The Count of Monte-Cristo

Shot in Italy and very obviously designed as a TV special (plenty of small gaps for ads, plus a big gap halfway through), this is an above-average piece of junk. The familiar Dumas material is put over with a touch of style (Greene indulges his usual fondness for fancy compositions and loony camera angles), and the equally familiar cast provide good value as they don fancy outfits and parade their clashing mannerisms (Curtis is especially ludicrous, and ends up with a dashing skunk hairdo). The script comes up with the occasional gem as well: 'I didn't know - we'd moved away,' the heroine explains after learning that Chamberlain's dad starved to death. Not very good, in other words, but there are worse ways of wasting time.