The Three Musketeers (1973)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

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

Release Date:

29 March 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | History | Romance

Tagline:

. . . One for All and All for Fun!

Plot:

A young swordsman comes to Paris and faces villains, romance, adventure and intrigue with three Musketeer friends.

Plot Keywords:

Musketeer | Cardinal | Duel | Villain | Foreign Language Adaptation

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Oliver Reed	...	Athos
Raquel Welch	...	Constance de Bonacieux
Richard Chamberlain	...	Aramis
Michael York	...	D'Artagnan
Frank Finlay	...	Porthos
Christopher Lee	...	Rochefort
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Anna of Austria
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Louis XIII (as Jean Pierre Cassel)
Spike Milligan	...	M. Bonacieux
Roy Kinnear	...	Planchet
Georges Wilson	...	Treville
Simon Ward	...	Duke of Buckingham
Faye Dunaway	...	Milady / Lady de Winter
Charlton Heston	...	Cardinal Richelieu
Joss Ackland	...	D'Artagnan's Father

Also Known As:

The Three Musketeers: The Queen's Diamonds (UK) (complete title) (USA)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:All | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1975) | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Aranjuez, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Alexander Salkind

Trivia:

Various sources including Charlton Heston's memoirs say that Heston was offered one of the Musketeers - the Oliver Reed or Frank Finlay part - but Heston passed on this role or roles because it was too demanding - he had just done a run of action roles - and also because the part was a bit small, so he chose to play a cameo.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the first duel with the Cardinal's guards that takes place in the Nunnery - Frank Finlay goes behind a piece of laundry to hide from and surprise his opponent. From off-screen we hear a crew member yell "FRANK!" Then Finlay comes out from behind the laundry to hit his mark and finish the scene.

Quotes:

Cardinal Richelieu: Who is the man that accuses you?
Bonacieux: [Rochefort enters and Bonacieux points at him] That! That is the man!
Count Rochefort: Take him away.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman (2006) (TV)

All for one And All For Fun,The Best Screen Version Ever!

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.