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: The Queen's Diamonds

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

Oliver Reed was severely injured and almost died when he was stabbed in the throat during the windmill duel scene.

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Goofs

During the fight in the laundry, one of the Swiss Guard threatens Athos with a pole. The Guardsman is bare-headed but a moment later, when he attacks, he is wearing his hat.

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Quotes

M. Bonancieux: [his hands are being chained behind him before being tortured] It hurts!
Torturer: It's *supposed* to hurt!

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Connections

Version of The Three Musketeers (1916)

User Reviews

The Best version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS... EVER!!!!

Alexandre Dumas would more than likely applaud this particular version of his fantastic novel. I remember when I was a kid and first saw the movie in the theater... I was stunned at the cinematography (yeah, a film buff even at 12). After leaving the theater, I went to a nearby bookstore and bought my first copy of the novel. Wow, how impressed was I when I realized that Richard Lester and George MacDonald Fraser stuck to the concept of the novel. The novel, incase you haven't read it, is funny and fun. The first half of the book... kept me at edge of my seat. When I recently re-read the novel, my wife would tell me that I would wake her up sword fighting in my sleep. Anyway, back to the movie. Michael York as D'Artagnan was fabulous. He embodied the dweeb that we all now and love as the future Commander of the King's Musketeers. Oliver Reed gave the best performance of his life as Athos. Richard Chamberlain as Aramis... the Musketeer who wants to be a priest was entertaining, and a delight. And Frank Finley as Porthos (and later came to realize that he was also O'Reilly... Buckingham's jeweler) was tremendous. Richard Lester should have been nominated for an Academy award for his direction of this masterpiece, numerous members of the cast (including Christopher Lee as Compte Rochefort, Charlton Heston as Cardinal Richelieu, Raquel Welch as Constance Bonaciuex, Spike Milligan as Monsieur Bonacieux, Roy Kinnear as Planchet, Simon Ward as the Duke of Buckingham, Faye Dunaway as Milady de Winter, and of course Jean-Pierre Cassel as Louis XIII) should have been nominated for some kind of award. The casts portrayals were direct from the Dumas novel. The sword play in the movie is the best that I have ever seen in a movie. There is none better, with the possible exception of the Four Musketeers... the rest of the novel.

If you have never seen the movie... go and get it. Watch it. Wait for it on TCM or FCM and tape it. Once you see it, you'll want to add it to your collection... or check out e-bay if your local stores don't carry it. I bought mine on e-bay and watch it at least 3 times a year. :D