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 | Villain | Swordsman | Three Musketeers

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
Ilya Salkind	....	executive producer
Wolfdieter von Stein	....	associate producer
Alexander Salkind	....	producer (uncredited)

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 Gonzalez

Costume Design by
Yvonne Blake

Makeup Department
Cristóbal Criado	....	make-up: Charlton Heston's (as Cristobal Criado)
Susan Germaine	....	hairdresser: Miss Faye Dunaway's
Kaye Pownall	....	hairdresser: Miss Raquel Welch's
Charlene Roberson	....	make-up: Miss Raquel Welch's
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

• Alexander Salkind (for Film Trust S.A.) (as An Alexander, Michael and Ilya Salkind Production)
• Film Trust S.A. (for)
• Este Films (uncredited)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (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. Pictures (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

• 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})
• 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
• Mole Richardson  electrical equipment
• Panavision  cameras from (as Panavision®)
• Twickenham Film Studios  completed and recorded at (as Twickenham Studios St.Margaret's-Twickenham-England)

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

Filming Locations:

Aranjuez, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Alexander Salkind

Trivia:

The "riding theme" in the soundtrack was based on music from Act II of Giuseppe Verdi's opera 'Aida'.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Just before the fight with the Cardinal's guards, Porthos picks up large rock to use as a weapon. As he examines the rock, you can see that it's artificial, because he exposes the mold line.

Quotes:

Rochefort:[commenting on D'Artagnan's horse] Decidedly it is someone riding a buttercup. Unless it is a cheese with legs.

Movie Connections:

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

"My father told me to fight duels."

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.