The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Jim Caviezel: Edmond
Photos
Quotes
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Edmond : Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you: as Albert Mondego, the man!
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Edmond : There are 72,519 stones in my walls. I've counted them many times.
Abbe Faria : But have you named them yet?
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Abbe Faria : When I told them I had no idea where Count Spada hid his treasure, I lied.
Edmond : You lied?
Abbe Faria : I'm a priest, not a saint.
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Abbe Faria : Here is your final lesson - do not commit the crime for which you now serve the sentence. God said, "Vengeance is mine."
Edmond Dantes : I don't believe in God.
Abbe Faria : It doesn't matter. He believes in you.
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Fernand : What happened to your mercy?
Edmond Dantes : I'm a count, not a saint.
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Edmond : Monseuir, I know you must hear this a great deal; I assure you I am innocent. Everyone must say that, I know, but I truly am.
Dorleac : Innocent?
Edmond : Yes.
Dorleac : I know. I really do know.
Edmond : You mock me?
Dorleac : No, my dear Dantes. I know perfectly well that you are innocent. Why else would you be here? If you were truly guilty, there are a hundred prisons in France where they would lock you away. But Chateau d'If is where is they put the ones they're ashamed of.
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Dorleac : And if you're thinking just now 'Why me, oh God?' the answer is: God has nothing to do with it. In fact, God is never in France this time of year.
Edmond : God has everything to do with it. He's everywhere. He sees everything.
Dorleac : Alright. Let's make a bargain, shall we? You ask God for help and I'll stop the moment he shows up.
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Edmond : If you ever loved me, don't rob me of my hate. It's all I have.
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Luigi : So, mi amici, I would ask who you are, but in view of your shredded clothes and the fact that the Chateau d'If is two miles away... what's the point? As for me, I am Luigi Vampa, a smuggler and a thief. My men and I have come to this island to bury alive one of our number who attempted to keep some stolen gold for himself instead of sharing it with his comrades. Interestingly enough, there are some of his more loyal friends who are insisting that I grant him mercy. Which, of course, I cannot do, or I would quickly lose control of the whole crew. That is why you are such a fortunate find.
Edmond : Why is that?
Luigi : You provide me with a way to show a little mercy to Jacopo - that maggot you see tied up over there - while at the same time not appearing weak. And as a bonus, the lads will get to see a little sport as well.
Edmond : How do I accomplish all this?
Luigi : We watch you and Jacopo fight to the death. If Jacopo wins, we welcome him back to the crew. If you win, I have given Jacopo the chance to live, even if he did not take advantage of it, and you can take his place on the boat.
Edmond : What if I win and I don't want to be a smuggler?
Luigi : Then we slit your throat, and we're a bit shorthanded.
[pause]
Edmond : [smiles after consideration] I find that smuggling is the life for me, and would be delighted to kill your friend the maggot!
Luigi : Oh, and by the way, Jacopo is the best knife fighter I have ever seen.
Edmond : [unmoved, sarcastically] Perhaps you should get out more...
Luigi : [laughs, shouts to his crew] Release Jacopo, and give him back his knife. And we'll let the games begin...
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Mercedes : You would have to be a mother to truly appreciate the service you have done for my son and me. Monsieur, I will never forget you.
Count of Monte Cristo : Please, madame, It was nothing; and I am sure in within a month you will not even remember my name
[to Fernand Mondego]
Count of Monte Cristo : May I steal your wife?
Fernand : Excuse me?
Count of Monte Cristo : For the waltz?
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Abbe Faria : Define Economics.
Edmond : Economics is a science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of commodities.
Abbe Faria : Translation?
Edmond : Dig first, money later.
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Mercedes : I don't know what dark plan lies within you. Nor do I know by what design we were asked to live without each other these 16 years. But God has offered us a new beginning...
Edmond : God?
Mercedes : Don't slap His hand away.
Edmond : Can I never escape Him?
Mercedes : No, He is in everything. Even in a kiss.
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Fernand : Monte Cristo!
Edmond : King's to you, Fernand.
Fernand : Edmond? How did you...
Edmond : How did I escape? With difficulty. How did I plan this moment? With pleasure!
Fernand : So you've taken Mercedes.
Edmond : And everything else. Except your life.
Fernand : Why are you doing this?
