Trivia / The Count of Monte Cristo (1998)

• Ability over Appearance: As often noted, Gérard Depardieu was too well-fed and heavily built to resemble the much scrawnier Edmond Dantès from the novel who got out of prison (where he was fed just enough to survive). On the other hand, absolutely no-one can deny that he had the dramatic chops for such a role.
• All-Star Cast: The cast was stacked with famous names from French theatre, big screen and small screen: Gérard Depardieu, Ornella Muti, Pierre Arditi, Jean Rochefort, Michel Aumont, Jean-Claude Brialy, Micheline Presle, Roger Dumas, Jean-Marc Thibault, Roland Blanche, Guillaume Depardieu... It even included a big name of chanson, Georges Moustaki (as Abbot Faria).
• Genre Relaunch: Back in The '90s, prestige adaptations of French literature and Historical Fiction in general had gone moribund on French TV with the last memorable one being the 1972 adaptation of The Accursed Kings. The big success of this miniseries caused a revitalization of the genre on TV, and Depardieu himself went on to lead more such miniseries, such as Balzac in 1999 and Les Misérables in 2000. 2002's Napoléon (written by Decoin and with Depardieu in a supporting role) was also part of that trend.
• No Port For You: The miniseries' only Blu-ray release happened in Spain. The rest of the world, its native France included, must contend with DVD.
• Production Posse: Following the success of this miniseries, the TF1 channel produced more history/historical novel-based miniseries directed by Josée Dayan and written by Didier Decoin, such as Balzac (a biopic about Honoré de Balzac) and the 2000 TV version of Les Misérables (both starring Gérard Depardieu). Others not written by Decoin included a Setting Update version of Dangerous Liaisons in 2003 and The Accursed Kings (with Gérard Depardieu in the cast once again) in 2005. Decoin and Depardieu were also part of 2002's Napoléon.
• Real-Life Relative: Two of Gérard Depardieu's children played in this adaptation, namely the late Guillaume (as young Edmond Dantès) and Julie (as Valentine de Villefort).
• Those Two Actors: Gérard Depardieu and Jean Rochefort both previously played in 1982's The Big Brother, and would be reunited in The Closet three years after The Count of Monte Cristo.

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