The Three Musketeers (1973)

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

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

Release Date:

29 March 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | 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 | Duel | Three Musketeers | Swordsman | Villain

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Oliver Reed	...	Athos
Raquel Welch	...	Constance de Bonacieux
Richard Chamberlain	...	Aramis
Michael York	...	D'Artagnan
Frank Finlay	...	Porthos / O'Reilly
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
Charlton Heston	...	Cardinal Richelieu
Joss Ackland	...	D'Artagnan's Father
Nicole Calfan	...	Kitty
Michael Gothard	...	Felton
Sybil Danning	...	Eugenie
Gitty Djamal	...	Beatrice
Ángel del Pozo	...	Jussac (as Angel Del Pozo)
Rodney Bewes	...	Spy
Ben Aris	...	1st Musketeer
William Hobbs	...	Assassin
Gretchen Franklin	...	D'Artagnan's Mother
Francis De Wolff	...	Sea Captain
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Briers	...	Louis XIII (voice) (uncredited)
Frank Thornton	...	Man in Small Carriage (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

Original Music by
Michel Legrand

Cinematography by
David Watkin		(director of photography)

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

Casting by
Miriam Brickman		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Brian Eatwell

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

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	....	wigs (as Jose Antonio Sanchez)
Ziggy Geike	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

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 (as Jerry Humphreys)
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)

Stunts
Joaquín Parra	....	stunt arranger (as Joaquin Parra)

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	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Manuela Iglesias	....	wardrobe assistant: Miss Raquel Welch
Ron Talsky	....	costume designer: Miss Raquel Welch
Jean Zay	....	costume supervisor
Haleen K. Holt	....	costume illustrator (uncredited)

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

Music Department
Peter Watson	....	music editor
Michel Legrand	....	conductor (uncredited)
David Munrow	....	advisor: period music (uncredited)

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 McClean	....	production secretary
Juan Jose Molina	....	production assistant
Maria Monreal	....	producer's secretary
Jean-Philippe Mérand	....	production coordinator (as Jean Philippe Merand)
John Ornstein	....	production assistant
Armand Rubin	....	world wide representation: Europex -Paris
Alexander Salkind	....	presenter
Ann Skinner	....	continuity
Mike Hoare	....	sailing coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Film Trust S.A. (for)
• Este Films (uncredited)

Distributors

• CFDC-UGC (1973) (France) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1974) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1977) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• EuroVideo (199?) (Germany) (VHS)
• Filmtrust (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• International Video Entertainment (IVE) (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• USA Home Video (II) (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Fox Lorber (1998) (USA) (DVD) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Europa-Stockholm Film (1973) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros (1973) (UK) (theatrical) (as Warner Bros. Pictures A Time Warner Entertainment Company)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2008) (United Arab Emirates) (DVD) (Middle East)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2011) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sandrews (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• StudioCanal (2012) (Germany) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2011) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Other Companies

• Europex  worldwide representation (as Europex - Paris)
• Decoraciones Generales  sets built by
• Estudios Cinematográficos Roma  filmed at (as Estudios Cinematografica Roma S.A. - Madrid)
• Twickenham Studios  completed and recorded at (as Twickenham Studios St.Margaret's-Twickenham-England)
• Panavision  cameras from (as Panavision®)
• Technicolor  laboratory (as Technicolor® {London})
• El Patrimonio Nacional De Espana  the producers are grateful to: without whose co-operation the making of this film would not have been possible
• Berman's and Nathan's  costumes manufactured by (as Berman's & Nathans {London})
• Camera Effects  main titles (as Camera Effects Ltd.)
• Cornejo  costumes manufactured by (as Cornejo {Madrid})
• Mole Richardson  electrical equipment

Also Known As:

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

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Spain | USA | Panama | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1975) | Sweden:11 (original rating) | UK:U | USA:PG | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:All | Sweden:7 (cut) (1978) | Portugal:M/6 | Netherlands:14 (orginal rating)

Filming Locations:

Aranjuez, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Film Trust S.A.

Trivia:

Jean-Pierre Cassel previously played d'Artagnan in Cyrano et d'Artagnan (1964).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: 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:

M. Bonancieux:[his hands are being chained behind him before being tortured] It hurts!
Torturer:It's *supposed* to hurt!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: Episode #33.6" (2005)

Still the best filmed version by a long way

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!