Dumas falls off reading lists but remains film favorite

LOS ANGELES -- Alexandre Dumas' legacy of swashbuckling tales endures in scores of film and TV adaptations, even in the name of a candy bar.

Thirty-plus versions of "The Three Musketeers" have been made, about 20 of "The Count of Monte Cristo," and two in one year alone (1998) of "The Man in the Iron Mask."

At the same time, the writer's archaic style has lost the readership of many adolescents, and recent movie adaptations have struggled to freshen his tales of 19th century heroism with kung-fu and comedy.

A new version of Dumas' revenge tale "The Count of Monte Cristo" seeks to abandon such campiness in favor of the old-fashioned qualities that once made the writer a childhood favorite: swordplay, hidden treasures, sneering villains and damsels in distress.

"He's not part of the more intellectualy prestigious authors of the canon, but ... it's the 'cape and sword' big swashbuckling element that remains popular with the public," said Francoise Lionnet, professor of French studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

But makers of the most recent "Count of Monte Cristo" film found that adapting Dumas for a contemporary audience did require more than just staying true to the text.

To some extent, the gimmick in this film version may be its feminist tilt.

Jim Caviezel stars as Edmond Dantes, a wrongfully imprisoned man who escapes to seek revenge after 13 years and learns that his true love, Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk,) has married the man who betrayed him.

But Dumas is notorious for his dainty female characters, powerless women who seemed like mere prizes for the manly heroes.

Modern moviegoers would chuckle at such a prudish heroine, Dominczyk said, which is why director Kevin Reynolds ("Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves") gave her room to play with the part.

"We had to embellish the romance," Reynolds said. "For it to work you had to feel like these two were in love. If you don't, you're not going to feel like he had his heart ripped out or understand his motivation."