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The Three Musketeers (1973)

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23 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
Best Dumas Adaptation is Spectacular Romp..., 30 January 2004
Author: Ben Burgraff (cariart) from Las Vegas, Nevada

THE THREE MUSKETEERS, Richard Lester's comic take of the oft-filmed Dumas adventure story, is not only terrific escapist fare with a brilliant cast, but stands as the most faithful adaptation of the Musketeer saga.

The very length of the novel, with it's many plot twists, had resulted in various truncated adaptations over the years, with MGM's 1948 all-star production the only previous attempt to film more than the first half of the book. Lester, however, backed by producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, and Wolfdieter von Stein, and working from a unrepentantly bawdy script by legendary scribe George MacDonald Fraser, tackled the novel head-on, with extraordinary results.

The novel's hero, young master swordsman D'Artagnan (portrayed by Michael York at his most boyish), is clearly the product of an impoverished Gascon household, unable to read or write, but filled with dreams of heroism in the elite Musketeers, and "fighting frequent duels". Quickly embarrassed by the smoothly villainous Rochefort (Christopher Lee), and ridiculed by the mysterious Milady de Winter, the lad reaches Paris with a broken sword, but his idealism undimmed. With a borrowed sword, he then blunders into a series of challenges from the three title characters, emotionally scarred alcoholic Athos (Oliver Reed), comic buffoon Porthos (Frank Finlay), and dandified ladies' man/priest wannabe Aramis (Richard Chamberlain). When the Cardinal's Guard attempts to arrest the four as Athos and D'Artagnan begin their duel, the Gascon displays such extraordinary skill with a sword that he is happily welcomed into the band of rogues, who help him procure a servant (the wonderfully comic Roy Kinnear) and lodgings at the home of an old reprobate (Spike Milligan) and his beautiful, if klutzy young wife (Raquel Welch, in her finest comic role), who the boy immediately lusts after. The four friends then embark on a series of hilarious, swashbuckling escapades.

Meanwhile, intrigue runs rampant in the Court; the Queen (Geraldine Chaplin) carries on a clandestine affair with the British Prime Minister, the Duke of Buckingham (Simon Ward), under the oblivious eye of her husband, Louis XIII (Jean-Pierre Cassel), while evil Cardinal Richelieu (Charlton Heston, who is marvelous, 'against type') plots to publicly embarrass her, and reveal her involvement, thus provoking a war with England, and the elimination of France's Protestant faction. The object of betrayal is a multi-jeweled necklace, a gift from Louis, given by the Queen to Buckingham, with two jewels stolen during a tryst by the Cardinal's agent, Milady de Winter. The task of recovering of the necklace, and replacing the missing jewels, is given to D'Artagnan and his Musketeer allies, who 'sacrifice' themselves to help the Gascon reach England.

Climaxing in a wild free-for-all at a Royal Ball, love triumphs, Richelieu is temporarily thwarted, Milady swears revenge against D'Artagnan, and he becomes a full-fledged Musketeer, joining his love and three recovered friends to celebrate.

This constitutes only the FIRST half of the novel and movie, and the filmmakers decided to end the picture at this point, releasing a sequel, THE FOUR MUSKETEERS, a year later, which would cover the darker remainder of the story. While it was a wise decision, no one had informed the cast that they were, in fact, making two movies, and not one, at the time of filming, and the stars quickly filed suit against the Salkinds. After a brief but highly publicized court case, the cast were compensated, and the second, equally enjoyable MUSKETEER film was released.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (and it's sequel, THE FOUR MUSKETEERS) were triumphs for Lester, the Salkinds, and the matchless ensemble of actors. The films have achieved legendary status, over the years, and taken together, stand, today, as one of the finest comic adventures ever made.

If your experience of the tale is only the more recent Disney version, do yourself a favor, and catch the Lester films. You won't be disappointed!

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22 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
"My father told me to fight duels.", 11 April 2003
Author: grendelkhan from Xanadu

This film (and its companion piece The Four Musketeers) is the finest adaptation of the Dumas classic. It perfectly captures the blend of romance, adventure, and comedy inherent in the novel. There is some modification for modern viewers, but the spirit and attitude of the era is preserved.

