The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974)

The Four Musketeers defend the queen and her dressmaker from Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter.

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

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

Stars:

Michael York, Raquel Welch, Oliver Reed

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Oliver Reed	...	Athos
Raquel Welch	...	Constance de Bonancieux
Richard Chamberlain	...	Aramis
Michael York	...	D'Artagnan
Frank Finlay	...	Porthos
Christopher Lee	...	Rochefort
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Queen Anne of Austria
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Louis XIII (as Jean Pierre Cassel)
Roy Kinnear	...	Planchet
Michael Gothard	...	Felton
Nicole Calfan	...	Maid Kitty
Ángel del Pozo	...	Jussac (as Angel Del Pozo)
Eduardo Fajardo
Simon Ward	...	Duke of Buckingham
Faye Dunaway	...	Milady

Storyline

D'Artagnan has become a Musketeer. Protestants hold La Rochelle, and the Queen loves Buckingham, who'll soon send ships to support the rebels. Richelieu enlists Rochefort to kidnap Constance, the Queen's go-between and D'Artagnan's love. The Cardinal uses the wily, amoral Milady de Winter to distract D'Artagnan. But soon, she is D'Artagnan's sworn enemy, and she has an unfortunate history with Athos as well. Milady goes to England to dispatch Buckingham; the Musketeers fight the rebels. Milady, with Rochefort's help, then turns to her personal agenda. Can D'Artagnan save Constance, defeat Rochefort, slip de Winter's ire, and stay free of the Cardinal? All for one, one for all.

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Plot Keywords:

cardinal richelieu | female villain | sword fighting | based on novel | queen | 

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Taglines:

One for all and all for one! (And every man for himself.)

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Genres:

Adventure | History

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Spain Panama

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Studios, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed at the same time as The Three Musketeers (1973).

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Goofs

During the fight at the burning building Porthos attempts to escape by performing a 'death slide'. When he begins the slide he clear had bare hands, when he finishes the slide (just before he sets himself on fire) we can see he is clearly wearing gloves.

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Quotes

Aramis: [upon learning that a bottle of wine is poisoned] I always had my doubts about the Anjou '22.

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Alternate Versions

There exists at least two versions of the ending to this film. The rather curious difference is that in one the narration is spoken by Richard Chamberlain, in the other it is done by Frank Finlay!

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Connections

Version of The Three Musketeers (1966)

User Reviews

Spanish/Panama/British co-production plenty of swordplay , adventure and comedy ; being a fun retelling based on famous Dumas novel

This is a big production with lavish scenarios , spectacular action , court intrigue and exciting duels . Being based on Alexandre Dumas' classic yarn of intrigue at the 17th century French court . Entertaining and funny version based on the classic Dumas novel with overwhelming swordplay in nifty style , this is a modern version of the classic Dumas novel set in 17th Century France . Alexandre Dumas's source for his novel was a book by 19th-century writer Courtils Sandraz, which was purporting to be D'Artagnan's biography ; the Musketeers were actually real people, not fictional characters created by Dumas . For this filled with emotion recounting is adapted in the greatest splendor , the complete romance , the historical characters, the full novel by Alexandre Dumas though including important changes . It is packed with comedy , derring-do , intrigue , a love story , action , drama and moving fence . An awesome casting and big-budgeted production shot in Spain and location make for a fairly amusement swashbuckler . This is a luxurious recounting of the Dumas's novel with a fine cast headed by handsome Michael York as hot-headed D'Artagnan in a brave role as a young and handsome soldier of fortune , a dashing , audacious lover and nimble athlete . Musketeers must defeat a beautiful double agent and the villainous Rochefort from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war . This delightful adaptation based on Alexandre Dumas classic novel deals with the youngster D'Artagnan and his three friends , the three two-fisted Musketeers , rollicking adventurers , fighting to live and living to love . All of them join in their objective to struggle against guards of Cardinal Richelieu well performed by Charlton Heston and the astute Milady De Winter , Faye Dunaway , who is lovely as a jewel, deadly as a dagger the wickedest woman in all Christendom . Meanwhile, D'Artagnan falls in love with the gorgeous young , Constance , Rachel Welch , she is a golden-haired beauty entangled in a web of treachery and intrigue . Furthermore , there is developed an intrigue between Luis XIII : Jean Pierre Cassel , Queen Anne of Austria : Geraldine Chaplin , dazzling as her gilded palace for her, men dared a thousand perils , and Duke of Buckingham , Simon Ward ; and of course the nasty Richelieu , as evil as ever . Protestants hold La Rochelle, and the Queen Anna loves Buckingham , who'll soon send ships to support the rebels ; then Milady of Winter is assigned a mission : to kill the Duke . The musketeers join forces for royal vengeance with the shout : ¨One for all and all for one¨. Then , the musketeers whose friendship has become a legend to stir the hearts of men and shouting their slogan set out to help the Queen and free Constance who has been kidnapped by Rochefort . Straightforward as well as gallant D'Artagnan and the three musketeers scheme a plan to save her , clashing against a malicious Milady De Winter .

It's a nice rendition from the immortal novel with pretty budget and attractive scenarios . The picture contains rousing action , intrigue , romantic adventure , romance , treachery , mayhem and a lot of fence . Amusing swashbuckling with lavish production , glamorous gowns and lush scenarios . This is an entertaining swashbuckling, full of action, adventure , comedy with tongue-in-cheek , and broad slapdash and of course , lot of swordplay . Charming Michael York who bounds and leaps , fights , hits and run . Michael York executes athletic feats , moving sword-play and spectacular acrobatics , he performed most of the stunts in his films himself . He is accompanied by a very good cast . Sympathetic performances by main star cast and secondary cast such as Michael Gothard , Nicole Calfan , Angel Del Pozo , Eduardo Fajardo , among others . Faye Dunaway makes a stunning Milady De Winter . Furthermore , a vein of humour is evident here , though sometimes falling flat . Comic relief by Roy Kinnear who unfortunately died falling down horse in the second sequel . For this movie itself , though , energetic and frantic are the best adjectives you could think of to describe its attraction .

Adequate and colorful cinematography stunningly showed on the splendorous images , being filmed in Spain , castle of Berlanga de Duero , Soriav, Royal Palace , Rome studios , Madrid and many other places well photographed by David Watkin . Thrilling as well as evocative musical score by Lalo Schifrin , including appropriate sounds for the time period . Lavish production by Alexander/Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler with excellent costumes by Oscar winning Ivonne Blake . However , producers were sued by the actors who claimed they were tricked into thinking the film was to be part of The three musketeers (1973), being filmed at the same time ; they won their case in court, but did not receive as much money as they would have if they were paid separately for both films. The motion picture was professionally realized by Richard Lester . This cool filmmaker provided visual style , comedy , fencing , drama , clangorous action in equal proportions . Twenty years later Richard Lester directed the third part titled ¨The return of the Musketeers¨(1989) with similar artist and technician team . This classy story is remade on several versions ,as the MGM classic version in musical style by George Sidney with Gene Kelly ; 1993 modern adaptation by Stephen Herek with Charlie Sheen and 2001 rendition by Peter Hyams with Justin Chambers, among others. ¨The four Musketeers¨ is an outstanding and entertaining adaptation of the classy that will appeal to the costumer genre buffs and it results to be acceptable adaptation with big budget based on the classic