Edmond : [pauses, remembering what Fernand said when he asked why he betrayed him] It's complicated. Let's just say it's vengeance for the life that you stole from me.
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Abbe Faria : In return for your help, I offer something priceless.
Edmond : My freedom?
Abbe Faria : No, freedom can be taken away, as you well know. I offer knowledge, everything I have learned. I will teach you, oh, economics, mathematics, philosophy, science.
Edmond : To read and write?
Abbe Faria : Of course.
Edmond : When do we start?
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Albert Mondego : May I ask who you are, sir?
Count of Monte Cristo : For the present, your friend. Tomorrow, your host. For the short time formality stands between us, the Count of Monte Cristo.
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J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : Mondego's the one who pulled the trigger! He'd never confess in a million years!
Count of Monte Cristo : You're right, he wouldn't... but you just have.
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Abbe Faria : The slot opens twice a day. Once in the morning for your toilet bucket, which is where we hide the dirt. And once more in the evening for your plate. Between those times, we can work all day without fear of discovery.
Edmond : So neglect becomes our ally.
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Edmond Dantes : God is no more real than your treasure, Priest.
Abbe Faria : Perhaps...
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Edmond : If you ever presume to interfere in my affairs again, I will, I promise you, finish the job I started the day we met! Do you understand?
Jacopo : I understand you are mad.
Edmond : Mad? My enemies are falling into my traps perfectly!
Jacopo : Mad, your grace, for ignoring this: you have a fortune, a beautiful woman who loves you. Take the money, take the woman, and live your life! Stop this plan, take what you have won!
Edmond : I can't.
Jacopo : Why not?... I'm still your man, Zatarra. I swore an oath I will protect you. Even if it means I must protect you from yourself. I'll drive you home now.
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Edmond : [explaining why he doesn't want to kill his betrayers] Death is too good for them. They must suffer as I suffered. They must see their world, all they hold dear, ripped from them as it was ripped from me.
Jacopo : You will need a better name than Zatarra if you are to accomplish that.
Edmond : [throwing Abbe's map into the fire] Then I shall become a Count.
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Danglar : [while he is about to be hanged by Monte Cristo from a ship's plank, holding onto Cristo's coat] Who are you?
Edmond : I'm the Count of Monte Cristo...
[beat]
Edmond : But my friends call me Edmond Dantes!
Danglar : [in full realisation] Dantes...
Edmond : [Edmond knocks away Danglar's hands, hanging him, walks away calmly and speaks to the chief Gendarme] Cut him down before he can't talk...
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Count of Monte Cristo : This Edmond, you loved him?
Mercedes : Yes.
Count of Monte Cristo : For how long?
Mercedes : For all of my life.
Count of Monte Cristo : And how long after he died before you married the Count?
Mercedes : That isn't fair.
Count of Monte Cristo : We've reached your home, Countess.
Mercedes : [getting out of the carriage] You're right. You cannot be my Edmond.
Count of Monte Cristo : Well, there you are. You said it yourself. Edmond Dantes is dead. Good night.
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Abbe Faria : Strange that a chief magistrate would burn evidence of a treasonous conspiracy, and then imprison the only man who was aware of monsieur Clarion's connection to that conspiracy.
Edmond : He was protecting someone.
Abbe Faria : Ah. A dear friend, perhaps?
Edmond : No. No. A politician like Villefort would have rid himself of such friends. Clarion could be a relative. A close relative, possibly...
[as realization dawns on him, he overturns a table in anger]
Edmond : No! Villefort's father was a colonel in Napoleon's army. Villefort wasn't protecting Clarion. He was protecting himself. Danglars, who falsely said he saw Napoleon give me that letter. Mondego, who told Villefort I had it. And Villefort himself, who sent me here.
Abbe Faria : [clapping] Bravo, Edmond. Bravo.
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Edmond : Señor Vampa, allow Jacopo to live. He's already suffered enough with the prospect of being buried alive. The men that wanted to see some sport have seen it. Those who wanted mercy for Jacopo will get it. And by keeping me and Jacopo, you will have yet another skilled sailor and fighter for your crew.
Luigi : [considering] It's a deal.
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J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : I don't see how any of this has anything to do with our business relationship!
