The Count of Monte Cristo (Dramatized)

By: Orson Welles

Narrated by: Orson Welles

Length: 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Starring Orson Welles, Anges Moorehead, and Ray Collins, The Count of Monte Cristo is a tale of revenge and retribution. Edmond Dantès, a young, energetic sailor, is falsely accused of treason on his wedding day and incarcerated in the forbidding Château d'If. His escape and ultimate revenge on those who wronged him makes this one of the most thrilling stories in French literature, as compelling now as when it was first published in 1846.

The Mercury Theatre on the Air, a show featuring the acclaimed New York drama company founded by Orson Welles and John Houseman. In its brief run, it featured an impressive array of talents, including Agnes Moorehead, Bernard Herrmann, and George Coulouris. The show is famous for its notorious War of the Worlds broadcast, but the other shows in the series are relatively unknown.The show first broadcast on CBS and CBC in July 1938. It ran without a sponsor until December of that year, when it was picked up by Campbell’s Soup and renamed The Campbell Playhouse.

©2012 ABN (P)2011 ABN

Great performance!

Loved everything about the play, completely engulfed made my commute back home a breeze! Definitely a keeper in my library

First timer of the C.O.M.

What did you love best about The Count of Monte Cristo (Dramatized)?

not boring and drawn out or vague

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Count of Monte Cristo (Dramatized)?

The plot leading to Dante's trumped up arrest.

What three words best describe Orson Welles???s performance?

Good narrative storytelling

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

exposing his swindlers at the end of the story

Any additional comments?

I didn't get the part of what happened to his sweetheart. Maybe I need another version. Overall it was a good story for this first time listener.

Count of Monte Cristo was delightful! I enjoyed it

I loved the dra·ma·ti·za·tion, and Orson Wells is the best narrator! The characters were great!

Just nice.

well acted. too much music was very distracting and hard on the ears. sound affects were ok.

Excellent

What made the experience of listening to The Count of Monte Cristo (Dramatized) the most enjoyable?

I love the story - I love this old-timey scratchy quality, like we are all huddled around the radio listening to it. Only I'm in my car on the way to work cursing Jersey drivers.

What does Orson Welles bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Um, his voice?

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When he makes his escape!

This is a must have book

He makes me feel like I'm there in time period with them, oh how he's been treated by the woman who he is loved.

Interesting, without a doubt.

I had read and enjoyed the count of monte cristo before getting and listening to this version. It is exactly what Orson Welles says in his introduction; “a humble, fifty-seven minutes worth”. The first half was accurate to a pinch, I especially enjoyed their portrayal of a ship coming in to port, and the rattle and roar of the chain at the cry of “let go the anchor!”
The second half, I can’t help but say, was too condensed. His revenge went way too quickly (he beat the three villains all at once instead of one at a time) and the element of personal redemption was left out entirely.
I know that they had to shrink it down, in order to make a pleasant afternoon’s listen, but they could have (if they really thought the story worth the time) made it into a multi-episode radio-series, like their production of “Les Miserables”.