The Fifth Musketeer (1979)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Ken Annakin

Writers:

David Ambrose (writer)
George Bruce (earlier screenplay)

Release Date:

14 December 1979 (Denmark)

Genre:

Adventure

Tagline:

Duelling, dashing heroes ... from the bedroom to the battlefield!

Plot:

King Louis XIV has without his knowledge a twin brother, Philippe, but when he is told, he immediately locks him up in the Bastille...

Plot Keywords:

King | Twins | Female Nudity | Foreign Language Adaptation | Musketeer

Cast

Sylvia Kristel	...	Maria Theresa
Ursula Andress	...	Louise de la Vallière
Beau Bridges	...	Louis XIV / Philippe of Gascony
Cornel Wilde	...	D'Artagnan
Ian McShane	...	Fouquet
Alan Hale Jr.	...	Porthos
Lloyd Bridges	...	Aramis
José Ferrer	...	Athos
Olivia de Havilland	...	Queen Mother
Helmut Dantine	...	Spanish Ambassador
Rex Harrison	...	Colbert
Román Ariznavarreta
Bernard Bresslaw	...	Bernard
Stephan Bastian
Victor Cousin		(as Victor Couzin)

Also Known As:

Das Geheimnis der eisernen Maske (Austria) (West Germany)
Behind the Iron Mask
The 5th Musketeer (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

UK:116 min | USA:104 min

Country:

Austria | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Burg Kreuzenstein, Leobendorf, Lower Austria, Austria

Company:

S&T-Film Berlin

Trivia:

Final film of Helmut Dantine.

Movie Connections:

Version of Le masque de fer (1962)

Dumas' tale of twin brothers strikes out this time...

It's strange that THE FIFTH MUSKETEER leaves me with the impression that it's hardly worth watching despite a stellar cast and some gorgeous Austrian scenery. BEAU BRIDGES (in a dual role as a commoner and Louis XIV) does a competent but bland job in the film's major role, while assorted guest stars fill the supporting cast with some name value. One of the guest stars is OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND who might just as well have phoned in her role. She has about three minutes of screen time, at the most.

None of the main roles are really fleshed out and the plot is a muddled mess. JOSE FERRER, CORNEL WILDE, ALAN HALE, JR. and LLOYD BRIDGES are competent enough as the four musketeers while REX HARRISON and HELMUT DANTINE merely add some name recognition to the cast, as does de Havilland in her tiny role as Queen Anne (about whom little is explained).

It's a retread of familiar material done much better in the past, territory that would be revisited in the future with even more dash and vigor. A sleep inducing film that probably only gets male attention because URSULA ANDRESS and SYLVIA KRISTEL provide some feminine pulchritude in provocative period costumes.

The most unforgivable aspect are the fight scenes of the swashbuckling kind but badly choreographed duels, unlike the sort of thing done so splendidly in the Flynn epics. The blades flash without much flourish.

Summing up: Totally uninspired piece of work notable only for some lavish costumes and good location photography in Austria.