Pitch

Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) stands as the most popular French author of the 19th century. His two greatest masterpieces, The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, have been translated into every language since their first publication in 1844/45. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of his passing, our film retraces ten years of Alexandre Dumas’s life, from 1842 to 1852.

This period spans from the beginning of his legendary collaboration with Auguste Maquet to his exile in Brussels, from which he would not return until 1853. These ten years are a condensed reflection of the writer’s entire existence—moving from financial struggle to immense wealth, and from global fame to total bankruptcy.

Ten years that encapsulate a life as extravagant and full of twists as those he invented for his heroes. Ten years of creative gluttony and an extraordinary appetite for life. We shall follow him in his wanderings across Europe: from Florence to the island of Montecristo (whose name he would claim for his future novel), from Marseille—the heart of the Musketeers’ world—to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and from Paris to Brussels.

It is a journey through the life and creative process of a man who can be considered history’s very first “showrunner” and the true father of today’s modern series.

Links

Belgica Films

Télérama

• Directoe:

  Arnaud Sainte

• Production:

  Belgica Films (BE), Illégitime Défense (FR), le Centre des Monuments Nationaux (FR)

• Broadaster:

  France Télévisions,

• Animated sequences:

  Squarefish