The Count of Monte Cristo
AUGUST 2004
The Count of Monte Cristo
This month’s movie fits right in with the Kobe trial: the 2001 version of “The Count of Monte Cristo,”with magnificent performances by Guy Pierce as Fernand Mandego and Jim Caviezel (Christ in “The Passion of the Christâ€) playing Edmund Dantes, who later becomes the Count of Monte Cristo.
The story is billed as one of revenge. Yet the more important aspect is alcoholic egomania, taking form in betrayal and false accusations, embedded in a great movie.
As with Al Pacino’s portrayal of Lt. Col. Frank Slade in “Scent of a Woman,”most viewers didn’t pay attention to or remember the alcoholism. Yet, when you rent the movie this weekend, it will seem obvious. From the beginning, when he says “don’t expect me to do this sober,”to an attempt to steal his best friend’s girlfriend, to the Count’s party, Mandego is seen drinking or bringing the bottle in ways suggestive of the idea that alcohol is a very important part of his life. While Mandego is portrayed as obviously inebriated only once, real-life alcoholic Henri Paul, Princess Diana’s driver, didn’t look drunk in the hotel video immediately prior to the tragedy, despite a blood alcohol level reported at .18 per cent (the equivalent of 12 shots of 80-proof liquor in 4 hours for a 200-pound person). Yet bodyguard Trevor-Rees Jones, who survived the crash, didn’t even know Paul had been drinking. Early- to middle-stage alcoholics generally have extraordinarily high tolerance.
Behavioral symptoms of alcoholism include Dantes telling Mandego, “Being your friend is always an adventure,”as they drink what appears to be wine (Dantes drinking non-alcoholically). Taking inordinate risks in an effort to inflate the alcoholic ego can lead to great adventure. When Mandego tries to steal away Dantes’ long-time girlfriend, Mercedes, she reminds him of previous episodes and comments made by Mandego that appeared to have been rooted in envy. The alcoholic must always win, regardless of cost, which can include behaviors that make it appear as though he covets the loves and lives of others. Near the end of the story, Mandego admits to serial adultery, common in the lives of alcoholics. His compulsive gambling, for which there is a 50% probability of alcoholism, becomes obviously destructive. Falsely accusing his wife of being a whore, he leaves home with bottle in hand. While “The Count of Monte Cristo”appears to portray an extreme version of alcoholic behavior, recovering alcoholics with ten or more years’ sobriety admit to having been capable of “anything”while using.
After “Scent of a Woman,”this may be the greatest portrayal of alcoholism ever in a movie, providing a terrific example of the profoundly destructive effects of the disease, which can reverberate for decades. And, it combines adventure with a magnificent love story. Well worth your time.