Oct 041961
 
one reel

In 1815, Captain Adam Corbett (Rory Calhoun) joins with Colonel Jackson (Ian Hunter) and his daughter, Pauline (Patricia Bredin), in a quest for the treasure of Monte Cristo. They have one quarter of a map, and meet with three others, an honorable English sea captain, a greedy French gentleman, and a wealthy and treacherous Italian named Boldini, who hold the other portions.Ā  Together, they plan to retrieve the treasure.

Made after the golden age of swashbucklers, The Secret of Monte Cristo lacks the elaborate look and witty dialog of the genre.Ā  It is a western with a slight change of setting and swords in place of six-shooters.Ā  The English ā€œinnā€ could have come from a John Wayne flick.Ā  The swordplay is slow, though it does improve for the climatic duel, but fist and knife fights are more common and could have come from any late ā€˜50s western.Ā  The Secret of Monte Cristo comes complete with Mexican bandits (who are supposed to be Italian).

Rory Calhoun comes off as a diminished and squinting Stewart Granger.Ā  He isnā€™t bad as the heroic swordsman, nor is he memorable. Pauline is a poorly written damsel, weak and bratty even by the standards of swashbuckler maidens.Ā  She reaches new heights of uselessness.Ā  The ā€œevilā€ woman at least tries to do things, but Pauline stays still as our hero fights off multiple villains, and doesnā€™t even warn him when one sneaks up behind him.Ā  Only when a female is going to shoot Carbett does she bother to shout.Ā  Patricia Bredin is generic in the role, lacking the appeal of a Janet Leigh, Linda Darnell, or Olivia de Havilland.

The story has a few odd plot holes.Ā  Who were the bandits that attack our heroes on the road?Ā  Itā€™s implied they are working for Boldini, but heā€™d have a far easier time getting the map once they arrive at his villa.Ā  Why is the financially solvent Colonel Jackson so fanatical on reaching the treasure that heā€™s willing to die to allow others to go on?

The great treasure of Monte Cristo is pretty shabby.Ā  The gold goblets in the single chest couldnā€™t pay a monthā€™s rent on Boldiniā€™s estate.

This isnā€™t a bad film, just a lackluster one.Ā  It also goes by the title The Treasure of Monte Cristo.

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