You referred to this as “Old School Shawshank Redemption” - the Count of Monte Cristo is mentioned in Shawshank when they’re sorting books for the library - “file this under educational”
If you knew the story, it was a tell that Andy might be digging a tunnel. Lucky for him, his cell was the last one in the row, if his cell had been in the middle , he would have been effed.
Alexandre Dumas. Who also wrote the Three Musketeers in addition to the Count of Monte Cristo. Count is a rank of nobility like Duke or Baron. Monte Cristo is a real place. It's an island in the Tuscan Archipelago near Italy.
Fun fact: the rainbow in the background during the final fight wasn't a special effect, it just happened to appear while they were filming the scene so they left it in.
The Count in the book is a more intelligent and manipulative man like Octavian in the Rome series. The Count in this film seems more like a moody and very sentimental idiot like Mark Antony in the Rome series. The series with Sam Claflin that premiered in December is a much better adaptation.
There is so much to share. The Count of Monte Cristo was the first adult novel I read. This movie is a beautiful adaptation. Remember Shawshank - when they are unboxing the books and one of the prisoners asks about the Count of Monte Cristo by the author Dumb ass, Andy tells them it is about a prison escape, and Red suggests that the book should go under education.
It's also heavily referenced in Sleepers, another great film Ashley needs to check out (but with a serious trigger warning in place and a suggestion to bring tissues lol).
Memory is a funny thing. I bumped into some high school friends that I haven't seen in like 20 years and they didn't even recognize me, but I remembered them immediately. They all assumed that Edmond was dead, so their memory of what he looked like faded away over the years.
The “morning appointment” was a duel, in this case, with swords. The most famous duel in history was the one between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, with pistols, in which Burr killed Hamilton. A duel was considered a matter of honor, when one man felt another had insulted him. And, yes, Carnival and Mardi Gras are the same holiday, traditionally the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins.
There was a commercial back in the 90s or early 2000s where the Hamilton/Burr duel was used by the "Got Milk?" campaign. It's funny. I'm sure it's on TH-cam somewhere
The _Abbé Faria,_ the old priest in the next cell, is played by Richard Harris, who was the first Dumbledore. _The Count of Monte Cristo_ is one of the world's greatest adventure novels. Alexandre Dumas wrote the novel _Le Comte de Monte-Cristo_ in 1844. He also was the writer of _The Three Musketeers._ These were his two most popular novels. _Monte Cristo_ has been translated into multiple languages, including Chinese and Japanese. In various languages _The Count of Monte Cristo_ has been adapted to film twenty-three times (most recently in a French movie in 2024), adapted for television twenty-eight times, for radio and records fifteen times, and for the stage nine times including a musical in 2009.
Dumas was a mixed race Frenchman, born in Haiti, the son of a Caribbean innkeeper and a French nobleman. I hope this means Ashleigh will watch the Three Musketeers (1973) and its sequel, the Four Musketeers.
@@thomast8539She has already seen the Three Musketeers in memoriam to Raquel Welsh. Unfortunately, she did not continued the story with the Four Musketeers.
@@thomast8539 The Three Musketeers is on the channel. It was Ashleigh's Raquel Welch memorial watch. She hasn't watched the second one. Another Dumas adaptation she'd enjoy is _The Man in the Iron Mask._
Fun little historical note: The old man in the jail was a real historical figure. He spent some time there because (among other things) they *were* trying to sweat the location of some treasure out of him. He got furnishings because they were treating him 'well'. He eventually was released when he convinced them that said treasure didn't exist. He was also the first documented person to put forth the idea that hypnosis was just a form of suggestion, and not witchcraft or magic.
Jim Cavaziel is great in a TV show called Person of Interest. Has a really interesting premise too, and he looks even more rugged with the salt & pepper hair 🤣
@@DrLipkin Really? I'd not seen that. Although tbh i don't keep up with a lot of celbrity news and i try steer away from all the Tates, Musk and Q-Anon stuff. It's just idiot leading idiot 🤣
The setup for the revenge is elaborate and expansive...but it never stops. It moves constantly, with every scene putting another piece of the trap in place. And once everything is out...the whole thing snaps closed on the antagonists. It's long...but it never plods. There's never an empty moment. That's why it works as well as it does.
@32:50 about recognizing/not recognizing Edmond: Some things to note (and the book makes some of this a bit more clear): Edmond was actually pretty young when he was made Captain but then subsequently imprisoned, only 19 if I remember correctly (that's part of why it was such an affront to Danglar to have this young pup made Captain over him). He then spends I believe 14 years in prison before escaping at the age of 33. When you figure in not just that time passage, but what happened in that time (malnourished, torture, etc... but also training with the priest) - the man that emerged from that prison would've born little resemblance to the full of hope 19 year old that they remember. Then throw in another couple/few years traveling with Vampa and the smugglers as well as finding the treasure/establishing his plan and background for his revenge plot, he's become a hardened (what at that time period would be) middle-aged man with a completely different bearing (that and they have no reason to expect to see Edmond and, again, the Edmond they remember was the 19 year old)
THANK you William for this selection, and thank YOU Ashleigh for this watchalong. Written almost two centuries ago, the very seedling of revenge stories to come. Remade every few decades; a movie and mini series came out this passed year alone.
Basically how i found it- my local video store had a copy for sale, and I bought it; didn't even know who any of the actors were at the time. Became one of my favorite movies immediately.
The jailer is Michael WIncott. He played Top Dollar, the head bad guy, in The Crow. He's actually been in quite a few films, and almost always plays a bad guy. He just has that vibe about him, doesn't he? Also, RIchard Harris, the digging fellow, is perhaps best known to current generations as the first Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. He even sounds like Dumbledore here. And he died the year this movie came out. But many others know him as King Arthur in the 1967 movie of the musical Camelot, which is not for rookie musical fans. It's a bit long, but it has great acting and some fantastic songs. 💙
@@kevinramsey417 Yes, I know, I just didn't want to give away his other characters, but the way you phrased it works well. I don't think Ashleigh has seen the movie yet, and most people don't know the story well enough to recognize the character. Wincott was also in a movie version of another of Duma's stories, which is great and I hope Ashleigh watches it someday!💙
@@plothole181 Yep! I'm sure Ashleigh will get to it someday. At least I hope so. It's a great film! It's got some serious eye candy, too! It's a who's who of hot 90s actors. And Tim Curry! Oops, spoiler. My bad! 😜💙
Alexandre Dumas’ father Thomas-Alexandre Dumas had an amazing life that his son drew on for inspiration for his writing. Thomas-Alexandre’s father was a marquis and Caribbean planter who owned his mother, a slave. The marquis took his son to France for an education, which by law freed the son as soon as he stepped foot in France, and then got him into the French military. Dumas rose to become general-in-chief of the French army. At one point, he was imprisoned by the Kingdom of Naples for two years, which broke him physically. Napoleon got him released, but then turned his back on the man and Dumas ended up dying in poverty. His wife couldn’t even get the pension due to all military widows. Dumas was literally whitewashed out of history when Napoleon had a painting of one of the general’s exploits commissioned, but the central figure was a white man, not Dumas.
