After a short hiatus off this wiki because of vacations, I'm back with another double proposal. During my vacations, I went to theaters with my family to check the French movie of The Count of Mount Cristo, which I liked and it reminded me of another American adaptation I wanted to see since years. I finally watched it last week and found two interesting villains to discuss. So, without further ado, let the trial commence!
What's the work[]
Pretty sure most of you have at least heard of the famous novel of the French author Alexandre Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo. To make up a short summary, it tells the story of a French sailor named Edmond Dantès who has a promising life: he is promoted captain of a ship because of his heroic attitude and he is about to marry Mercedes, the love of his life. Unfortunately for him, jealous people will frame him as a Napoleon agent and have him imprisoned for years. Edmond will eventually escape thanks to another prisoner, the abbe Faria, who also showed him the location of a treasure. Edmond will find it and become a count with this fortune. He will use all this resources to plot a sinister vengeance against those who wronged him.
Now in the original novel, no one counts because they are not heinous enough. In 2002, Kevin Reynolds adapted the tale by making a live-action movie. Two characters have their villainy significantly pushed up in the adaptation. If anyone is interested to watch, the movie is available on Youtube here.
Who are they/What have they done[]
Fernand Mondego[]
Fernand Mondego was a faithful friend of Edmond Dantès. Being the ship owner's representative on a voyage and accompanying Edmond back to Marseilles, he goes with him ashore to ask for help for the captain of the ship “Le Pharaon”, who is unconscious because of brain fever. Dantes attracts the attention of English dragoons, who try to kill them. Mondego and Dantes manage to defend themselves and flee, but they are intercepted by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte, who asks what they are doing here. Dantes explains the situation and the English agree to help them. Fernand and Edmond later celebrate their exploit. Bonaparte pops up to have a talk with Edmond. He asks him to deliver a letter to a man named Clarion. Edmond accepts because Napoleon will send his physician to cure the captain under this condition. When Edmond returns, Fernand asks him what he wanted to say. Edmond tells him it was just news from France, but Fernand immediately suspect it is a lie.
At Marseilles, Fernand sees Mercedes, Edmond’s love interest, waiting for him. Being also enamored with her, he drags her away and tries to seduce her, but she refuses, declaring she is to Edmond. Fernand is further enraged when Edmond comes, kisses Mercedes, and announces he is now the captain of “Le Pharaon”. Fernand pretends to be happy for Edmond and leaves.
Drinking at the port, he is visited by Danglar, the former first mate of “Le Pharaon” who was fired because he didn’t allow Edmond to ask for help. Fernand laments how Edmond is a “false friend” to him because he hides secrets from him. Danglar then suggests him something: to check if Napoleon has given something to Edmond. Fernand gladly does so and finds Napoleon’s letter. He then denounces him to procurer Villefort and arranges for him to be condemned for high treason.
Edmond is arrested, but manages to momentarily escape and ask Fernand for help, unaware of his betrayal. After pretending to think about a plan and asking if he is armed, he takes a sword, revealing to be the one who denounced him. Edmond tries to escape again, but Fernand prevents him to do so, and they have a fight. Fernand slighty wounds him and eventually takes his sword. He then openly admits his resentment toward Edmond, as he is the son of a simple clerk while Fernand is an aristocrat who deeply envies him. The French guards a come to arrest Edmond and Fernand gives him a king of chess to make him remind the good old days.
The next morning, Fernand visits Villefort, accompanied by several friends of Edmond including Mercedes and pleads for Edmond’s innocence. However, Villefort reveals Edmond is also charged with murder because he apparently murdered one of the guards when he escaped the last night. Villefort suggests to everyone to forget Edmond. Everyone except Fernand leaves the office. Fernand is puzzled of the additional charge of murder, only for Villefort to make a deal with him. For the imprisonment of Edmond, Fernand will murder Villefort’s father because he is a Bonapartist (the man is in fact Mr. Clarion). Fernand accepts the deal and shoots the old man in the street. After, he visits Mercedes and lies that he failed to negotiate Edmond’s freedom. Mercedes resigns herself to marry Fernand instead of Edmond.
