Radio review – MT#8 - “Count of Monte Cristo” (1938) ***

As an actor, Orson Welles is best known for playing parts with bored aplomb, so its an interesting change to hear him panic and squirm as the young Edmond Dantes. He’s pretty good – you wish he’d stretch his wings as an actor a bit more like this in his movie career. Once he goes to gaol and becomes the Count of Monte Cristo it’s the old Orson again. This is a decent version of the tale which suffers from unavoidable shortening (45 minutes); Dantes’ arrest, imprisonment and escape remains excitement, but the complexities of his revenge are avoided. He just collapses the bank and that’s it really. But generally this is a good adaptation.