Count of Monte Cristo : [calmly] I'm about to tell you.
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Edmond : [leaving Luigi in Marseilles] Some day, I may come to find you. A man is always in need of a good friend.
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Count of Monte Cristo : [after staging Albert's abduction and rescue] Well done, gentlemen.
Luigi : [catching a pouch of gold] Many thanks, Your Grace.
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Edmond : [visiting the Chateau d'If] You were right, Priest. You were right. This I promise you... and God: all that was used for vengeance will now be used for good. So rest in peace, my friend.
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Abbe Faria : 2,500 cubic centimeters of rock and dust a day for 365 days.
Edmond : Equals three-and-a-half meters a year, 12 feet, a foot a month.
[grunts]
Edmond : Three inches a week.
Abbe Faria : In Italian.
[whip cracking]
Edmond : Ancora tre metri e un mezzo.
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Count of Monte Cristo : His finances?
Jacopo : He's losing money at the other casinos. They're not even cheating him.
Count of Monte Cristo : And have you looked into his shipping?
Jacopo : He got a bank loan for his own boat several years ago. Doesn't use Danglars.
Count of Monte Cristo : Make sure we own that bank by tomorrow. Tell the other shipping companies to stay away from Mondego. I want to give him no choice but to crawl back to Danglars. Now, tell the dealers... take it all.
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Morell : So, monsieur Zatarra, you were a friend of Edmond?
Edmond : Monsieur Morell?
Morell : Yes?
[Edmond brushes his hair out of his face; after a moment, he sees Morell doesn't recognize him]
Edmond : You knew... Edmond, also?
Morell : Like a son.
Edmond : I was hoping you could tell me where to find his family.
Morell : Unfortunately, his father hanged himself after learning of Edmond's treason.
Edmond : I see. And... this... treason you speak of... who accused him?
Morell : Who knows? Monsieur Villefort, the man who had Edmond arrested, left for Paris soon after to take up the post of Chief Prosecutor. Of course, the shock of his father's violent murder may also have spurred his departure. They were strange times.
Edmond : You seem to have fallen on difficult times yourself, sir.
Morell : After Edmond's death, I reluctantly took on a partner. One of my captains. And then one day, Danglars forced me out. My fate is nothing compared to Edmond's.
Edmond : Perhaps your luck is about to change.
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Edmond : I shall seek out Edmond's fiancée.
Morell : You mean the Countess Mondego?
Edmond : Countess?
Morell : Yes. A month after poor Edmond was arrested, Mercedes wed his best friend.
Edmond : Fernand.
Morell : Yes, that's right. And with the death of his father and brother in the war, Fernand became Count Mondego. They live in Paris now. Count and Countess Mondego.
[seeing his face]
Morell : Are you all right?
Edmond : Yes. I must go.
Morell : I'm sorry I was not more helpful.
Edmond : Oh, no. You've told me what I needed to know.
[setting a pouch of gold on the table]
Edmond : Edmond Dantes is dead.
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Count of Monte Cristo : Your father was a loyal supporter of Napoleon, wasn't he? Possibly involved in plotting Napoleon's escape from Elba.
Colonel Villefort, aka: Clarion : [flashback] The emperor arrives soon!
Count of Monte Cristo : An inconvenient parent for an ambitious civil servant like yourself. But then he died suddenly, and opportunely murdered, again some sixteen years ago.
Colonel Villefort, aka: Clarion : [flashback] The emperor Napoleon.
[he's shot in the back]
Count of Monte Cristo : The murderer never apprehended. How hard did you look for them?
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : You have no proof, no witnesses. You just have theories. J-Just conjectures.
Count of Monte Cristo : On the contrary. I have Count Mondego.
Colonel Villefort, aka: Clarion : [flashback; Fernand reveals himself] Young Mondego. Why?
Fernand : Because your son lacked the courage.
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Gendarmes Captain : [in the prison carriage, Villefort finds a pistol on the seat] A courtesy for a gentleman.
[glancing through the bars, Villefort sees Dantes outside; he puts the gun in his mouth, but the hammer falls on an empty chamber]
Count of Monte Cristo : You didn't think I'd make it that easy, did you?
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Mercedes : Just a few answers from you, and I shall be gone forever.
Count of Monte Cristo : Ask your questions.
