The Three Musketeers (1973)
Rayting:
7.3/
10 15.6K votes
Language: English
Release date: 11 April 1974
A young swordsman comes to Paris and faces villains, romance, adventure and intrigue with three Musketeer friends.
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User Reviews
I must admit that I was a fan of the Disney-fied version of "The Three Musketeers" in my misspent youth. The first time I saw it, I was a wide-eyed 12-year-old who thought that Kiefer Sutherland's Athos was IT as far as the character was concerned - that is, until I stumbled across this version of the much-done movie on cable last year. It was then that I watched Oliver Reed breathe a whole new life into the character of Athos with the help of a magnificent supporting cast. I have to say, I never fell off the couch laughing at the Disney version the way I did during the scene at the inn where Porthos and Aramis are attempting to pull Athos out of the well. Moreover, I never felt as though I understood the characters very well until I watched Lester's interpretation and compared it with the text of Dumas. He could not have chosen a finer cast of actors for his movie - Reed is superb as the quiet, thoughtful leader, Finlay is outlandish as Porthos, Chamberlain brings a flair to Aramis, and York seems completely immersed in D'Artangan. Yet great casting aside, the movie would be nothing if Lester had not incorporated the reality of life at court during the Musketeers' time period - the laziness and sheer excess (dogs as chess pieces on the palace lawn, wine fountains, and palace games). The fight scenes are also to be commended. They are not the overly-choreographed dances of Disney's "The Three Musketeers," but rather have a harsh reality to them. (Reed's fighting style is particularly all-out - he uses his entire body as a weapon.) In short, this movie has completely replaced the Disney version for me - as has its "sequel," "The Four Musketeers" (a must-see if you want to get the whole story and watch Porthos find "a new way to disarm himself").
Fmovies: One of the finest ever screen adaptations of the Dumas Literary source, Its much better than the dreadful versions released beforehand.
Our story starts with the eternally youthful Michael york,as our determined young hero,Leaving the homestead to embark on a trip to Paris to become a kings Musketeer (like his father) Little does he know he gets a lot more Than he Bargined for,when he has an encounter with the titular three Musketeer's.
Who are played by Oliver Reed,as the often drunk Athos,Richard Chamberlain, as the not so saintly Aramis,And Frank Finlay, as the pompous Porthos, York, finds himself lodgings in the foul establishment of Spike Milligain,in an amusing cameo, He becomes romantically involved with the Beautiful yet clumsy constance,(Raquel Welch) who is dress maker to the queen (And wife to Spike Milligain! Unknown to york, he becomes involved in a devious plot to Descredit the queen of France,
This film is one of my favorites timeless upon every viewing, This film and its companion Piece the 4 musketeer's are one and the same, Originally envisioned as one three hour Long epic, the producer's Decided to Release it As two separate films, wise move but it Resulted in the cast bringing the producers to court.
Not only does it have an exceptional cast, It also has some fine Production values. Production was shot on location in Spain, It's grand costume's won the Oscar for best costume design,
Lester's Director of photography David Watkins is here to handle the Lush cinematography shot in lester's usual and effective 1.66.1 aspect Ratio, which not only captures the grime and the squalor of the period But the romantic, and swashbuckling action.
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.
The Three Musketeers fmovies. Let me begin by expressing how refreshing it feels to watch a series of action scenes without wretched shaky cam! After seeing Guardians of the Galaxy and the new Ninja Turtles movies at the cinema recently, I had almost forgotten what it was like to have a comprehensible fight sequence.
This 1973 version of The Three Musketeers is the best version of the story I have ever seen, even better than the over-praised Gene Kelly adaptation. It's athletic, earthy, and light-hearted, paired with one of the most perfect casts ever brought together for a movie and Michel Legrand's amazing score which proves adventurous and heart-achingly romantic in equal turns.
If you love action and comedy, then I cannot recommend this enough. I never wanted it to end and cannot wait to watch the sequel.
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!
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.