The Four Musketeers (1974)

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

George MacDonald Fraser (screenplay)
Alexandre Dumas père (novel)

Release Date:

26 February 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | History | Romance

Tagline:

One for all and all for one! (And every man for himself.)

Plot:

The Four Musketeers defend the queen and her dressmaker from Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter.

Plot Keywords:

D'artagnan | Queen | Cardinal | Musketeer | Love

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Oliver Reed	...	Athos
Raquel Welch	...	Constance de Bonancieux
Richard Chamberlain	...	Aramis
Michael York	...	D'Artagnan
Frank Finlay	...	Porthos
Christopher Lee	...	Rochefort
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Queen Anne of Austria
Faye Dunaway	...	Milady
Roy Kinnear	...	Planchet
Michael Gothard	...	Felton
Nicole Calfan	...	Maid Kitty
Ángel del Pozo	...	Jussac (as Angel Del Pozo)
Eduardo Fajardo
Simon Ward	...	Duke of Buckingham
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Louis XIII (as Jean Pierre Cassel)
Charlton Heston	...	Cardinal Richelieu
Sybil Danning	...	Eugenie
Gitty Djamal	...	Beatrice
Jack Watson	...	Busigny
Bob Todd	...	Execution Squad Officer
Tom Buchanan	...	Execution Squad Sergeant
Leon Greene	...	Swiss Officer
Lucy Tiller	...	Mother Superior
Norman Chappell	...	Submarine inventor
Richard Adams	...	Tortured thug
Tyrone Cassidy	...	English officer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Briers	...	Louis XIII (voice) (uncredited)
Oliver MacGreevy	...	Headsman (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Lester

Writing credits
George MacDonald Fraser		(screenplay) (as George Macdonald Fraser)
Alexandre Dumas père		(novel) (as Alexandre Dumas)

Produced by
Alexander Salkind	....	producer
Ilya Salkind	....	executive producer
Ilya Salkind	....	producer
Michael Salkind	....	producer
Wolfdieter von Stein	....	associate producer
Pierre Spengler	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
David Watkin

Film Editing by
John Victor-Smith		(as John Victor Smith)

Production Design by
Brian Eatwell

Art Direction by
Leslie Dilley		(as Les Dilley)
Fernando Gonzalez

Costume Design by
Yvonne Blake

Makeup Department
Cristóbal Criado	....	makeup artist: Charlton Heston (as Cristobal Criado)
Susan Germaine	....	hairdresser: Miss Faye Dunaway
Kaye Pownall	....	hairdresser: Miss Raquel Welch
Charlene Roberson	....	makeup artist: Miss Raquel Welch
Carmen Sánchez	....	hairdresser (as Carmen Sanchez)
José Antonio Sánchez	....	makeup artist (as Jose Antonio Sanchez)
José Antonio Sánchez	....	wig maker (as Jose Antonio Sanchez)

Production Management
Francisco Bellot	....	general production manager
Enrique Esteban	....	production supervisor
Pierre Spengler	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Patricio Beltran Aparicio	....	assistant director
Clive Reed	....	first assistant director
Francisco Rodríguez	....	assistant director (as Francisco Rodriguez)
Dusty Symonds	....	assistant director
Alain Walker	....	assistant director

Art Department
Eddie Fowlie	....	property
John Lanzer	....	property buyer
Rafael Ablanque	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
José María Alarcón	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Tom Buchanan	....	boom operator
Don Challis	....	sound editor
Roy Charman	....	sound mixer (as Roy J. Charman)
Gerry Humphreys	....	dubbing mixer
Simon Kaye	....	sound mixer
George Rice	....	boom operator (as George B. Rice)
Don Sharpe	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Eddie Fowlie	....	special effects
Pablo Pérez	....	special effects supervisor (as Pablo Perez)

Visual Effects by
Doug Ferris	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Joaquim Parra	....	stunt arranger

Camera and Electrical Department
Ronald Anscombe	....	camera assistant (as Ronnie Anscombe)
Antonio Colmenar	....	head grip
Enrique de la Jara	....	best boy (as Enrique De La Jara)
Alejandro Diges	....	still photographer
Frank Elliott	....	camera assistant
Peter Ewens	....	camera operator
Francisco Gallardo	....	gaffer
Federico G. Grau	....	still photographer (as Federico Grau)
Luis Peña	....	camera assistant (as Luis Pena)
Vincent Rossell	....	still photographer
Paul Wilson	....	additional photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Manuela Iglesias	....	wardrobe assistant: Miss Raquel Welch
Ron Talsky	....	costume designer: Miss Raquel Welch
Jean Zay	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Peter Boyle	....	assistant editor
Peter Holt	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Aaron Schröder	....	music published under the direction of (as Aaron Schroeder)
Peter Watson	....	music editor

