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The silent film drama MONTE CRISTO, based upon the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas père, was released in 1922 by the Fox Film Corporation and stars John Gilbert in the lead role of Edmond Dantes. The image features a key scene in which Dantes (John Gilbert), having escaped his 20-year ordeal in a dungeon, finds a treasure on the island of Monte Cristo by using a map given to him by his fellow prisoner, Abbé Faria. A ragged-looking Dantes looks in amazement as he removes strands of jewels and coins from one chest while other chests are seen in the background. It is unrestored in near-fine condition with three pinholes in the center of the top and bottom borders and one pinhole in the lower left portion of the image area near the left border approximately 2.5 in. above the bottom left corner; a light 0.75 in. diagonal crease on the top right corner; a 2 in. horizontal crease in the bottom border next to the right corner; a thin 0.5 in. long mark from a black ballpoint pen in the bottom border to the right of center and a similar 0.25 in. long mark to the left of center; a 3 in. horizontal crease in the bottom border next to the left corner with a 0.75 in. diagonal crease on the corner; and a thin 3 in. long vertical scratch that starts on Gilbert's knee and extends downwards past his foot.
PLEASE NOTE: We believe the lobby cards from the set that we are selling were printed for the film's original 1922 theatrical release, as they do not mention John Gilbert's name on them. We have seen two other similar sets that state either "William Fox Presents John Gilbert in MONTE CRISTO" or "William Fox Presents MONTE CRISTO With John Gilbert" in the credits box on the scene cards. The cards mentioning his name indicate to us that they were printed at a later time after his star was on the rise, which makes the cards that we are offering much more desirable. Monte Cristo; Fox Film Corporation; 1922; dir: Emmett J. Flynn; cast: John Gilbert, Estelle Taylor, Robert McKim, William V. Mong, Virginia Brown Faire, George Siegmann, Spottiswoode Aitken, Ralph Cloniger, Albert Prisco, Al W. Filson, Harry Lonsdale, Francis McDonald, Jack Cosgrove, Maude George, Renée Adorée.
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