Well done Hallowbeans winner William - you have excellent taste in movies sir!! Just like you Ashley, I had zero clue when I first saw this, if memory serves I got it in a bunch of 2nd hand DVDs & kept it for Guy Pearce, having seen him in Memento I thought 'why not'? Not my usual sort of film genre either, but like you I too was hooked & it's now one of my all time favorites!
The Count of Monte Cristo was actually mentioned in Shawshank Redemption. Andy mentioned how it was about escaping from prison, and Red responds they should put it in the education section of the prison library.
I never wanted to attempt this book because of its immense thickness, but some years back my wife gave me a USB drive filled with audiobooks. I started listening to them on my commute, and soon enough came The Count of Monte Cristo. I became so enraptured with the story as it was revealed to me, 2 hours at a time, that I loaded the file onto my phone to listen at work (and then re-hear it on the drive). I was so sad when I came to the end of the 57-hour reading, but came away with the feeling that Dumas was as good a storyteller as Tolkien. I agree with others who say this is one of the greatest works of literature ever, and you deserve to read or hear the whole thing, since none of the movie adaptations I've seen come anywhere close to doing it justice. It probably deserves its own TV series, similar to the treatment given to Horatio Hornblower by A&E in the '90s.
Fun fact: the Island of Monte Christo actually exists. If you take the Ferry from port Livorno of Mainland Italy to Porto Arancia in the Island of Sardinia, the islands of Elba and Monte Cristo would appear on its port (left) side. Monte Cristo is about 30 km south of Elba.
One thing that gets overview in this movie is that not only revenge moves the plot but kindness and honour too; Dante's kindness with his captain got him on Elba and made him captain later, his honour with Napoleon got him into troubles, the kindness with the abbe saving him instead of leting him die in the tunnel got him the map, mercy with Jacopo got him a friend and servant, those are not minor points!
42:41 I like to think that Edmund took Jacobo aside after all this and said "You pledged yourself to me in the hope to repay the life I spared you. It was your hand that dashed the bullet aimed at my love's heart. She _is_ my life, and you have fulfilled your oath. Let us continue forth with you no longer a debtor, but forever as my friend."
This was one of my Dad’s favorite books when he was a kid so we went as a family to see this when it came out in theaters. It turned out to be one of my favorite films ever. Dad thought it was a great adaptation. It’s nice to be able to share that with my Pops.
39:00 Why does it feel like Mercedes was the good angel on the shoulder saying "Let it go, Edmond. Let it go" and here is Ashleigh being the bad devil on the other shoulder, "No, finish the deed!" haha
The director of this movie also directed Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. If you haven't seen that yet, definitely check it out. Great action, awesome musical score.
The novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo' was written in France in the 1830s (1838, I think) by a black author, Alexander Dumas. There have been numerous movie adaptations over the past 100 years of film, including TV movies. The same author, Alexander Dumas, also wrote 'The Three Musketeers', and 'The Man in the Iron Mask'. Also, one of my very favorite modern adaptations of 'The Count of Monte Cristo', is the TV show 'REVENGE' which ran for 4 seasons on ABC from 2011 to 2015. It was based on the present time (2010s) and was set in The Hamptons, NY. AWESOME series to binge-watch.
Just to be needlessly pedantic, "The Man In The Iron Mask" is not a novel, but part of the second sequel to "The Three Musketeers", called "The Vicomte De Bragelonne".
@@matthiasschulz3569 - Correct. Bear in mind, since Ashleigh Burton was totally unaware of any of this, I merely wanted to provide her some context and familiarity for her by mentioning that the same author was responsible for creating those either works as well, since most people are at least somewhat aware of 'The Three Musketeers', and 'The Man In The Iron Mask'.
I watched a Revenge when it was airing on TV originally, and while it was interesting, I never could get a hold of what was going on. Perhaps if I watch it again with the Count of Monte Cristo in mind, it might make more sense. I don’t know, maybe someday. But thanks for the information.😊
@@sylvanaire - That's awesome. And in the series, they also place a lot of 'The Count of Monte Cristo' Easter Eggs. For instance, in an earlier episode in Season 1 (Episode 4...'Duplicity'), during a conversation between the main character (Emily Thorne) and a therapist in the therapist's office, on the bookshelf behind her was a copy of the novel, 'The Count of Monte Cristo'...lol. Anyway, before the show debuted back in 2011, the creators had also mentioned that it is based on 'The Count of Monte Cristo', but in a modern setting. The entire premise of the show is Emily Thorne, episode by episode, taking down the powerful people who conspired to frame and imprison her father.
The prison warden actor was the Sheriff of Nottingham's cousin in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, and more recently in Jordan Peeles "Nope" as the filmmaker the siblings go to for help documenting the "alien"
5:23 thats very true, its one of the many reasons the British navy outmatched the French navy, the French would bring back their dead (storing them in a bottom section of the ship), which as you can imagine would cause diseases and encourage vermin on the ship, the British navy did burials at sea to prevent diseases from spreading, the only exception I'm aware of is important people, such as Admiral Nelson (whom Nelson's column in London is dedicated to) who was pickled in a vat of rum until his body could be buried in England. Legend says by the time the ship got back to England all the rum had been drunk by the sailors
I love this movie. Watched it several times. Last year I finally read the book. It was so amazing and compelling. Took a while since it's huge, but it was so worth the time. One of my all time favs now.