Other crew
Christina Bracht	....	production secretary
Antonio Del Toro	....	production assistant
Quinn Donoghue	....	unit publicist
Norman Enfield	....	publicity assistant
Louis Diaz Gonzalez	....	production assistant
Norma Gorcey	....	production secretary
William Hobbs	....	fight director
Jennie McLean	....	production secretary (as Jennie McClean)
Jean-Philippe Mérand	....	production coordinator (as Jean Philippe Merand)
Juan Jose Molina	....	production assistant
Maria Monreal	....	producers' secretary
John Ornstein	....	production assistant
Armand Rubin	....	world wide representation: for Europex-Paris
Alexander Salkind	....	presenter
Ann Skinner	....	continuity
Mike Hoare	....	sailing coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Este Films
• Film Trust S.A.

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1975) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1977) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Fox Lorber Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Fox Lorber (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Adams Filmi (1975) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV) (1984) (Finland) (TV)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1991) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Berman's and Nathan's  costumes manufactured by
• Camera Effects  main titles
• Cornejo  costumes manufactured by
• Decoraciones Generales  sets built by
• El Patrimonio Nacional De Espana  the producers are grateful to, without whose co-operation the making of this film would not have been possible
• January Music Corporation  music published by
• Mayflower Recording  adr recording (uncredited)
• Mole Richardson  electrical equipment
• Panavision  cameras from
• Twickenham Film Studios  completed and recorded at

Also Known As:

Los cuatro mosqueteros (Spain)
The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (USA)
The Four Musketeers: The Revenge of Milady (UK) (complete title)
The Return of the Three Musketeers (UK) (video title)
The Revenge of Milady
A négy testör (Hungary) [hu]
Czterej muszkieterowie (Poland) [pl]
De fire musketerers hævn (Denmark) [da]
Die vier Halunken der Königin (West Germany) [de]
Die vier Musketiere (West Germany) [de]
Die vier Musketiere - Die Rache der Mylady (West Germany) [de]
Hämndens tecken (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
I ekdikisis tis mylaidis (Greece) [el]
Koston merkki (Finland) [fi]
Les quatre mousquetaires (Canada: French title) [fr]
Milady (Italy) [it]
Neljä muskettisoturia (Finland) (DVD title) [fi]
On l'appelait Milady (France) [fr]

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Spain | Panama

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Estudios Cinematografica Roma S.A., Madrid, Spain

Company:

Este Films

Trivia:

Director Richard Lester was sued by the actors who claimed they were tricked into thinking the film was to be part of The Three Musketeers (1973). They won their case in court, but did not receive as much money as they would have if they were paid separately for both films.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the bedroom fight between D'Artagnan and Milady, in the café scene, when D'Artagnan stands up and accidentally drops a piece of jewelry on the table, Athos grabs D'Artagnan's hand with his right hand while his left hand is holding a pipe in his mouth. In the next scene, Athos is holding his left hand over D'Artagnan's, while his right hand is holding the pipe.

Quotes:

MiLady DeWinter: I have affairs to be settled.
Cardinal Richelieu: I'm not concerned with your affairs.
MiLady DeWinter: I would wish it.
Cardinal Richelieu: I'm not concerned with your wishes, Milady.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#26.34)" (2009)

"By my order, and for the good of the state, the bearer has done what has been done."

Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan are back; or more precisely, are still here; for the second half of the Dumas novel. As I'm sure most fans know, this was meant to be part of the complete Three Musketeers, before the Salkinds split it into two films. This led to much litigation and the creation of the "Salkind clause" in movie contracts.

Spoliers-The film takes up where the first part left off; D'Artagnan and the Musketeers have saved the Queen from embarassment and confounded the evil Cardinal Richelieu. D'Artagnan is now a full fledged Musketeer (although, in the novel, he was still just a guardsman).

Now the Cardinal hatches a new plot to persuade the Duke of Buckingham from joining the protestant Huguenot rebels at the city of La Rochelle. Milady is sent to persuade him to change his mind or kill him. Although Buckingham imprisons her, he underestimates the power of her charms. The Duke meets a tragic end and Milady returns to France to seek her revenge on D'Artagnan.

Meanwhile, D'Artagnan rescues his mistress Constance and places her in safekeeping. He learns the true identity of Milady and the mystery behind Athos' melancholy.

The Musketeers are sent to fight at La Rochelle and uncover the Cardinal's plot to kill Buckingham. Although the other Musketeers care little, D'Artagnan owes a debt to Buckingham and tries to stop the plot.

D'Artagnan pays a terrible price for his efforts, but emerges as a lieutenant of the Musketeers. He has taken his place as the leader of the group, but will find little solace in his promotion.

As with the first film, the performances are spot on. Everything is the same, as it was filmed at the same time. It is best viewed as a whole with the Three Musketeers.