The influences of The Count of Monte Cristo

A brief overview of various films that accompanied the Alexandre de la Patellière-Matthieu Delaporte duo in their exciting adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' novel.

First name by Alexandre de la Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte (2012)

If the Monte Cristo of the Patellière-Delaporte duo is a success, it is obviously for their way of having been able to translate on screen everything that makes the salt of Dumas' work – starting with its romantic spirit – but also for their capacity to make this story their own by slipping in their own obsessions. The play of masks and disguises of Dantès echoes that ofA famous unknown directed by Delaporte and co-written by de la Patellière. And the sequence of the dinner organized by Monte-Cristo in his house in Auteuil recalls, First name. “ A sort of blended family, an unspoken secret, rising tension… A configuration we know by heart! “, explains de la Patellière. ” With Matthieu, we write and direct films to live lives other than ours. that's why Monte Cristo brings together all our questions and desires since always. »

Revelations by Michael Mann (1999)

” We never stopped telling our technical team and our actors that by tackling Monte Cristo, we didn't do any historical reenactment “, explains Matthieu Delaporte. Their references are therefore not limited to period films but can be found in much more recent cinema, starting with this Revelations inspired by the true story of famed investigative journalist Lowell Bergman and Jeffrey Wigand, a scientist working for America's third-largest cigarette manufacturer who teamed up to uncover one of the most high-profile scandals in history tobacco. “ These drifting men who, out of ethics, gradually begin to lose everything, found an immediate echo in the destiny that Dantès reinvents for himself as Monte Cristo. »

Full sun by René Clément (1960)

Among the first images that the duo had in mind when writing, one stood out almost immediately in the duo's minds. In this central idea of ​​pure flamboyance and romance. The scenes where in the happy days with Mercédès whom he is to marry and his friend Fernand de Morcerf as, in the wake of his spectacular escape from the Château d'If, Pierre Niney/Dantès finds himself on a boat constitute a direct and fully assumed the legendary scenes of Alain Delon in front of René Clément's camera.

Lawrence of Arabia by David Lean (1962)

To embrace the furiously romantic aspect of Dumas' work, Alexandre de la Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte immediately indicated to their director of photography Nicolas Bolduc their desire to reconnect with a certain form of visual flamboyance. “ That of Technicolor of Lawrence of Arabia, The Red Shoes,” explains Alexandre de la Patellière. We wanted to place this dark revenge film and this thriller in the light like Hitchcock when he did Death on the trail! We were more Cheetah that Batman ! », adds Matthieu Delaporte.

Phantom of the Paradise by Brian de Palma (1975)

In the first discussions with Nicolas Bolduc, another filmmaker's name immediately emerged: that of Brian de Palma. “ We have deliberately entered into baroque mythological universes like The Phantom of the Opera, in the creation of images that have this potential to create fantasy “, explains Alexandre de la Patellière. ” And De Palma's cinema was a constant reference from this point of view. From a purely graphic point of view of course, but also in our discussions with our actors to share with them our desire to free them from something that sometimes harms cinema: the desire for elegance and chic. In terms of gameplay and range of camera movements. It was our way of telling the story of this man going crazy. »

By Alexandre de la Patellière. With Pierre Niney, Anaïs Demoustier, Anamaria Vartolomei… Duration: 2h58. Currently in cinema.