''The Count of Monte Cristo'' is a British 12-part dramatization of

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

's 1844 novel of the same name. It was made by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

and was screened in the autumn of 1964. The series starred

Alan Badel Alan Fernand Badel (; 11 September 1923 – 19 March 1982) was an English actor who appeared frequently on stage, in film, on radio and on television. Early life Badel was born in Rusholme, Manchester, and educated at Burnage High School. He ...

in the title role. As well as being the only BBC version, the serial survived the corporation's junking policy intact and is available on DVD.

Premise

Edmond Dantes, a sailor, is falsely accused and imprisoned by three men who have various reasons to be jealous of him. After 14 years imprisoned in the Chateau d'If he escapes, and, after recovering a treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo revealed to him by the Abbe Faria, a fellow prisoner, he embarks on a campaign of revenge against those who have wronged him.

Cast

as Edmond Dantes *

Natasha Parry Natasha Parry (2 December 1930 – 22 July 2015) was an English actress of Russian descent. The daughter of film director Gordon Parry, she was married to theatre director Peter Brook from 1951 until her death, and is the mother of filmmakers ...

as Mercédès *

Philip Madoc Philip Madoc (born Philip Arvon Jones; 5 July 1934 – 5 March 2012) was a Welsh actor. He performed many stage, television, radio and film roles, and was recognised for having a "rich, sonorous voice" and often playing villains and office ...

as Fernand Mondego *

Morris Perry Frank Morris Perry (28 March 1925 – 19 September 2021) was a British actor, best known for his roles on television. Perry was born in Bromley, Kent, England. His TV credits include '' City Beneath the Sea'', '' The Avengers'', ''Z-Cars'', '' ...

as Danglars *

Michael Gough Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer horror films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthur Holmwoo ...

as Villefort *

Michael Robbins Michael Anthony Robbins (14 November 1930 – 11 December 1992) was an English actor best known for his role as Arthur Rudge in the television sitcom '' On the Buses'' (1969–73) and its film spinoffs. Early life Michael Robbins was born in ...

as Caderousse *

Anthony Newlands Anthony Newlands (31 January 1925, London – 6 October 1995), was a British actor, born Raymond Gordon Newland. His parents were Lilian Elizabeth (née Manning) and Frederick Stanley. Newland had two sisters: Jean Lillian Newland (born 24 J ...

as M. Morel * John Wentworth as Abbe Faria * David Calderisi as Jacopo *

Cyril Shaps Cyril Leonard Shaps (13 October 1923 – 1 January 2003) was an English actor of radio, television and film, with a career spanning over seven decades. Early radio Shaps was born in the East End of London to Polish-Jewish parents; his father ...

as Bertuccio *

Rosalie Crutchley Rosalie Sylvia Crutchley (4 January 1920 – 28 July 1997) was a British actress. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music, she was perhaps best known for her television performances, but had a long and successful career in theatre and films, makin ...

as Mme. Danglars * Patricia English as Mme. Villefort * Sandor Eles as Albert Morcerf * Isobel Black as Eugenie Danglars * Anna Palk as Valentine Villefort * Edward de Souza as Maximilian Morel *

Austin Trevor Claude Austin Trevor Schilsky (7 October 1897 – 22 January 1978) was an Irish actor who had a long career in film and television. He played the parson in John Galsworthy's ''Escape (play), Escape'' at the world premiere in London's West ...

as Cavalcanti * Richard Kay as Benedetto * Valerie Sarruf as Haydee

Production

The series was made in 12 episodes of 25 minutes each, with a total run time of 300 minutes. It was filmed in black and white and had an intense, theatrical style. The script remained largely faithful to the original plot, and is regarded as the best screen version of the story, with Badel as the definitive Count. The series was produced by Campbell Logan, and directed by Peter Hammond. The screenplay was by Anthony Steven. It is unknown if the production was broadcast live with pre-film inserts or if it was broadcast from 405-line videotapes which were

wiped Lost television broadcasts are television programs that were not preserved after their original airing, rendering them permanently unavailable for both public and private screening. Because of this, they are considered a form of lost media, par ...

at a later date, although all episodes survive as 35mm

telerecordings Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940s ...

Episodes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Count of Monte Cristo (1964 TV series), The 1960s British drama television series BBC television dramas Black-and-white British television shows Television shows based on The Count of Monte Cristo Television series set in the 1810s Television series set in the 1820s Television series set in the 1830s