Michael York gives one of his best performances as the young, naive D'Artagnan. He appears to be a bit of a bumbling idiot at first; but, one soon learns that a keen brain lies behind that bumbling exterior. This portrayal was criticized by another filmmaker, who adapted another of Dumas' tales. Judging by how far that director strayed from Dumas, it's understandable how he missed noting that Dumas portrayed D'Artagnan in the same manner at the beginning of the novel. D'Artagnan grows with his experiences and becomes a leader of men by the end of the novel; one who has confounded Cardinal Richelieu at every turn and preserved the honor of his Queen and country.

Oliver Reed was perfectly cast as Athos, the melancholy drunkard. Athos is a man who has endured great pain and betrayal in his life and finds his only pleasure in drinking and brawling. He is the wise counsel to the young D'Artagnan, and the mysterious side to the Musketeer triangle.

Frank Finlay, a wonderful character actor, brings a wonderful, arrogant bluster to Porthos; a gentleman, a braggart, and a fool. Finlay also has a nice turn as the jeweler O'Reilly, showcasing his versatility.

Richard Chamberlain is Aramis, the future priest and great lover. Aramis gives an air of spiritual devotion, while romancing his mistresses. Like many clergy of the upper classes, he sees no conflict in these attitudes, or his profession as a soldier. Chamberlain brings great subtlety to Aramis. His part is not as big as the other two, but he says much with body language and attitude. He more than holds his own with the stage-trained Brits.

Charlton Heston brings a deep menace to Richelieu, quite the opposite of his previous heroes. He shows the devious nature of the Cardinal, and the intelligence of a man who knows he has lost, but will have other battles down the line.

Faye Dunaway is the beautiful and vicious Milady. She is the deadliest of D'Artagnan's adversaries; she charms with her beauty and grace, as she prepares her dagger unseen.

Christopher Lee is D'Artagnan's rival, Rochefort. Lee is always good, even when the film isn't. Luckily, this film is up to his abilities. His cool demeanor is backed by a strong sword arm.

The cast is rounded out by fine character performances from Roy Kinnear as Planchet, Jean-Pierre Cassel as King Louis XIII, Geraldine Chaplain as Anne of Austria, and Spike Milligan as M. Bonacieux. Raquel Welch gives a surprisingly deft turn in the comic role of Constance.

There is plenty of action, romance, drama, and fun for fans of each. The sum of those parts results in a classic that outshines all other attempts at Dumas. It is a swashbuckler to rival any Errol Flynn movie, a romance equal to a Merchant-Ivory production, and a comedy to rival Monty Python.

Forget Gene Kelly, the Ritz Brothers, and Charlie Sheen and company. These are the true Musketeers.

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18 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
The best Three Musketeers ever., 3 November 2004

Author: mvario from Mineola, NY

This film, and its sequel (filmed concurrently) is by far the best movie version of the Dumas novel ever produced. The cast is excellent. The sets and costumes are marvelous. The swordplay (and there is much) is possible some of the most realistic ever filmed. And it's the only Musketeer movie I am aware of in which the Musketeers actually use muskets. Authenticity seems to have been very important to the producers, as well as staying true to the novel.

Sadly a film like this wouldn't be made these days. First off the fighting would be "punched-up" with a lot of wire work. And of course Hollywood would change the story to eliminate much of the "sleeping around" characters do (today's movie heroes in this type of movie aren't usually sexually active). They would also provide some creative story editing so that a certain character who dies in the novel would survive so as to supply the requisite happy ending. Fortunately for us this version does not suffer that kind of revisionism.

If you're a fan of Dumas or just looking for a fun film with lots of realistic sword fighting then you won't want to miss this.