Years pass and Fernand proves to be hardly a model husband. They've moved to Paris and Fernand turns out to be a rather frivolous man. He constantly cheats on Mercedes with several women. A husband of one of them figured out and challenged Fernand to a sword duel. Fernand won the duel and rubs it in Mercedes’s face, mocking his dead victim and also the woman who became a ruined widow because of him.
But Fernand’s bragging attitude will come to an end. Edmond escaped from prison and devised a plan to have revenge on him. Knowing Fernand contracts debts because of gambling, Edmond buys the bank where Fernand has a loan for the ship he owns and told Fernand’ partners that he is not liable because of his debts. This causes them to cease their association with Fernand, and the latter to turn over Danglar again to continue his business.
Fernand and Mercedes’s son Albert is “rescued” in Rome by Edmond (Fernand allowed him to go there with some friends just to have peace). The rescue is in fact organized by Edmond so he could get closer to Fernand and build a relationship with Albert. Edmond talks to Albert about a shipment containing the treasure of Spada. Albert reports this to his father during an event happening in his castle. Fernand immediately sees an opportunity to have plenty of money. Seeing Villefort at the event (he was invited by Edmond because he knows the two will see each other in secret), he invites him to the roof and conspires with him to steal the treasure of Edmond’s ship. For that, Fernand will use Danglar to do the dirty work and Villefort will have the half of the treasure for himself. All he has to do is to keep Edmond’s ship at the port during all night.
Too bad Edmond was planning all this. Villefort is arrested and confesses Fernand’s role in Edmond’s betrayal as well as the murder of Mr. Clarion. Danglar is also caught trying to rob Edmond’s ship and is arrested as well. Consequently, Fernand is bankrupted. Knowing he will be soon arrested like the others, h e packs his bags and orders Mercedes to accompany him. But she refuses, infuriating Fernand, who throws a vase at a mirror. He insists that he has made arrangements for their safekeeping. Mercedes persists in her refusal and reveals that Albert is not her son, but Edmond's. Shocked, Fernand decides to leave without them.
He goes to some ruins where he stashed some money in safes, only to find the money has been stolen and replaced with earth and the king chess Fernand gave to Edmond. Edmond arrives and Fernand recognizes him. Scared, Fernand asks him why he is doing this, to which Edmond answers it is revenge for his life stolen by Fernand. The latter takes his sword to fight him, only to be easily defeated by Edmond. Edmond demands to know why he betrayed him. Fernand simply mocks him, daring him to kill him and that he'll never be an aristocrat.
Suddenly, Albert pops in and defends Fernand at first, unaware Edmond is his real father. Fernand takes advantage of this, tricking Albert into believe that Edmond is trying to murder him and that he stolen Mercedes from him. Edmond tries to explain, but Albert, angry at having been duped by Edmond, refuses to listen. Edmond becomes impatient and urges him to step aside, which Albert refuses to do. Edmond prepares to fight his own son, but Mercedes intervenes just in time to reveal the truth to Albert. When asked by Albert, Fernand doesn’t bother to lie, calling him the “walking proof that his mother was such as a whore in her younger years that she is today”. Then he takes a pistol and points it at Edmond, pushing Albert out of the way. Edmond begs him to stop and says he's willing to let him go out of pity. Fernand thinks for a moment and raises his pistol again. Edmond warns him that the pistol has only one bullet. Nevertheless, Fernand decides to shoot Edmond's most prized possession, Mercedes. But Edmond's servant Jacopo throws a knife at the pistol just as he fires. Fernand then cowardly runs away.
However, as he rides away from the ruins, Fernand realizes he has nowhere to go. He then decides to challenge Edmond in a duel for a last time. Before fighting, he justifies himself by telling him he couldn’t live in a world where Edmond has everything while he has nothing. Fernand pounces on him. Edmond pulls him off his horse by force. They fight bare-handed for a while, then Fernand manages to grab his sword and lightly wounds Edmond. He then chases Edmond, who runs to fetch his sword. Before Fernand can pierce him, Edmond throws a rock at him, giving him time to pick up his sword. They then have a sword fight. After a while, Fernand manages to take his opponent's sword and tries to kill him once and for all. Edmond, however, proves skilful, grabbing his sword again and piercing Fernand, who dies after mockingly begging for mercy.
