The Return of the Musketeers (1989)

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

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

Release Date:

25 August 1989 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Romance

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 | Axe Murder | Part Of Series | Explosion | 17th Century

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	...	Oliver Cromwell
David Birkin	...	Louis XIV
Bill Paterson	...	Charles I
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Cyrano de Bergerac (as Jean Pierre Cassel)
Billy Connolly	...	Caddie
Servane Ducorps	...	Olympe
William J. Fletcher	...	De Guiche
Laure Sabardin	...	Chevreuse
Marcelline Collard	...	Lamballe
Pat Roach	...	French Executioner
Jesús Ruyman	...	Headsman
Fernando De Juan	...	Ireton
Barry Burgues	...	Young Clerk
Leon Greene	...	Captain Groslow
Ágata Lys	...	Duchesse de Longueville
Bob Todd	...	High Bailiff
Lucy Hardwick	...	Lady-in-Waiting
Aldo Sambrell	...	Burly Demonstrator
Jack Taylor	...	Gentleman on Horseback
Ricardo Palacios	...	Big Lackey
Luciano Federico	...	Tall Lackey
Carmen Fernández	...	Commedia player
Rafael de la Cruz	...	Commedia player
German Estebas	...	Commedia player
Jesús García	...	Commedia player
Fernando Simón	...	Commedia player

Directed by
Richard Lester

Writing credits
George MacDonald Fraser		(screenplay) (as George Macdonald Fraser)
Alexandre Dumas père		(book "Twenty Years After") (as Alexandre Dumas)

Produced by
Wayne Drizin	....	executive producer
Mario Sotela	....	executive producer
Pierre Spengler	....	producer

Original Music by
Jean-Claude Petit		(as Jean Claude Petit)

Cinematography by
Bernard Lutic		(director of photography)

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

Production Design by
Gil Parrondo

Art Direction by
Raul Paton

Set Decoration by
Michael Seirton

Costume Design by
Yvonne Blake

Makeup Department
Cynthia Cruz	....	makeup artist: Ms. Cattrall
Paquita Núñez	....	hair stylist
José Antonio Sánchez	....	makeup artist
José Luis Pérez	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Susana Sánchez	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Christian Fuin	....	production manager
Fernando Marqueríe	....	production manager
Francisco Molero	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Javier Balaguer	....	second assistant director
Alejandro Calvo-Sotelo	....	assistant director
Karen Morgan	....	second assistant director
Clive Reed	....	first assistant director
Manuel L. Cañizares	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
José María Alarcón	....	assistant production designer
Eddie Fowlie	....	locations and property
Julián Mateos	....	set dresser
Ramón Moya	....	construction manager
Tadeo Villalba hijo	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Samuel Cohen	....	boom operator
Jean-Louis Ducarme	....	sound mixer
Stan Fiferman	....	sound editor
Archie Ludski	....	dialogue editor
Colin Miller	....	sound editor
Robin O'Donoghue	....	sound re-recording mixer
Les Wiggins	....	supervising sound editor
Jeremy Child	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Lionel Strutt	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Reyes Abades	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Antony Hunt	....	executive producer: The Magic Camera Company (uncredited)

Stunts
Joaquín Parra	....	stunt arranger
Gonzalo Hernandez	....	horse wrangler (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Miguel A. Clavijo	....	focus puller
Antonio Colmenar	....	key grip
Freddie Cooper	....	camera operator
Federico G. Grau	....	still photographer
Luis Pena Heredia	....	focus puller
José Luis Martínez	....	gaffer
Alfredo Mayo	....	camera operator
Roland Neveu	....	special still photographer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Concha Campins	....	madrid casting
Brendan Donnison	....	adr voice casting
Debbie McWilliams	....	casting: London

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Martín Díaz Porras	....	wardrobe master
Andrés Fernández	....	wardrobe master
Delfín Prieto	....	wardrobe master

Editorial Department
Neil Farrell	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Dick Lewzey	....	music mixer
Jean-Claude Petit	....	conductor (as Jean Claude Petit)
Ruth Schell	....	music editor

Other crew
Paco Ardura	....	wrangler
Quinn Donoghue	....	unit publicist
Ramón Díaz de Laspra	....	accountant
Ceri Evans	....	continuity
Manolo García	....	location manager
William Hobbs	....	fight arranger
Trudy Kling	....	assistant: Mr. Spengler
Oscar F. Kolombatovich	....	swords
Jennie McClean	....	assistant: Mr. Lester
Vicente Ortega	....	location manager
Vincente Ortega	....	location manager
Susana Prieto	....	production coordinator
Alejandro Ruiz	....	location manager
Richard Turner	....	production accountant
Costas Charitou	....	titles & opticals: Image to Image (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Ciné 5
• Fildebroc
• Iberoamericana Films Producción
• Timothy Burrill Productions

Distributors

• Entertainment Film Distributors (1989) (UK) (theatrical)
• Iberoamericana Films Producción (1989) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
• 4 Front Video (1993) (UK) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Video Search of Miami (2009) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK | France | Spain

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Company:

Ciné 5

Trivia:

Charlton Heston wanted to appear in the film, but his character of Cardinal Richelieu was deceased in the film's setting of 1648. Fortunately, Richard Lester had a painting of Richelieu created, with Heston as the model. This painting is seen in the beginning of the film, and was given to Heston after filming.

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 Vingt ans après (1922)

Seize Ans Après

The third installment in the Lester saga ,the fourth ("Le Vicomte De BRagelonne" feat. the iron mask) was never filmed ,because this one was not very commercially successful.

Roughly based on "Vingt Ans Après" ,"the return" was made sixteen years later ,with the same actors (Faye Dunaway ,Raquel Welch and Charlton Heston are not present ,their characters being all dead).Also Louis the Thirteenth is dead,Jean-Pierre Cassel who played his role,returns as Cyrano De Bergerac who comes at the most awkward moment.

The historical background is thin,although dealing with "La Fronde" ,a noble rebellion,and Mazarin's struggle to maintain the absolute monarchy ;and in spite of the musketeers,he was successful ,for the Sun King's reign only began with his death in 1661 ,when he was already 23.

Unlike in the book,it's a daughter (Justine De Winter) and not a son who wants to avenge her mother Milady.It's first surprising but becomes repetitive in the long run.It lacks some imagination:why not an affair with Raoul for instance?

The first movie of the saga remains the most successful:in this one,time has taken its toll,and what could have been another magnificent "Robin and Marion" ,a journey through the past tinged with nostalgia ,remains here a moderately entertaining swashbuckler.