Carnival and Mardi Gras are related in that Mardi Gras is the last day of Carnival (so it's the big blow out). Carnival always starts on January 6th (today!) and ends on the day before Lent begins, which is a variable date, Fat Tuesday a.k.a. Mardi Gras. This year, that will be March 4th, so we're having an especially long Carnival in 2025. During Lent Catholics traditionally give up meat, so Carnival is a time to eat, drink, and be merry before the austerity of the 40 days of Lent. People would party and gorge on meat, etc. The word Carnival is from "carne vale" which means "farewell to meat."
I remember trying since the beginning of you channel to get you to watch this, and of course just like mys too stubborn 😂, No honesty, I'm so glad your finally watching this❤ No if I could 9nly get you to finally watch the original "Murder on the Orient Express" I could retire to that private island, or just be happy😂❤
The Count Of Monte Cristo is probably one of the greatest novels ever written. As good as this movie is…it is NOTHING compared to the book. Do yourself a favour and read it…and be prepared for one hell of a ride. The twists and turns in that book is insane.
I love this film. Great reaction Ashleigh! 16:52 I've never seen anyone notice that Edmond is reading Machiavelli's "The Prince" when he bargains with Priest to teach him weaponry. A good student indeed.
The actor playing Warden Dorleac, Michael Wincott, was the primary villain in 'The Crow'. He was also in 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" as Guy of Gisbourne. This is a favorite of mine. Quotable, well made. Love that you watched this one!
I watched the movie in the theater and at the time I was expecting a much longer movie because I was familiar with the book. As with any movie they took several artistic liberties with the story, but most of the plot was very well summarized and I enjoyed it very much.
Guy Pearce (playing the former best friend/antagonist here) is a fantastic Australian actor who might finally get his due this year, as he is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for “The Brutalist.” You might already have seen him in “L.A. Confidential” or “Priscilla Queen of the Desert.”
There are so many movies on this novel. 1908 1913 1919 1922 1929 1934 1942 1943, 46, 53, 54, 1961, 68, 75, 82, 86 2002 From all different countries Very popular story.
Great movie. Really one of the best I have ever seen. If you like this you must see Frequency 2000 a great movie with the same lead actor . Fyi Shawshank Redemption took inpiraition from the book that this movie is based on (The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas ) they even mention it in the movie.
This is classic literature. It's one of those stories that gets referenced a lot. It's basically ... the first prison story of the modern era. BTW, the old man in the prison who helped Dantes was played by Richard Harris, who also played Dumbledore in the first two movies. The actor who played Dantes' frenemy was the villain in Iron Man 3. The same author of this story, back in the 1800s, also wrote "The Three Musketeers" and "The Man in the Iron Mask."
Oh my god, I was so excited when I saw this opening up TH-cam this morning! I love this movie and it's been a while. I actually realized watching it with you, how alike the Count is to Gatsby... I've never thought about that!
Jim Caviezel plays Edmund. You might remember him as Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ.” It was funny you mentioned, “The Shawshank Redemption.” During the scene where they are organizing the books for the prison library, the book “The Count of Monte Cristo” is mentioned. When the prisoners find out it is about a prison break, they suggest putting it under “educational.”
You may not recall, but they mentioned the book "The Count of Monte Cristo" in Shawshank Redemption. He even tells the other prisoners it is a book about escaping prison.
I love that The Count of Monte Cristo is one of V’s favorite stories in V for Vendetta. It’s a perfect way to tie together two stories with the same themes.
I love this movie. One of my favorites. When it came out back then (I was in college), I didn't hear much about this for the theater release and only saw it for the first time when a friend rented the DVD. I was pleasantly surprised, too. I wasn't much into European historical movies, but I'm glad I stuck around then. It's one of my go-to movies to play in the background while I do chores. I didn't even know it was a 2 hour movie until you said it The story is more or less linear and straightforward that it didn't seem long.
And as great of an actor he is, he’s also a big time conspiracy theorist. And as good a film as Sound of Freedom was, the guy it’s based on is a complete fraud, and the film grossly misrepresents the reality of child sex trafficking. The Count of Monte Cristo will always be my favorite Jim Caviezel movie. But I really liked him in Deja Vu and Person of Interest. While The Passion has its issues, it’s still an outstanding performance from Jim.
so glad you loved this film.. period pieces are always fun for me and the intrigue and slow burn as you said were so well done.. the actors and directing and editing scenery and music all added to a marvelously entertaining movie
There are great things about this movie, but it frustratingly completely changes a lot of Dantes' and Mercedes' relationship, and destroys the ending of the book, defeating the actual message of the story. The movie is a part of a trend in the late 90s and early 2000s to dumb down 19th century lit and make it sexier and more exciting for illiterate audiences.
The best part of this film is that it is based on a novel written nearly 200 years ago, and you know the intrigues described therein are as applicable to politics today as they were then. You may know his "friend" "Ferdinand" from "LA Confidential" (Guy Pierce), and everyone has already pointed out a young Superman :) also "Immortals". Great film: glad you enjoyed it. Just a little bit more trivia, Chateau d'If isn't out in the middle of the sea, it is really close to the shore, you can easily see it from Marseille, so completely believable that he could make his escape by swimming into shore.
This is great. Now Ash can go onto the Three Musketeers and the Four Musketeers (1973, 1974). EDIT: I've been informed that Ashleigh already reacted to the Three Musketeers. Oops.
I haven't seen those two older one, but for the Three Musketeers I still love the 1993 Disney one with Tim Curry, Oliver Platt, Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Michael Wincott, and Chris O'Donnell. I do want to see the newer french one, the one divided in two parts The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers: Milady; te same director also made the most recent adaptation of The Count of Montecristo which came out last year and it's absolutely fantastic! The french miniseries with Gerard Depardieu is also quite good, in many ways the one I'm more attached to since it's the first one that I've seen.
The book is such a 21st century story - for being written in 1844, it has LGBTQ characters, characters of color, incredibly strong female characters with huge agency, all glossed over by Edmond's puppetry and revenge. The novel has SO many more threads and characters just about every adaptation fails to even mention.
I'm so glad you got to watch this movie. It's often overlooked for some reason but it is brilliant and enjoyable. They did a great job of keeping up the tension. The follower who picked this for you chose wisely.
In 'The Shawshank Redemption', the Alexandre Dumas novel 'Count of Monte Cristo' is referenced. In the prison library, Andy believes that the novel will be very popular with the inmates because it chronicles a prison break. Very amusing scene.