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12 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
The Best version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS... EVER!!!!, 8 November 2003

Author: radiopal from United States

Alexandre Dumas would more than likely applaud this particular version of his fantastic novel. I remember when I was a kid and first saw the movie in the theater... I was stunned at the cinematography (yeah, a film buff even at 12). After leaving the theater, I went to a nearby bookstore and bought my first copy of the novel. Wow, how impressed was I when I realized that Richard Lester and George MacDonald Fraser stuck to the concept of the novel. The novel, incase you haven't read it, is funny and fun. The first half of the book... kept me at edge of my seat. When I recently re-read the novel, my wife would tell me that I would wake her up sword fighting in my sleep. Anyway, back to the movie. Michael York as D'Artagnan was fabulous. He embodied the dweeb that we all now and love as the future Commander of the King's Musketeers. Oliver Reed gave the best performance of his life as Athos. Richard Chamberlain as Aramis... the Musketeer who wants to be a priest was entertaining, and a delight. And Frank Finley as Porthos (and later came to realize that he was also O'Reilly... Buckingham's jeweler) was tremendous. Richard Lester should have been nominated for an Academy award for his direction of this masterpiece, numerous members of the cast (including Christopher Lee as Compte Rochefort, Charlton Heston as Cardinal Richelieu, Raquel Welch as Constance Bonaciuex, Spike Milligan as Monsieur Bonacieux, Roy Kinnear as Planchet, Simon Ward as the Duke of Buckingham, Faye Dunaway as Milady de Winter, and of course Jean-Pierre Cassel as Louis XIII) should have been nominated for some kind of award. The casts portrayals were direct from the Dumas novel. The sword play in the movie is the best that I have ever seen in a movie. There is none better, with the possible exception of the Four Musketeers... the rest of the novel.

If you have never seen the movie... go and get it. Watch it. Wait for it on TCM or FCM and tape it. Once you see it, you'll want to add it to your collection... or check out e-bay if your local stores don't carry it. I bought mine on e-bay and watch it at least 3 times a year. :D

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13 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
The best of breed, 16 May 2004

Author: anagary

The Three Musketeers has been filmed again and again. This is the best of breed. In fact, it tried to be so faithful to the book that they had to split it into two films. This is the first part. The second is titled The Four Musketeers. This required all kinds of negotiations with everyone involved because they had originally signed up to do one film.

The action is fast. Long rides on horseback. Lots of sword fights, but, instead of the old Hollywood fencing with crossed swords, this film makes sword fighting look like the brutal game it was where boldness and quickness often surpassed skill. The director included a strong mix of comedy in the action. This film maintains that comedic side. The second necessarily turns darker of necessity. A great cast, great photography. It's rollicking good fun to watch.

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10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Still the best filmed version by a long way, 8 May 2003
Author: ellis_suzie from London, UK

I have loved this film (or rather, these films!) since I first saw them as a child in the early eighties. At that point I hadn't read the novels, but, unusually, I think no less of the films now that I have. In their broad, slapstick style of humour, they perhaps reflect the times in which they were made, rather than Dumas, but there is no lack of the original's tragedy in the scenes of Athos' past and D'Artagnan's disillusion. George Macdonald Fraser's script is as fine as you'd expect of the writer of the 'Flashman' novels and the choreography of the fight scenes has been justly praised. The foils were apparently as heavy as their Seventeenth Century counterparts and the actors' agony was increased by filming in the hot Spanish sun....

When I watched these films again a few weeks ago I was also struck by the beautiful cinematography, with the scene in the snow and the climactic fight in the convent particularly well-framed. For me, this is as near-perfect an adaptation of the adventure novel as is possible, combining romance, humour, tragedy and action with wonderful production values and a terrific script. Few other films, and no other version of the 'Musketeers', reaches this standard. Messieurs York, Reed, Finlay, Chamberlain, Heston, Ward, Lee, Milligan and Kinnear, plus Mmes Dunaway, Chaplain and Welch will forever be associated with their characters for me. Brilliant stuff!

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10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Like wine, gets better with age, 11 November 2004

Author: Pamsanalyst from New Jersey

Watching this and its 'sequel' only confirms the tragedy of Oliver Reed's flirtation with the bottle, and he is just one of the wonderful cast. What is especially impressive to me is that with so much scenery available to be chewed, none of the cost set their teeth to it but act in as an ensemble.

This and "Four" represent a Victorian telling of the tale in a theater: dauntless heroes, villains that can be freely hissed and heroines worth taking up the sword to defend, and by the time Lady deWinter has strangled Constance at the end of the second part and is sent to her death, and Rochefort is vanquised, the heroes appear on stage again in the wonderful coda.

