REACTION PAPER TO COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO and COMPARISON TO EL FILIBUSTERISMO

ASPILI, Alleli A. BSBAMM2A

As I have watched the film Count of Monte Cristo, which was based on the novel written by Alexandre Dumas with the same title, I saw how hatred and vengeance can kill and affect every others lives. At the first part of the movie, the wrong decision on the trial of the main character, Edmond Dantes, has been done. He is betrayed by his own friend named, Fernand Mondego, because he likes Dantes fiance and he is jealous about Dantes being the captain of their ship. I was confused about the really first part of the movie wherein they got to an island and then they met Napoleon Bonaparte, but I knew Dantes and Mondegos captain needs help. Napoleon Bonaparte helped them but that help has a sort of exchange. He gave a letter to Dantes to make him give it to one of Napoleons allies on the place of Dantes, Marseilles. That letter was supposed to be a secret but Mondego saw both of them talking and he also saw Napoleons handling of the letter to Dantes. I thought that what Mondego saw will just be nothing to him and that he will hide it because I knew that he is a friend of Dantes, but at the middle of the film, those thoughts of mine were wrong. Yet, their captain who was also supposed to be saved also died. I think that, Napoleon had planned back then that he will help Dantes and Mondegos captain just for a show and afterwards handling the letter he just executed the captain. Those were just my thoughts for why the captain died was not shown clearly on the film. After which they had gotten to the island, they went back to their home town, the Marseilles. There also lived the romance of Edmond Dantes, Mercedes, who also happened to be the romance of Dantes friend, Mondego also. At foremost, Mercedes headed to the ship dock to see his long lost beloved romance. I thought that Mondego was the one that she was looking for because he was the one who first talked to her with romantic yet malicious acts.

When Dantes and Mercedes finally see each other, they cant stop themselves from wanting each other. Dantes told her the good news that he is already the captain of their ship. Then, they went to a place wherein both of them are the only person. At this scene, I saw the sweetest part. Both of them wanted to marry as soon as possible but Dantes told Mercedes that he still wanted to earn more for they could live wealthy, satisfied and happy. And Dantes still cant afford to buy Mercedes an engagement ring. But Mercedes refused to what Dantes wanted. Instead of him buying her a ring, she just tore a part of a rope and wraps it around her finger, and she said that she will never wear off the ring on her finger as a sign of her everlasting love to Dantes. That part was really the charming part back then while I was watching. The two lovers were already happy and blissful about their love life. But the twist in the story happened. One night when Dantes and Mercedes were eating on the Dantes house, together with his father, the allies and people of the prosecutor, Gerard de Villefort, came to them and suddenly get Edmond Dantes without any explanation. At that very moment or scene, as I was watching, I was confused on why he is being called on for a trial or prosecution. They said that he had committed serious violation against their law, that Dantes is an ally of Napoleon and is one of Napoleons allies inside the Marseilles. How did Villefort, the prosecutor knew about that news? And what is the proof? Well, it was also a big question to me when I was back then watching the film, but afterwards, it came off to my mind that there is also one person who knew about the conversation of Napoleon and Dantes, and most especially, about the letter which was given by Napoleon to Dantes. A close friend of Dantes set him up and that was Mondego. It was terrifying and really unfair that Dantes will be gone to imprisonment that he was not guilty of the crime that is pointing to him. Mondego, being the friend traitor of Dantes, I think, became conscious on what the letter is made of and what is inside it, so when they were at the Napoleons camp, Mondego read it while Dantes is sleeping. Mondego knew about the plan written in the letter and he used that information to bring Edmond Dantes down. The scene inside the room where Dantes and Villefort is talking is a little crazy for me. Why? Because, Villefort is so kind talking and asking questions to