I loved reading Alexandre Dumas as a kid. This was one of my favorite books. It wasn’t till I was well into my 30’s when I found out that Alexandre Dumas was a black author. Not only a black author, but a man who loved life and living and graced is with some of the best classical works in literature.
I have rarely clicked as fast as I did when I saw you were watching Count of Monte Cristo. This is one of my favorite movies. If you like Jim Caviezel (Edmond), I recommend Frequency & the tv show Person of Interest.
I agree. Frequency is such a clever little movie. Plus Dennis Quaid! I think the network played around with the airing schedule for a Person of Interest in later seasons, so I lost track of the series but I enjoyed it as long as I could.
@sylvanaire Caviezel & Quaid played so well together. The network didn't know what to do with POI once it became different than what they were expecting. It felt like they tried killing it by moving it around, & then by just outright delaying renewing it until the creators just said "No, enough. We're not keeping ppl in limbo. Season 5's the end, we're not coming back."
You referred to this as “Old School Shawshank Redemption” - the Count of Monte Cristo is mentioned in Shawshank when they’re sorting books for the library - “file this under educational”
"By Alexandre Dumbass...Dumbass?"
@@anthonykirkland836Haywood called it The Count of Monte “Crisco”
If you knew the story, it was a tell that Andy might be digging a tunnel. Lucky for him, his cell was the last one in the row, if his cell had been in the middle , he would have been effed.
Alexandre Dumas. Who also wrote the Three Musketeers in addition to the Count of Monte Cristo. Count is a rank of nobility like Duke or Baron. Monte Cristo is a real place. It's an island in the Tuscan Archipelago near Italy.
@@anthonykirkland836Shit. You beat me to it.
Dumbledore, Superman, and Jesus all in one movie.
…And Narcissa Malfoy.
And Gomez Addams
And Edmond Exley. Not appearing is Rollo Tommasi.
And Top Dollar a.k.a Guy of Gisborne.
And “The Mandarin” 🤣
Fun fact: the rainbow in the background during the final fight wasn't a special effect, it just happened to appear while they were filming the scene so they left it in.
It's like the movie is saying that God approves. LOL
Jim Caviezel, Henry Cavill, Richard Harris... man, what a cast.
Don't forget Guy Pearce and Richard Harris.
@joepegel There are two Richard Harrises?
Luiz Guzmán
@jacknapier8201 of course Luis Guzman.
@hazelmaylebrun6243 my bad
“On my dead relatives, even the ones that aren’t feeling too good.” is one of my favorite lines in a movie.🤣👍🏾
i like the "perhaps you should get out more" a little better, but it relies a bit more on context
Luis Guzmán plays a great supporting role in this.
@ no doubt, but that one we’ve heard before. On the relatives not feeling good is crazy and new.
The son is a very young Superman Henry Cavill.
Years before he'd hit it off with the Tudors, and then Man of Steel.
Tudors and Stardust are so funny in the post Cavill bulk-up era 🤣🤣🤣
@@LordVolkov When you also realize Daredevil was also the protagonist of that movie.
@@DeanTheLaughingMann LOL! Charlie's transformation to where he is now is more dramatic than his change in Stardust 😉
He looks really gay like he was in twilight
Now just imagine: In the novel, Dantes draws out his revenge, making it even more elaborate and over the top.
Yes, definitely check the Dumas' books (there is a two-tome edition), they will blow your mind.
Also, the rise of his enemies are almost as impressive as the count :) I love the novel.
My favorite book of all time.
The Count in the book is a more intelligent and manipulative man like Octavian in the Rome series.
The Count in this film seems more like a moody and very sentimental idiot like Mark Antony in the Rome series.
The series with Sam Claflin that premiered in December is a much better adaptation.
Hot take, this movie is better.
There is so much to share. The Count of Monte Cristo was the first adult novel I read. This movie is a beautiful adaptation. Remember Shawshank - when they are unboxing the books and one of the prisoners asks about the Count of Monte Cristo by the author Dumb ass, Andy tells them it is about a prison escape, and Red suggests that the book should go under education.
"the count of monty Crisco...by Alexandre dumbass...dumbass?" 😂
Yes! I was just thinking that when she said “old school Shawshank Redemption” 😂
King made Shawshank from all the most famous jail films.
It's also heavily referenced in Sleepers, another great film Ashley needs to check out (but with a serious trigger warning in place and a suggestion to bring tissues lol).
Just made the same comment. Maybe I should scroll through the comments to avoid duplicating comments.
Memory is a funny thing. I bumped into some high school friends that I haven't seen in like 20 years and they didn't even recognize me, but I remembered them immediately. They all assumed that Edmond was dead, so their memory of what he looked like faded away over the years.
Thank you for your comment
Wish you merry Christmas, I got something special for you Above. 🎉...
Underrated and one of my favorite films of all time. And yes, we ALL love Jacopo.
Wish you merry Christmas, I got something special for you Above. 🎉...
The “morning appointment” was a duel, in this case, with swords.
The most famous duel in history was the one between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, with pistols, in which Burr killed Hamilton.
A duel was considered a matter of honor, when one man felt another had insulted him.
And, yes, Carnival and Mardi Gras are the same holiday, traditionally the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins.
There was a commercial back in the 90s or early 2000s where the Hamilton/Burr duel was used by the "Got Milk?" campaign. It's funny. I'm sure it's on TH-cam somewhere
@@brownstarslots That commercial was directed by Michael Bay when he was just out of film school. Yes, that Michael Bay.
@eriksen77 that's insane. Wow
And my teachers told me violence never solved anything.
Opened TH-cam, saw the thumbnail and clicked immediately! This is a fantastic movie and I'm so happy you chose to watch it!
Underrated movie. Does an amazing job of being so frustrating and then giving you absolutely every revenge fantasy you want.
The _Abbé Faria,_ the old priest in the next cell, is played by Richard Harris, who was the first Dumbledore.
_The Count of Monte Cristo_ is one of the world's greatest adventure novels. Alexandre Dumas wrote the novel _Le Comte de Monte-Cristo_ in 1844. He also was the writer of _The Three Musketeers._ These were his two most popular novels. _Monte Cristo_ has been translated into multiple languages, including Chinese and Japanese.