Lester creates a dirty, brawling world complete with cows, sheep, pigs and men with dirt and filth on their clothes. The dandies are on the side of wrong; those who sprawl in the mud are the good guys. Yes, it bears similarity to Hard Days Night, but Lester was more than that, as anyone who has seen Petulia will agree.

George Macdonald Fraser, who wrote the script, also created the Flashman books. In the same years as the Musketeers, there was also Royal Flash, a film I have not seen in ages.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Quintessential Lester., 24 September 1999

Author: Hermit C-2 from Marietta, GA, USA

Richard Lester has to be one of the greatest directors of comedy there ever was. There are dozens of slapstick gags and situations in this movie and almost 100% of them work. And what an opulent setting they are placed in! Lester and his cohorts have created a film in which almost every frame resembles a museum painting come to life (and gone berserk.)

Lester is better with style than relating a narrative. I found it impossible to completely comprehend the story line here, and I think if you asked most people what the movie was about, they'd tell you there was a lot of swashbuckling and general mayhem and lunacy, but I doubt they'd give you much of Dumas' story. When the style is this good, however, a little fuzziness on the substance is not a fatal flaw. Still, it might keep this picture from being an all-time classic rather than "just" a most enjoyable film.

Lester is such an auteur that his direction is the main focus of this film even with such an all-star cast. It was a wise decision (actually it seems like a no-brainer) to divide what was originally shot at one time into two films, this one and 'The Four Musketeers.' There really can be too much of a good thing, and even at under two hours, 'The Three Musketeers' threatens to be overwhelming. But on balance this film is great entertainment.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Genius Lester brings out the book's true comedic nature., 25 October 2003

Author: nutsy from Olympia, Washington

Director Richard Lester hit it right on the nose! Dumas's book THE THREE MUSKETEERS is generally regarded as a kind of classic adventure, but it's more than that. Throughout all the romance and swordplay, it is humor, not adventure, that prevails. D'artagnan is even introduced as "Don Quixote at eighteen", which is clear indication of humorous intent. Lester's pop-comedies like THE KNACK and A HARD DAY'S NIGHT made him perfect for directing this film. George MacDonald Fraser's screenplay for THE THREE MUSKETEERS preserves the original dialogue with all its humor and adventure to the letter (even though this is only half the book). This gave Lester free reign to fill the picture with physical comedy and sight gags, particularly in the swordfights. The heights of such humor show in a scene where the musketeers fake a duel in order it steal food. Michael York excels in the role of D'artagnan using sword skills picked up while making ROMEO AND JULIET. The late/great Oliver Reed is a suitably drunken, overpowering Athos. Another highpoint is the film's villain. Charlton Heston's restrained performance brings the puppet-master Cardinal Richelieu to life (and far better than Tim Curry did in 1993). He can break a man with a word and we believe it. Raquel Welch brings her usual talents to the role of Constance. Perhaps the most important of all is Bonnie herself, Faye Dunaway, as the Countess DeWinter. Dunaway brings to life all the character's cold allure that appeared as good on the screen as it did on the page. The action is well choreographed and satisfies, and the humor is good. This combines with "sequel" THE FOUR MUSKETEERS, with the same cast and director, to form the perfect film version of a wonderful novel. If nothing else, it at least beats the Disney version into the morgue. Not To Be Missed!

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8 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
It's all about that catfight between Welch and Dunaway..., 22 April 2002

Author: moonspinner55 from redlands, ca

The Dumas classic, done Richard Lester's way. The swashbuckling swordplay is inventive and ingenious, and sure, the three Musketeers (with Michael York as their newcomer) are engaging and rowdy and sweet, but the star of the picture is a consistently amusing and appealing Raquel Welch as clumsy handmaiden Constance. And Welch's catfight with decadently cool Faye Dunaway as evil Lady de Winter is enough to entice any true movie-lover (especially one born in the 1960's). What a treat to see these two sex symbols share the screen, and in a really fine picture too! Welch got a Golden Globe for her acting triumph, and should've definitely received a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination (she's just as good in the second-half of the picture, released separately as "The Four Musketeers"). The film isn't seamless and has fuzzy photography, but the ensemble is perfection and director Richard Lester isn't just biding his time here--his heart is in this too. *** from ****

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