Review of The Sword of Monte Cristo

....set in mid-1800's, post-Revolution France. It boasts beautiful "SuperCineColor" photography (even in the rather faded print I watched), a politically loaded script that's still extremely timely, and, unusually for its time (1951), a woman heroine: a high-society lady who has a second, secret identity: that of a masked vigilante determined to raise a rebellion against the totalitarian state imposed by the emperor's power-crazy half-brother. The heroine's black costume and mask probably made it easy for the filmmakers to double Paula Corday for the more demanding physical stuff; nonetheless, her performance is spirited, and not only does she get to participate in the climactic fight sequence - she gets to run her sword through the second most important villain of the film as well. Pretty impressive. **1/2 out of 4.