Mercedes : Where have you been?
Count of Monte Cristo : Thirteen years in the Chateau d'If, and everywhere else you can imagine.
Mercedes : The Chateau d'If for thirteen years. Did you suffer?
Count of Monte Cristo : [scoffing] Are you finished now? I have a good deal on my mind.
Mercedes : What happened afterward?
Count of Monte Cristo : Much.
Mercedes : Why did you not come to me?
Count of Monte Cristo : Why did you not wait? You married the very man who betrayed...
Mercedes : [showing him the ring of string on her finger] I told you that night on the rocks, remember? That it would never leave my finger. And it never has.
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Edmond : King's to you, Mondego. Being your friend is always an adventure.
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Edmond : How did you come to be here?
Abbe Faria : The following day I deserted, to devote my life to repentance and to God. I worked as a private secretary to the enormously wealthy Count Enrique Spada. Spada was a righteous man. Sadly, a couple of years later, he died, amidst rumors that he had hidden his limitless fortune. Two weeks later, I was arrested.
Edmond : Why?
Abbe Faria : Napoleon wanted Spada's treasure. He did not believe that I had no idea where it was. So he had me thrown in here to refresh my memory. And so here I've remained with only God for company, until He sent me you.
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Abbe Faria : You once told me that Villefort had you re-arrested just after he had cleared you of all the charges.
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : [flashback] You may go.
Edmond : Yes, that's true.
Abbe Faria : Then why would he go through that charade unless he had reason to change his mind about letting you go? Think, Edmond.
Edmond : I'm trying.
Abbe Faria : What happened?
Edmond : He asked me...
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : [flashback] Did Napoleon tell you who was supposed to pick up this letter?
Edmond : I told him...
[flashback]
Edmond : A monsieur Clarion.
Abbe Faria : And nothing more?
Edmond : Nothing. He burnt the letter and said I could go.
Abbe Faria : Ah. He burned... the letter.
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Albert Mondego : How did you come to know of my kidnapping?
Count of Monte Cristo : I have many connections, some of which are less than reputable. I pay well to be informed of anything of note in any city in which I stay. And the kidnapping of a Count's son is of note.
Albert Mondego : But why risk your life rescuing me?
Count of Monte Cristo : The son of a fellow noble. It was the least I could do. Judging by your character, I'm sure you would have done the same.
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Count of Monte Cristo : I thought we had finished our conversation in the carriage.
Mercedes : So did I. Until I realized... you said the name "Dantes." A name that I had never mentioned.
Count of Monte Cristo : What do you want of me?
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Old Man Dantes : [Making a toast] May this moment be the dawn of a new and wonderful life for you both...
Gendarmes Captain : [after smashing open the door] Which one of you is Edmond Dantes?
Edmond : I am.
Gendarmes Captain : Edmond Dantes, you are under arrest by order of the chief magistrate of Marseille.
Old Man Dantes : Arrest?
Edmond : On what charges?
Gendarmes Captain : That information is privilaged
[gestures to his men]
Gendarmes Captain : Take him!
Edmond : [Struggling with guards] I demand an explanation! I demand an explanation!
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Edmond : So you were in Napoleon's army.
Abbe Faria : We had such dreams then. However, one night... my regiment ran down a band of guerillas, who ran into a church for sanctuary. I was ordered to burn down the church with them inside it.
Edmond : Did you?
Abbe Faria : To my everlasting shame, I did.
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Jacopo : Did you fall off the bed?
Count of Monte Cristo : After thirteen years of sleeping on a stone slab, I can't.
Jacopo : [seeing the scars on his back] Mi Maria. Does that hurt?
Count of Monte Cristo : Did you come here for a reason?
Jacopo : Mondego has a son.
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Jacopo : [discussing Albert] He's out in the waiting room. He showed courage in the tunnels.
Count of Monte Cristo : He's a means to an end.
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Count of Monte Cristo : [dancing with Mercedes] What's the matter?
Mercedes : Uh, nothing. You just remind me of someone from long ago. Someone who was very dear to me.
Count of Monte Cristo : I'm flattered. What happened to him?
Mercedes : He died.
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Edmond Dantes : [arriving on Elba] For a moment I thought you were abandoning me.
