The Three Musketeers (1993)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writers (WGA):

Alexandre Dumas père (novel)
David Loughery (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 November 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | History | Romance

Tagline:

They're Scoundrels, Playboys, Outlaws . . . The Greatest Heroes Who Ever Lived.

Plot:

The three best of the disbanded Musketeers - Athos, Porthos, and Aramis - join a young hotheaded would-be-Musketeer...

Plot Keywords:

King | Cardinal | Mission | Corps Spirit | Brandy

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Charlie Sheen	...	Aramis
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Athos
Chris O'Donnell	...	D'Artagnan
Oliver Platt	...	Porthos
Tim Curry	...	Cardinal Richelieu
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Milady
Gabrielle Anwar	...	Queen Anne
Michael Wincott	...	Rochefort
Paul McGann	...	Girard / Jussac
Julie Delpy	...	Constance
Hugh O'Conor	...	King Louis
Christopher Adamson	...	Henri
Philip Tan	...	Parker
Erwin Leder	...	Peasant
Axel Anselm	...	Musketeer

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Austria | UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Netherlands:12 | Netherlands:16 (video rating) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | Germany:16 | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG (NO. 32734)

Filming Locations:

Boconnoc, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

Brad Pitt turned down the role that ultimately went to Chris O'Donnell. Billy Baldwin, Johnny Depp and Gary Oldman were also sought out by Disney for parts in the film.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When d'Artagnan knocks the assassin from the roof, the assassin's wire is visible during his fall.

Quotes:

King Louis: You look beautiful.
Queen Anne: Thank you.
King Louis: Is something wrong?
Queen Anne: Cardinal Richelieu.
King Louis: Yes?
Queen Anne: He is an evil man.
King Louis: Do not believe every rumour you hear. He is powerful.
Queen Anne: I ride through the countryside every day, I've seen the uses of his power.
King Louis: Power sometimes frightens.
Queen Anne: Here in the Palace I have seen it too.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Riddle Me This: Why Is Batman Forever? (1995) (TV)

Soundtrack:

All For Love

A fun film, if nothing else.

First and foremost, if you have read the Dumas book, then you realize that this movie doesn't resemble the novel in the slightest. The only thing that this movie got right was the names of the characters!

However, I am a big advocate in saying that you should never compare a movie back to its book, and I use this movie as an example. This story has been "Disney-fied" so that it can be called a family film. If you read the book, a true adaptation would not be family entertainment. Disney changed everything that they do. Read the Tarzan novel and compare to the cartoon. BIG changes there. The Little Mermaid. How convenient that Disney left out the fact that Ariel dies at the end of the story.

But what we should judge is the end result. This movie is still entertaining, despite having nothing to do with its literary influence. The characters are portrayed with the same attributes that they have in the book. For instance, D'Artagnan, while very duty bound and honorable, is young and headstrong, and prone to impulsive decisions that will help him to prove his skill and worth. Porthos is self serving and self praising, very vain and cocky, yet has a lust for the finer things in life. Aramis is humble and religious, but very skilled and intelligent, making him a very formidable soldier, yet he also loves the finer things in life. And Athos loves his wine, trying to bury himself in a alcoholic haze to hide the pain that he suffered in losing the love of his life. All of these come through in the movie, and all of the actors were great in performing them.

As far as the story is concerned, Disney likes things black and white, good vs evil. And so, the story changes to make the Cardinal a power hungry man with his own interests in mind. He wasn't like that in the book or in real life, but he was underhanded, and Tim Curry does another great job as the villain that he steals the show.

Overall, a great and enjoyable movie, worth watching with the family.