In various languages _The Count of Monte Cristo_ has been adapted to film twenty-three times (most recently in a French movie in 2024), adapted for television twenty-eight times, for radio and records fifteen times, and for the stage nine times including a musical in 2009.
Dumas was a mixed race Frenchman, born in Haiti, the son of a Caribbean innkeeper and a French nobleman. I hope this means Ashleigh will watch the Three Musketeers (1973) and its sequel, the Four Musketeers.
@@thomast8539She has already seen the Three Musketeers in memoriam to Raquel Welsh. Unfortunately, she did not continued the story with the Four Musketeers.
@@thomast8539 The Three Musketeers is on the channel. It was Ashleigh's Raquel Welch memorial watch. She hasn't watched the second one.
Another Dumas adaptation she'd enjoy is _The Man in the Iron Mask._
The perfect Dumbledore
12 movies and 8 shows!?! ive only seen the 1975 ver and this one. i have so much to catch up on.
Fun little historical note: The old man in the jail was a real historical figure. He spent some time there because (among other things) they *were* trying to sweat the location of some treasure out of him. He got furnishings because they were treating him 'well'. He eventually was released when he convinced them that said treasure didn't exist. He was also the first documented person to put forth the idea that hypnosis was just a form of suggestion, and not witchcraft or magic.
Wow. I had never heard that before. Thanks!
Jim Cavaziel is great in a TV show called Person of Interest. Has a really interesting premise too, and he looks even more rugged with the salt & pepper hair 🤣
Shame that he's a full blown Q-anon guy, because he's a talented actor.
@@DrLipkin Really? I'd not seen that. Although tbh i don't keep up with a lot of celbrity news and i try steer away from all the Tates, Musk and Q-Anon stuff. It's just idiot leading idiot 🤣
Loved that show! "Welcome my son/Welcome to the Machine" And the 300 PlayStation 3s...
Frequency 😊
@@JulieWestfall-sb5xg vERY great movie!
She would love Jim Caviezel's movie Frequency. Such a great and very underrated thriller.
💯
@@Khay-77 Frequency is so good.
The setup for the revenge is elaborate and expansive...but it never stops. It moves constantly, with every scene putting another piece of the trap in place. And once everything is out...the whole thing snaps closed on the antagonists.
It's long...but it never plods. There's never an empty moment. That's why it works as well as it does.
"So he got fancy, he got bougie, and now he is headed to cause some problems." LMFAO accurate synopsis 😂😂
Wish you merry Christmas, I got something special for you Above. 🎉..
@32:50 about recognizing/not recognizing Edmond: Some things to note (and the book makes some of this a bit more clear): Edmond was actually pretty young when he was made Captain but then subsequently imprisoned, only 19 if I remember correctly (that's part of why it was such an affront to Danglar to have this young pup made Captain over him). He then spends I believe 14 years in prison before escaping at the age of 33. When you figure in not just that time passage, but what happened in that time (malnourished, torture, etc... but also training with the priest) - the man that emerged from that prison would've born little resemblance to the full of hope 19 year old that they remember. Then throw in another couple/few years traveling with Vampa and the smugglers as well as finding the treasure/establishing his plan and background for his revenge plot, he's become a hardened (what at that time period would be) middle-aged man with a completely different bearing (that and they have no reason to expect to see Edmond and, again, the Edmond they remember was the 19 year old)
Now, you should try the Monte Cristo sandwich and be blown out of your mind.
Mardi Gras is actually French for "Fat Tuesday".
Omg the Monte Christo sandwich is heaven on earth.
THANK you William for this selection, and thank YOU Ashleigh for this watchalong.
Written almost two centuries ago, the very seedling of revenge stories to come. Remade every few decades; a movie and mini series came out this passed year alone.
@15:00 Well, if you remember, 'The Count of Monte Cristo' was one of the books they cataloged while they were putting the library together.
You'll like it, it's about a fried ham and cheese sandwich.
And the plot takes some points from the novel . False imprisonment, escape, stealing of treasure, etc.
By Alexander Dumbass.
This movie is one of the ones u remember your whole life. Finding this movie on accident is a huge win
Basically how i found it- my local video store had a copy for sale, and I bought it; didn't even know who any of the actors were at the time. Became one of my favorite movies immediately.
It's the 'I aspire to be this extra' that got me 🤣🤣
The jailer is Michael WIncott. He played Top Dollar, the head bad guy, in The Crow. He's actually been in quite a few films, and almost always plays a bad guy. He just has that vibe about him, doesn't he? Also, RIchard Harris, the digging fellow, is perhaps best known to current generations as the first Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. He even sounds like Dumbledore here. And he died the year this movie came out. But many others know him as King Arthur in the 1967 movie of the musical Camelot, which is not for rookie musical fans. It's a bit long, but it has great acting and some fantastic songs. 💙
He was also Guy of Gisbourne. Why a spoon, cousin? Why not an axe?
BECAUSE IT'S DULL, YOU TWIT, IT'LL HURT MORE.
@@kevinramsey417 Yes, I know, I just didn't want to give away his other characters, but the way you phrased it works well. I don't think Ashleigh has seen the movie yet, and most people don't know the story well enough to recognize the character. Wincott was also in a movie version of another of Duma's stories, which is great and I hope Ashleigh watches it someday!💙
This isn't even Wincott's only Dumas adaptation.
@DravenGal Wincott played the captain of the Betty in Alien: Resurrection. Also the main bad guy in The Crow (1994).
@@plothole181 Yep! I'm sure Ashleigh will get to it someday. At least I hope so. It's a great film! It's got some serious eye candy, too! It's a who's who of hot 90s actors. And Tim Curry! Oops, spoiler. My bad! 😜💙
Alexandre Dumas’ father Thomas-Alexandre Dumas had an amazing life that his son drew on for inspiration for his writing. Thomas-Alexandre’s father was a marquis and Caribbean planter who owned his mother, a slave. The marquis took his son to France for an education, which by law freed the son as soon as he stepped foot in France, and then got him into the French military. Dumas rose to become general-in-chief of the French army. At one point, he was imprisoned by the Kingdom of Naples for two years, which broke him physically. Napoleon got him released, but then turned his back on the man and Dumas ended up dying in poverty. His wife couldn’t even get the pension due to all military widows. Dumas was literally whitewashed out of history when Napoleon had a painting of one of the general’s exploits commissioned, but the central figure was a white man, not Dumas.