Armand Dorleac[]
Armand Dorleac is the warden of the Chateau d’If, a prison with a small particularity: the prisoners are innocent. And Edmond is his newest prisoner. The latter claims he is innocent, but Dorleac assures him he knows he is. He then shows to Edmond his cell. Noticing an engraving on the cell wall saying “GOD WILL GIVE ME JUSTICE”, he scoffs as it and explains to Edmond the special treatment he offers to his prisoners: to help them keep track of the time since they are here, he visits them on the anniversary of their imprisonment and “offers” them a torture session just for the fun of it. He then tied Edmond to a chain attached to the ceiling of the cell and had him suspended to administer lashes. Dorleac tries to push Edmond further into despair by claiming that God is never in France. Edmond believes that on the contrary, God is always there. So Dorleac proposes a deal: if God shows up in the cell, he'll stop whipping him. You know what happens next.
The whipping sessions continue during several years. Fortunately for Edmond, He befriends an old prisoner, Faria, and together they dig a tunnel to escape. Unfortunately, Faria is killed in a cave-in. The jailers notice Faria dead and warn Dorleac. He briefly checks the bag they've put the body in and goes to the top of the castle to throw it into the sea. It's not Faria who's in the sack, but Edmond, who grabs Dorleac's keys just before he's thrown, dragging him down with him. Dorleac survives the fall. Surprised, he tries to climb the cliff, but is quickly caught by Edmond, who has freed himself from the bag. Dorleac swims away from Edmond, but is once again caught and drowned.
Mitigating factor[]
For Dorleac, absolutely none. Although he promises Edmond to stop whipping him if God shows up, it's just a sadistic joke given the context.
For Fernand, he used to be a friend of Edmond before, but willingly discarded the friendship because he couldn’t stand Edmond having more in his life than him and he wanted Mercedes for himself. Needless to add his love for Mercedes is a complete joke, having no problem about constantly cheating on her, and he refers to Albert, who he considered as his son before the reveal, as a disappointment.
Heinousness[]
Okay, this section is a little more complicated.
Beside Fernand and Dorleac, other villains don’t really pass the general standard. We have Villefort who imprisoned Edmond despite knowing he was fooled and has Edmond murder his own father. There is also Danglars who conspired with Fernand to find something incriminating against Edmond, but that’s it.
For starters, if we just take into consideration deeds, Fernand has not the biggest rap sheet ever. His crimes are limited to two murders, another attempted, and a betrayal. So what makes him special, you might say? The keyword here is “personal villainy”. Fernand is not the worst, but his villainy is as personal as possible. First, he betrays Edmond and arranges for him to be send in a hellish prison just out of envy. Second, he marries Mercedes and cheats on her left and right, even murdering a man whose wife had sex with Fernand and mocking both after. Third, knowing Albert is the son of Edmond, he tricks him in a duel of death against his father while the boy is unaware of the truth. Last but not least, as a final act of spite, he tries to murder Mercedes because he knows she is what Edmond loves the most. I think that pushes him slightly over the standard.
Now, about Dorleac, one could see an issue about the fact it is not stated how many abused prisoners he has. In fact, the only person he abuses in the movie is Edmond. However, it is strongly implied Edmond is not Dorleac’s only victim. As you may have read on the “Who are they/what they have done” section, there is another prisoner named Faria in the Chateau d’If. Then there is proof there was another prisoner in Edmond’s cell because of the engraving and one can tell given what he engraved that his time in his cell was not really happy. Finally, in his conversation with Edmond in the first scene, he talks about his prisoners, describing their methods of remembering the number of days spent in detention and their futile prayers to God to get them out. He's not just referring to Edmond. Not to mention that visiting Edmond to whip him the day of the anniversary of his incarceration just for giggles is a bit above a typical evil warden.
Final verdict[]
For Fernand, I’m a weak but firm yes.
For Dorleac, I leave him to you guys though I lean yes personally.