The Return of Monte Cristo [Monte Cristo’s Revenge] *** (1946, Louis Hayward, George Macready, Barbara Britton ) – Classic Movie Review 11,712

Director Henry Levin’s 1946 The Return of Monte Cristo [Monte Cristo’s Revenge] stars Louis Hayward, who is ideal (again) as Edmond Dantès Jr, the Count of Monte Cristo’s grandson, who is wrongfully convicted of a crime and imprisoned, but breaks out of the French penal colony of Devil’s Island in the Salvation Islands of French Guiana to find the French bad guys back home who have framed him, grabbed his fortune and embroiled the easily led Angela Picard (Barbara Britton).

The familiar ingredients are stirringly presented by director Levin and performed with gusto by the largely American cast of faithfuls (though Louis Hayward was a Johannesburg-born, British-American actor).

The Return of Monte Cristo is a fine swashbuckler with a handsome-looking production shot by Charles Lawton Jr in luscious-looking Technicolor. It is the sequel to The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) and The Son of Monte Cristo (1940), which starred Hayward as Edmond Dantès Jr.

The cast: Louis Hayward as Dantes, George Macready as Henri de la Rouche, Barbara Britton as Angela Picard, Una O’Connor as Miss Beedle, Henry Stephenson as Professor Duval, Steven Geray as Bombelles, Ray Collins as Emil Blanchard, Ludwig Donath as Judge Lafitte, Ivan Triesault as Major Chavet, Ethan Laidlaw as Cab Driver, Jean del Val, Eugene Borden, Crane Whitley and John Cory.

Edward Small produced the film for Columbia Studios, using his old agreement with Louis Hayward, who was paid $35,000 out of the film’s $658,284 budget.

The screenplay is by George Bruce and Alfred Neumann, based on a story by Curt Siodmak.

 © Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,712

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