Recounted in the Pulitzer winning book, The Black Count.
Well done Hallowbeans winner William - you have excellent taste in movies sir!!
Just like you Ashley, I had zero clue when I first saw this, if memory serves I got it in a bunch of 2nd hand DVDs & kept it for Guy Pearce, having seen him in Memento I thought 'why not'?
Not my usual sort of film genre either, but like you I too was hooked & it's now one of my all time favorites!
The Count of Monte Cristo was actually mentioned in Shawshank Redemption. Andy mentioned how it was about escaping from prison, and Red responds they should put it in the education section of the prison library.
Thank you William!!! I’ve been suggesting this movie for over four years now, and am so glad Ashleigh has now seen it!
“Count” is an aristocratic title, like King, Prince, Lord, Marquis, Baron, etc.
"I aspire to be this extra" XD I love this commentary
I never wanted to attempt this book because of its immense thickness, but some years back my wife gave me a USB drive filled with audiobooks. I started listening to them on my commute, and soon enough came The Count of Monte Cristo. I became so enraptured with the story as it was revealed to me, 2 hours at a time, that I loaded the file onto my phone to listen at work (and then re-hear it on the drive). I was so sad when I came to the end of the 57-hour reading, but came away with the feeling that Dumas was as good a storyteller as Tolkien.
I agree with others who say this is one of the greatest works of literature ever, and you deserve to read or hear the whole thing, since none of the movie adaptations I've seen come anywhere close to doing it justice. It probably deserves its own TV series, similar to the treatment given to Horatio Hornblower by A&E in the '90s.
The book is only 180 years old. Still as the say, the book was better than the movie 😊
Fun fact: the Island of Monte Christo actually exists. If you take the Ferry from port Livorno of Mainland Italy to Porto Arancia in the Island of Sardinia, the islands of Elba and Monte Cristo would appear on its port (left) side. Monte Cristo is about 30 km south of Elba.
When I went to Marseille and the guide pointed out the real Château d'If, I got chills. To be so close to Marseille and yet so far.
This movie is top tier. So glad you've found it.
One thing that gets overview in this movie is that not only revenge moves the plot but kindness and honour too; Dante's kindness with his captain got him on Elba and made him captain later, his honour with Napoleon got him into troubles, the kindness with the abbe saving him instead of leting him die in the tunnel got him the map, mercy with Jacopo got him a friend and servant, those are not minor points!
42:41 I like to think that Edmund took Jacobo aside after all this and said "You pledged yourself to me in the hope to repay the life I spared you. It was your hand that dashed the bullet aimed at my love's heart. She _is_ my life, and you have fulfilled your oath. Let us continue forth with you no longer a debtor, but forever as my friend."
"This is like old school Shawshank Redemption, y'all!" To the point where they name-check the novel The Count of Monte Cristo in that film.
The movie had to shorten Dantes' revenge plan. The book and the French mini series had even more schemes to exact revenge on everyone.
This was one of my Dad’s favorite books when he was a kid so we went as a family to see this when it came out in theaters. It turned out to be one of my favorite films ever. Dad thought it was a great adaptation. It’s nice to be able to share that with my Pops.
The old man in the prison was the same actor who payed Dumbledor in Harry Potter. Also the 13th Warrior is also a good watch
39:00 Why does it feel like Mercedes was the good angel on the shoulder saying "Let it go, Edmond. Let it go" and here is Ashleigh being the bad devil on the other shoulder, "No, finish the deed!" haha
This is my favourite film of all time!
The director of this movie also directed Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. If you haven't seen that yet, definitely check it out. Great action, awesome musical score.
Actually my favorite book, written by Alexander Dumas, a french writer. he also wrote the three musketeers and the man in the iron mask.
It also has a few minutes' mention in The Shawshank Redemption (1994).
"Alex-Ander...Dum...ASS. Dumb@$$?"
😅😅😅😅😂😂😂😂
The man in the iron mask is part of the three musketeers story.
@@congaplaya The books are published separately. And there are separate movies for each book.
@@LGarretterraGL I remember reading the story in the 3rd Musketeers book. I didn’t know it was also a separate book. I saw the DiCaprio version.
The novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo' was written in France in the 1830s (1838, I think) by a black author, Alexander Dumas. There have been numerous movie adaptations over the past 100 years of film, including TV movies. The same author, Alexander Dumas, also wrote 'The Three Musketeers', and 'The Man in the Iron Mask'. Also, one of my very favorite modern adaptations of 'The Count of Monte Cristo', is the TV show 'REVENGE' which ran for 4 seasons on ABC from 2011 to 2015. It was based on the present time (2010s) and was set in The Hamptons, NY. AWESOME series to binge-watch.
He based the character on his father who was a general in Napoleon's army
Just to be needlessly pedantic, "The Man In The Iron Mask" is not a novel, but part of the second sequel to "The Three Musketeers", called "The Vicomte De Bragelonne".
@@matthiasschulz3569 - Correct. Bear in mind, since Ashleigh Burton was totally unaware of any of this, I merely wanted to provide her some context and familiarity for her by mentioning that the same author was responsible for creating those either works as well, since most people are at least somewhat aware of 'The Three Musketeers', and 'The Man In The Iron Mask'.
I watched a Revenge when it was airing on TV originally, and while it was interesting, I never could get a hold of what was going on. Perhaps if I watch it again with the Count of Monte Cristo in mind, it might make more sense. I don’t know, maybe someday. But thanks for the information.😊
@@sylvanaire - That's awesome. And in the series, they also place a lot of 'The Count of Monte Cristo' Easter Eggs. For instance, in an earlier episode in Season 1 (Episode 4...'Duplicity'), during a conversation between the main character (Emily Thorne) and a therapist in the therapist's office, on the bookshelf behind her was a copy of the novel, 'The Count of Monte Cristo'...lol.
Anyway, before the show debuted back in 2011, the creators had also mentioned that it is based on 'The Count of Monte Cristo', but in a modern setting. The entire premise of the show is Emily Thorne, episode by episode, taking down the powerful people who conspired to frame and imprison her father.
The prison warden actor was the Sheriff of Nottingham's cousin in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, and more recently in Jordan Peeles "Nope" as the filmmaker the siblings go to for help documenting the "alien"
Michael Wincott and his gravelly voice are iconic. He's also great in the 90s 3 Musketeers 😉
He was also the bad guy in the crow with Brandon lee
I don’t remember Sheriff Mervin of Rottingham having a cousin.
