The Three Musketeers (1973)

A young swordsman comes to Paris and faces villains, romance, adventure and intrigue with three Musketeer friends.

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

George MacDonald Fraser (screenplay), Alexandre Dumas (novel)

Stars:

Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Queen Anna
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	King 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

Storyline

The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a king's musketeer. He meets and quarrels with three men, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, each of whom challenges him to a duel. D'Artagnan finds out they are musketeers and is invited to join them in their efforts to oppose Cardinal Richelieu, who wishes to increase his already considerable power over the king. D'Artagnan must also juggle affairs with the charming Constance Bonancieux and the passionate Lady De Winter, a secret agent for the cardinal.

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Plot Keywords:

three musketeers | female villain | sword duel | based on book | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

. . . One for All and All for Fun!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA Spain Panama UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Three Musketeers

Filming Locations:

Alcázar de Segovia, Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain

Box Office

Gross USA:

$22,018,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alexander, Michael and Ilya Salkind Productions, Film Trust S.A., Este Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Raquel Welch and Faye Dunaway worked with trainers to make their big fight scene "as physical and brutal as Lester wanted," recalls Dunaway. The rehearsals went fine, but when Dunaway pushed Welch for real, Welch lost her footing, fell and sprained her wrist.

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Goofs

As the Musketeers race on horseback to Calais to deliver a note from the Queen to Buckingham, the countryside is not of northern France, but arid portions of southern Spain.

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Quotes

D'Artagnan: Your Grace's pardon, I had forgotten: England is an island. How do I get off?

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Connections

Version of Vengeance of the Three Musketeers (1961)

User Reviews

Genius Lester brings out the book's true comedic nature.

Director Richard Lester hit it right on the nose! Dumas's book THE THREE MUSKETEERS is generally regarded as a kind of classic adventure, but it's more than that. Throughout all the romance and swordplay, it is humor, not adventure, that prevails. D'artagnan is even introduced as "Don Quixote at eighteen", which is clear indication of humorous intent. Lester's pop-comedies like THE KNACK and A HARD DAY'S NIGHT made him perfect for directing this film. George MacDonald Fraser's screenplay for THE THREE MUSKETEERS preserves the original dialogue with all its humor and adventure to the letter (even though this is only half the book). This gave Lester free reign to fill the picture with physical comedy and sight gags, particularly in the swordfights. The heights of such humor show in a scene where the musketeers fake a duel in order it steal food. Michael York excels in the role of D'artagnan using sword skills picked up while making ROMEO AND JULIET. The late/great Oliver Reed is a suitably drunken, overpowering Athos. Another highpoint is the film's villain. Charlton Heston's restrained performance brings the puppet-master Cardinal Richelieu to life (and far better than Tim Curry did in 1993). He can break a man with a word and we believe it. Raquel Welch brings her usual talents to the role of Constance. Perhaps the most important of all is Bonnie herself, Faye Dunaway, as the Countess DeWinter. Dunaway brings to life all the character's cold allure that appeared as good on the screen as it did on the page. The action is well choreographed and satisfies, and the humor is good. This combines with "sequel" THE FOUR MUSKETEERS, with the same cast and director, to form the perfect film version of a wonderful novel. If nothing else, it at least beats the Disney version into the morgue. Not To Be Missed!