The Return of the Musketeers (1989)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

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

Release Date:

25 August 1989 (UK)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

Swashbuckling action, comedy capers and rollicking adventures, bigger and better than ever. They're back... all for one and one for all!

Plot:

It's 1649: Mazarin hires the impoverished D'Artagnan to find the other musketeers: Cromwell has overthrown the English king...

Plot Keywords:

Musketeer | Foreign Language Adaptation | Third Part | 1640s | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Michael York	...	D'Artagnan
Oliver Reed	...	Athos
Frank Finlay	...	Porthos
C. Thomas Howell	...	Raoul
Kim Cattrall	...	Justine de Winter
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Queen Anne
Roy Kinnear	...	Planchet
Christopher Lee	...	Rochefort
Philippe Noiret	...	Cardinal Mazarin
Richard Chamberlain	...	Aramis
Eusebio Lázaro	...	Duke of Beaufort (as Eusebio Lazaro)
Alan Howard	...	Cromwell
David Birkin	...	Louis XIV
Bill Paterson	...	Charles I
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Cyrano de Bergerac (as Jean Pierre Cassel)

Also Known As:

El regreso de los mosqueteros (Spain)
Le retour des mousquetaires (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK | France | Spain

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Spain:T | UK:PG | USA:PG (original rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Company:

Ciné 5

Trivia:

During the filming of the movie, actor Roy Kinnear died after falling off his horse.

Goofs:

Continuity: Whilst ballooning to the finale castle, the fire keeps changing from lit in long shots to unlit in close up.

Quotes:

Justine de Winter: King Charles' death is inevitable, and France must not interfere. General Cromwell insists.
Cardinal Mazarin: Roundhead diplomacy. Does he think he can cut off a crowned head, even an English one, and royal France will stand by doing nothing?
Justine de Winter: What will France do?
Cardinal Mazarin: Stand by... protesting.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)

A Bummer

Watching "Return Of The Musketeers" is a depressing affair. First off, Roy Kinner (As Planchet, D'Artangnan's loyal sidekick)died while doing a riding stunt (At least they dedicated the film to him). Second, the film just doesn't capture the glory days of the 2 previous films. Maybe that's the point: you can't go home again. D'Artangnan (Michael York, one of the reasons to try to stick with it.)is still a Musketeer (Although an impoverished one)and is recruited to try to find the remaining Musketeers for one last "All For One, and One for All." This is where the film starts to fall apart. First of all, Richard Chamberlain (As Aramis)is not in the film all that much, the late Oliver Reed (As Athos)looks like he doesn't want to be there, and Frank Finlay (As Porthos)seems to be along for the ride. Second, there is some serious miscasting in the likes of C. Thomas Howell as Raoul, Athos' son. He shouldn't be in this film, because he just seems to drag it down. As does Kim Cattrall as Justine de Winter, the daughter of the late Milady (We miss you, Faye Dunaway!)out for revenge. Stick to the first 2 instead and totally forget this disaster.