5:23 thats very true, its one of the many reasons the British navy outmatched the French navy, the French would bring back their dead (storing them in a bottom section of the ship), which as you can imagine would cause diseases and encourage vermin on the ship, the British navy did burials at sea to prevent diseases from spreading, the only exception I'm aware of is important people, such as Admiral Nelson (whom Nelson's column in London is dedicated to) who was pickled in a vat of rum until his body could be buried in England.
Legend says by the time the ship got back to England all the rum had been drunk by the sailors
Arguably the greatest revenge story ever... One of my absolute faves!!
I love this movie. Watched it several times.
Last year I finally read the book. It was so amazing and compelling. Took a while since it's huge, but it was so worth the time. One of my all time favs now.
One of the best stories of all time and a criminality underrated movie! Loved your reaction Ashley!
Carnival and Mardi Gras are related in that Mardi Gras is the last day of Carnival (so it's the big blow out). Carnival always starts on January 6th (today!) and ends on the day before Lent begins, which is a variable date, Fat Tuesday a.k.a. Mardi Gras. This year, that will be March 4th, so we're having an especially long Carnival in 2025.
During Lent Catholics traditionally give up meat, so Carnival is a time to eat, drink, and be merry before the austerity of the 40 days of Lent. People would party and gorge on meat, etc. The word Carnival is from "carne vale" which means "farewell to meat."
Wow, I never heard the original meaning of Carnival, that is so cool! 😊
I remember trying since the beginning of you channel to get you to watch this, and of course just like mys too stubborn 😂, No honesty, I'm so glad your finally watching this❤ No if I could 9nly get you to finally watch the original "Murder on the Orient Express" I could retire to that private island, or just be happy😂❤
ive been wanting her to see the 1975 version
@@bligabliga the best version. The new one with Kenneth Brannagh is alright, but Albert Finney was a much better Poirot in the older film.
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!
And book, but this movie, with these actors, is how I always picture the tale in my head!
The Count Of Monte Cristo is probably one of the greatest novels ever written.
As good as this movie is…it is NOTHING compared to the book.
Do yourself a favour and read it…and be prepared for one hell of a ride. The twists and turns in that book is insane.
There is a reason they call it a "Hollywood ending", everything is wrapped up in a tight neat little all too convenient package.
It's not a bad movie, in terms of writing, acting, etc.
I just can't stand the change to the ending.
@@71lizgoeshardt I understand that feeling. But I just can't see how they could realistically put Haydee into a 2 hour run time and do her justice.
Guy Pearce is such an underrated actor, just doesn’t seem to get the recognition he’s due. Momento is a wild ride if you haven’t seen it.
A classic movie that is worthy of the classic novel .... It is so good!
I love this film. Great reaction Ashleigh!
16:52 I've never seen anyone notice that Edmond is reading Machiavelli's "The Prince" when he bargains with Priest to teach him weaponry. A good student indeed.
I haven’t seen this movie in YEARS! This is one that I always forget how much I like it!!
In the book De Villefort's fate is so blood curdling, that even a revenge obsessed Dante's shudders in horror.
In the series with Sam Clalfínm that premiered in December 2024, Edoaurd and Heloise die.
The actor playing Warden Dorleac, Michael Wincott, was the primary villain in 'The Crow'. He was also in 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" as Guy of Gisbourne. This is a favorite of mine. Quotable, well made. Love that you watched this one!
He was also in the 90s "Three Musketeers" (also a loose adaptation of Dumas) and "Strange Days".
I watched the movie in the theater and at the time I was expecting a much longer movie because I was familiar with the book. As with any movie they took several artistic liberties with the story, but most of the plot was very well summarized and I enjoyed it very much.
Wish you merry Christmas, I got something special for you Above. 🎉
This movie doesn’t get enough credit it’s my top three all time
This was my favorite book as a kid, along with “20000 Leagues Under the Sea”, with this my favorite film version.
Guy Pearce (playing the former best friend/antagonist here) is a fantastic Australian actor who might finally get his due this year, as he is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for “The Brutalist.” You might already have seen him in “L.A. Confidential” or “Priscilla Queen of the Desert.”
I first saw him in _The Time Machine_ (2002).
Iron Man 3 as well
Memento
@FilmBuff54 Guy Pearce is English (but grew up in Australia).
He was also Andy Warhol in Factory Girl (which also starred Anakin Skywalker himself, Hayden Christensen, as Bob Dylan).
@14:31. I'm waiting for Ashleigh to scream out that's Professor Albus Dumbledore.
Richard Harris was a wonderful actor, and a notorious hell-raiser. His son, Jared Harris, is an even better actor than his father, IMO.
I guess, in her defense, Harris/Priest looked a lot scragglier than Prof. Dumbledore.
It may be that she didn’t mention it because she’s gotten ragged on for mentioning him in other films before. 🤷♀️😄
But his voice is recognisable.
The book,The Count of Monte Cristo, is mentioned in the library scene in the Shawshank Redemption.
There are so many movies on this novel.
1908
1913
1919
1922
1929
1934
1942
1943, 46, 53, 54,
1961, 68, 75, 82, 86
2002
From all different countries
Very popular story.
Richard Harris, the old man, was the OG Dumbledore btw.
The book is very different and SUPER good. Highly recommend reading.
Wish you merry Christmas, I got something special for you Above. 🎉
Great movie. Really one of the best I have ever seen. If you like this you must see Frequency 2000 a great movie with the same lead actor . Fyi Shawshank Redemption took inpiraition from the book that this movie is based on (The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas ) they even mention it in the movie.
This is classic literature. It's one of those stories that gets referenced a lot. It's basically ... the first prison story of the modern era. BTW, the old man in the prison who helped Dantes was played by Richard Harris, who also played Dumbledore in the first two movies. The actor who played Dantes' frenemy was the villain in Iron Man 3.
The same author of this story, back in the 1800s, also wrote "The Three Musketeers" and "The Man in the Iron Mask."
10:55 Michael Wincott, top villain in "The Crow".
Oh my god, I was so excited when I saw this opening up TH-cam this morning! I love this movie and it's been a while. I actually realized watching it with you, how alike the Count is to Gatsby... I've never thought about that!