Dantes. He is really listening and after their short significant talks, Villefort said to Dantes that he believed him and he can let Dantes go. But Villefort is a coward; he forgot to ask if to whom the letter is supposed to be, and when Dantes told the name, Noirter, Villefort changed his mind, burned the letter and put Dantes in the Chateau dIf, where prisoners are bought. Gerard Villefort did that because the name of his father, together with his will be on bad names when the issue about the letter is revealed, and he let Dantes get jailed because he is the only person who knew about the letter, other than Mondego, who is a traitor and whom Villefort trusted, too. At the Chateau dIf, Dantes suffered too much pain, especially from his anniversaries severe punishments of ropes being hit on him on his back. I felt the pain back then, when I am seeing Dantes suffering, of course, also because I see blood in the television and of the sound effects. Inside that hell, which was called by Dantes, I thought that it was the end for him and that he will just be there until he dies. But he gets his hope, from the carvings on the prison wall, saying, God will give justice. That line seems to be very inspiring and is full of encouragement. I almost forgot to mention that inside that jail, the people who are inside, should not never ever really believe in God, because inside, the one who is God there is the one who keeps on punishing them. At first, I thought Dantes had already been forgetting God, but I was wrong. One person made him believe in God, and that was the person inside the jail which is beside him. That person, Abbe Faria, is digging a tunnel on his way out when he went to Dantes jail. At first glance, I thought that the something getting outside from the ground is a kind of zombie or monster, but funny it was not. It was the prisoner priest, he told Dantes. I felt lucky for Dantes, because that priest helped Dantes a lot. He taught Dantes how to read, write, and fight and much of all knowledge the priest knew. In return of that knowledge is Dantes helping the priest make the tunnel. The sad part happened, when they are near to the outside world by digging the tunnel, the soil fell off and the priest were covered by the stones and stones which made him die. The priest gave Dantes a treasure map at the Monte Cristo and when they are talking to each other with the priests last words, I heard the most admiring line Ive ever heard about believing in God. The priest said to Dantes: You dont believe in God, He believes in you. See? Thats really inspiring. I can really relate to that line because I am in halfway believing in Him.

Well, back to the story, the thrilling part happened. Dantes is inside the jail of the priest and when the food is being brought to the jail of the priest, the one bringing the food saw that the priest is dead, and he told it to the one managing the whole prison, they put the priest inside a bag and went outside. When they came back they dont know that Dantes is already the one inside the bag. They carried the bag outside, and when they are already about o throw the bag, the eater maid called them and said that the one inside is Dantes, but thankfully, they cannot hear them. When they threw the bag, Dantes get the keys to the landlord of the prison, and he is together with Dantes. He drowned that person who made him suffer for almost thirteen years, and it is for his revenge. Then after few happenings in the film, Edmond Dantes found the treasure in Monte Cristo, suddenly changed his name as same as the place where he found the treasures and suddenly made himself a count. He went to Paris to seek his revenge to his beloved traitor friend, who is also a count Mondego. Dantes is already known as the Count of Monte Cristo. And he used all his treasures just to make his revenge to Count Mondego. For me, that wasnt a good plan or doings because revenge cannot actually pay the things that have been done to you, instead, it will just add your memories of your bitterness and pain. One pain Dantes had suffered much of is the death of his father at Marseilles and the marriage of Mercedes and his traitor friend Mondego. Because of that hatred that Dantes felt, he suddenly started his vengeances. He do it slowly, and with full of pain also on the side of Mondego. Secrets and revelations had already been revealed at the end of the story. Mondego killed Dantes father, it was shown in the movie, and Villefort and Mondego are allies, and they are helping each other. Mercedes knew that Count Monte Cristo and Edmond Dantes, whom she promised with forever is only one person. There was again a sweet part, when Mercedes made Dantes see the ring which she said that she will never wear off of her finger. It proves her eternal love to Dantes. Another secret revealed is that Albert wasnt really the son of Mondego, it was Dantes son. I knew that from the start, because I remembered that Dantes and Mercedes made love back then, and Albert was the fruit of their love.

At the end of the movie, all the vengeance that Dantes wanted had been given to him. He killed Mondego with his skill in sword or fencing, which he had learned from his mentor priest back then in the Chateau dIf. Vengeance, I think is the main theme in the story. Plus, the politics and romance are involved. This was also the theme patterned by Rizal to his novel El Filibusterismo. In El Fili, Crisostomo Ibarra was disguised as Simoun, and when he came back to the country, he was then a wealthy jeweler. Same as what happened in Count of Monte Cristo, when Dantes escaped from the prison hell, he came back as a wealthy person, and suddenly became a count. Then, both novels are profound for political issues, such as in El fili, Simoun returns rich and therefore, seeks his revenge then starts a revolution. It was almost similar to Dantes issue, that he seeks revenge in terms of politics and stand in the community or population race. Another similarity is that both Simoun and Dantes came back to avenge themselves and get back their beloved fiances. They both changed their identities and those changes in their names signify deeper changes in both of their characteristics. They seek happiness, and they found fouls in the human justices both of them are fighting for it. What has not happened and if who did not do it, shouldnt be given punishments and unfair discrimination in laws. They both made their plans accordingly and they end up tragically nor happily. I was glad that I have watched the beautiful story of Count of Monte Cristo, even though I was kind of curious of what our teacher said that the story of the film wasnt really the original one, for the endings arent really the same as in the book. However, I am still fascinated about the story and how Rizal patterned the El Fili to the Count of Monte Cristo, still originality stood still.