years of solitude, he meets Abbot Faria (Favino) who reveals to him that there is a treasure on the island of Monte Cristo, hidden in the tomb of his ancestor, a knight who guarded the Holy Sepulchre. After 14 years in prison – with Faria now dead – Edmond manages to escape and begins his journey of revenge. Which he is deeply convinced is a journey of justice.
“After the film about the Three Musketeers (of which they signed the screenplay, ed.) we almost unconsciously talked about the possibility of adapting The Count of Monte Cristo – says de la Patellière – we took off like a rocket for the start of something crazy. We were interested in telling Edmond as a director of his life: he stages his revenge by creating stories and characters like a filmmaker, we tried to tell his story with a multicolor image. We worked on a new generation to move away from Dantes’ gaze and embrace that of Haydee, who is his twin in the desire for revenge but who instead makes redemption through love prevail in her.”
A great acting performance for Pierre Niney (whom we appreciated as Yves Saint Laurent in the biopic, whose final proof is The solution book Of Michel Gondry) who at 35 embodies the Edmonds’ twenties as much as his forties, as well as the thousand disguises he goes through. “It is a great gift for an actor to go from innocence to betrayal of society and friends through physical and mental suffering, desperation and madness, a character who believes himself to be both god and devil who transforms from vigilante to monster. It was very exciting and an at times philosophical experience.”
“I tried not to think too much about the weight of the literary figure – he continues – I come from the theater (Niney has been part of the Comédie-Française since 2010) where there is passion and obsession for the characters of Moliere, of Racine, I tried to desacralise a bit Dantes. I prepared by learning to ride a horse, training in freediving with the world freediving champion who is French and who taught me some tricks.”
Of working with Favino he says: “I had the feeling of sharing with him a culture to protect acting as a childhood game – said Niney – with his charisma, his deep voice he was capable of embodying a father figure but also a bit of madness that the character needed. In his eyes shone that spark of foolishness and madness that makes one wonder if the story of the treasure is true or the result of a clouded mind. When they meet for the first time in the cell an immediate bond is established between them, like two animals who recognize each other at first glance and embrace each other. It was a great moment in the game, I was honored to have worked with him.”