Jim Caviezel plays Edmund. You might remember him as Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ.”
It was funny you mentioned, “The Shawshank Redemption.” During the scene where they are organizing the books for the prison library, the book “The Count of Monte Cristo” is mentioned. When the prisoners find out it is about a prison break, they suggest putting it under “educational.”
You may not recall, but they mentioned the book "The Count of Monte Cristo" in Shawshank Redemption. He even tells the other prisoners it is a book about escaping prison.
When Ashleigh speculated the Count might be a Vampire I fell off my chair laughing...altogether now:"Young people don't read books!"🎩😂
Well he WAS a dead man walking around in the world.
But, yes, more people should read the book.
Yes, young people DO read books. I'm pretty sure this reactor can't read though, so even trying would be lost on her.
One of my absolute favorites. So glad you reacted to this!
I like that Richard Harris (the original Dumbledore) is in this
I love that The Count of Monte Cristo is one of V’s favorite stories in V for Vendetta. It’s a perfect way to tie together two stories with the same themes.
Ah! Dumbledore and Jesus team up!
And Superman
I love this movie. One of my favorites. When it came out back then (I was in college), I didn't hear much about this for the theater release and only saw it for the first time when a friend rented the DVD. I was pleasantly surprised, too. I wasn't much into European historical movies, but I'm glad I stuck around then.
It's one of my go-to movies to play in the background while I do chores. I didn't even know it was a 2 hour movie until you said it The story is more or less linear and straightforward that it didn't seem long.
The protagonist of this film Jim Caviezel is also in Frequency, Highwaymen and Sound of Freedom.
Don't forget Passion of the Christ.
I have always enjoyed his TV series Person of Interest.
And as great of an actor he is, he’s also a big time conspiracy theorist. And as good a film as Sound of Freedom was, the guy it’s based on is a complete fraud, and the film grossly misrepresents the reality of child sex trafficking.
The Count of Monte Cristo will always be my favorite Jim Caviezel movie. But I really liked him in Deja Vu and Person of Interest. While The Passion has its issues, it’s still an outstanding performance from Jim.
I always loved his TV show, Person of Interest.
@ He really is so good in that one.
My late mother absolutely adored this movie. I'm glad you liked it.
I adore this movie so much. So glad Ashleigh got to see the movie that formed my preference for a man
so glad you loved this film.. period pieces are always fun for me and the intrigue and slow burn as you said were so well done.. the actors and directing and editing scenery and music all added to a marvelously entertaining movie
Wish you merry Christmas, I got something special for you Above. 🎉...
There are great things about this movie, but it frustratingly completely changes a lot of Dantes' and Mercedes' relationship, and destroys the ending of the book, defeating the actual message of the story. The movie is a part of a trend in the late 90s and early 2000s to dumb down 19th century lit and make it sexier and more exciting for illiterate audiences.
The best part of this film is that it is based on a novel written nearly 200 years ago, and you know the intrigues described therein are as applicable to politics today as they were then. You may know his "friend" "Ferdinand" from "LA Confidential" (Guy Pierce), and everyone has already pointed out a young Superman :) also "Immortals". Great film: glad you enjoyed it. Just a little bit more trivia, Chateau d'If isn't out in the middle of the sea, it is really close to the shore, you can easily see it from Marseille, so completely believable that he could make his escape by swimming into shore.
This is great. Now Ash can go onto the Three Musketeers and the Four Musketeers (1973, 1974).
EDIT: I've been informed that Ashleigh already reacted to the Three Musketeers. Oops.
Long list of movie adaptations for the three musketeers
@@RebelLeigh Not to speak of the show.
Already watched the former
I haven't seen those two older one, but for the Three Musketeers I still love the 1993 Disney one with Tim Curry, Oliver Platt, Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Michael Wincott, and Chris O'Donnell.
I do want to see the newer french one, the one divided in two parts The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers: Milady; te same director also made the most recent adaptation of The Count of Montecristo which came out last year and it's absolutely fantastic! The french miniseries with Gerard Depardieu is also quite good, in many ways the one I'm more attached to since it's the first one that I've seen.
Omg, the Witcher is So Young in this!😅😅😅
Wow. I can't believe that is a young Henry Cavil as the son. Such a great movie.
This was one of my favorite film as a teen. So dramatic and romantic, oh geez. Thanks Hallo-bean winner for picking this one. Such a good film .
The book is such a 21st century story - for being written in 1844, it has LGBTQ characters, characters of color, incredibly strong female characters with huge agency, all glossed over by Edmond's puppetry and revenge. The novel has SO many more threads and characters just about every adaptation fails to even mention.
I was thrilled when I saw this pop up! The Count of Monte Cristo is an all time classic that gets watched in my household every year ✨
Wish you merry Christmas, I got something special for you Above. 🎉.
I'm so glad you got to watch this movie. It's often overlooked for some reason but it is brilliant and enjoyable. They did a great job of keeping up the tension. The follower who picked this for you chose wisely.
Haven't seen this one in AGES. Hope to dig the film up and watch it with popcorn.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The Count of Monte Cristo is played by Jim Caviezel. He was in a movie called “Frequency”, which you should also watch.
In 'The Shawshank Redemption', the Alexandre Dumas novel 'Count of Monte Cristo' is referenced. In the prison library, Andy believes that the novel will be very popular with the inmates because it chronicles a prison break. Very amusing scene.
I loved reading Alexandre Dumas as a kid. This was one of my favorite books. It wasn’t till I was well into my 30’s when I found out that Alexandre Dumas was a black author. Not only a black author, but a man who loved life and living and graced is with some of the best classical works in literature.
I have rarely clicked as fast as I did when I saw you were watching Count of Monte Cristo. This is one of my favorite movies. If you like Jim Caviezel (Edmond), I recommend Frequency & the tv show Person of Interest.
I agree. Frequency is such a clever little movie. Plus Dennis Quaid! I think the network played around with the airing schedule for a Person of Interest in later seasons, so I lost track of the series but I enjoyed it as long as I could.
@sylvanaire Caviezel & Quaid played so well together. The network didn't know what to do with POI once it became different than what they were expecting. It felt like they tried killing it by moving it around, & then by just outright delaying renewing it until the creators just said "No, enough. We're not keeping ppl in limbo. Season 5's the end, we're not coming back."