Fernand : Fernand Mondego does not abandon his friends in the face of stupid, suicidal danger. However, as monsieur Morell's official representative on this voyage, Edmond, I must officially tell you you have overstepped your bounds as second mate. Officially. There. I've covered myself.
Edmond Dantes : If we don't get him to a doctor, he will die. Do you understand?
Fernand : Of course I understand. Just don't expect me to do this sober.
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Napoleon : I'm moved by your efforts to save your captain's life, Dantes.
Edmond : He was my captain, and my friend, Your Majesty.
Napoleon : Loyal friends are rare indeed. In fact, it is upon such a matter I wish to speak. I have written a rather sentimental letter to an old comrade in Marseilles. It's a side of me I prefer the British not see. Since they have a habit of opening my mail, I wonder if you would deliver it for me.
Edmond : Oh, I-I don't...
Napoleon : It's just a letter from one old soldier to another. It's totally innocent, I assure you. But more important, it is the price I demand for the use of my physician.
Edmond : Then I agree.
Napoleon : Good. You are deliver the letter to Monsieur Clarion. Can you remember that name?
Edmond : Monsieur Clarion. How will I find him?
Napoleon : Oh, he will find you.
[handing the letter over]
Napoleon : Now, I do not wish this letter's existence to be known to anyone else. Not even your boon companion back there. Do you understand?
Edmond : I'm a man of my word, Your Majesty.
Napoleon : Yes, I, uh... I believe you are.
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J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : Well, I must say, Dantes, you don't have the look of a traitor.
Edmond Dantes : Traitor?
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : Now, attend me well, Dantes, for your life may depend on it. Did you have any personal contact with Napoleon when you were on Elba?
Edmond Dantes : Elba. Yes, I did. Well, we did. I was with the Count Mondego's son, Fernand, almost the entire time. Do you know Fernand?
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : He's a recent acquaintance, yes.
Edmond Dantes : Oh, there you are. He'll vouch for me.
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : No doubt, but you said "almost the entire time."
Edmond Dantes : Except for when Napoleon asked me to deliver a personal letter to a friend in Marseilles.
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : Well, Dantes, it is for accepting that treasonous correspondence that you have been denounced by your own first mate, a monsieur Danglars.
Edmond Dantes : What?
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J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : Now, did you deliver the letter?
Edmond : No, sir. Someone was supposed to find me. It's... it's still in my jacket. Here.
[a guard takes it and gives it to Villefort]
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : [opening it and reading the contents] Have you read this?
Edmond : No, sir, I can't read.
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : Well, Dantes, this is a letter to one of Napoleon's agents. It gives the times and locations of the British beach patrols on Elba.
Edmond : Sir, I swear on my mother's grave, I had no idea. He swore its contents were innocent.
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J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : Did Napoleon tell you who's supposed to pick up the letter?
Edmond : Monsieur Clarion.
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : What... what name did you say?
Edmond : [louder and more clearly] Monsieur Clarion.
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : Have you mentioned this name to anyone else? Monsieur Mondego or anyone?
Edmond : No, sir. In fact, monsieur Mondego knows nothing of this letter.
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : [burning the letter] This is very dangerous information. One can never be too careful in times like this.
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Abbe Faria : I have not seen the sky these eleven years. Thank you. Thank you, God.
Edmond : There is no talk of God in here, Priest.
Abbe Faria : What about the... inscription?
Edmond : It's faded, just as God has faded from my heart.
Abbe Faria : And what has replaced it?
Edmond : Revenge.
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Abbe Faria : Perhaps your thoughts of revenge are serving God's purpose of keeping you alive these seven years.
Edmond Dantes : To what end?
Abbe Faria : Escape.
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Valentina Villefort : My dear Count, allow me to introduce to you my husband, monsieur Villefort, Chief Prosecutor.
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : Very kind of you to think of us.
Count of Monte Cristo : Oh, I am the one honored with your presence. Now, please, enjoy yourselves tonight.
Valentina Villefort : [watching him leave] What do we know about him?
J.F. Villefort, Chief Magistrate : Not enough.
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Edmond : You were a soldier, Priest. So you know weaponry. Teach me. Or dig alone.
Abbe Faria : You force me to walk a fine line, Dantes.
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Edmond : Goodbye priest, you're free now; as I'll never be.
