The Return of the Musketeers (1989)

In France in 1649, the services of the Four Musketeers are needed again, and they run into some old foes from twenty years before.

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

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

Stars:

Michael York, Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

It's 1649: Mazarin hires the impoverished D'Artagnan to find the other musketeers: Cromwell has overthrown the English king, so Mazarin fears revolt, particularly from the popular Beaufort. Porthos, bored with riches and wanting a title, signs on, but Aramis, an abbé, and Athos, a brawler raising an intellectual son, assist Beaufort in secret. When they fail to halt Beaufort's escape from prison, the musketeers are expendable, and Mazarin sends them to London to rescue Charles I. They are also pursued by Justine, the avenging daughter of Milady de Winter, their enemy 20 years ago. They must escape England, avoid Justine, serve the Queen, and secure Beauford's political reforms.

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Plot Keywords:

horseback chase | held at swordpoint | musketeer | old man | axe murder | 

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Taglines:

Swashbuckling action, comedy capers and rollicking adventures, bigger and better than ever. They're back... all for one and one for all!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK France Spain

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 1989 (UK)

Also Known As:

A Volta dos Mosqueteiros

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fildebroc, Ciné 5, Sofica Sofinergie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Justine de Winter (Kim Cattrall) introduces her father, Rochefort (Sir Christopher Lee), she tells Oliver Cromwell that he is called Monsieur de Batz. This is a reference to Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, the real-life Comte d'Artagnan who is the inspiration for the heroic character at the heart of Dumas' Musketeer stories.

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Goofs

Cyrano de Bergerac's balloon is much too small to support the men it is seen to carry.

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Quotes

Cardinal Mazarin: The people of England will permit anything - except cruelty to horses and a rise in the price of beer.

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Alternate Versions

The (2009) French DVD edition differs from the earlier UK VHS (and cinema) version. Both Philip Noiret and Jean Pierre Cassel had their voices re-dubbed in the VHS version, but here - on the English language option - their own voices are heard in English. Also several scenes are cut including the scene where D'Artangan gets his assignment from Mazarin to look up his old friends The Three Musketeers and the later scene where King Charles I is playing golf while being arrested by Oliver Cromwell's forces (likewise Michael York's narration of these scenes have been omitted).

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Connections

Version of The Face of Alexandre Dumas: The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

User Reviews

Enjoyable, if belated, third instalment in Richard Lester's "Musketeers" series.

It's nice to see many of the original cast members back for this third "Musketeers" movie, even though 15 years has elapsed since the second film. Usually such a long hiatus would have resulted in changes of personnel and style, but here we have a refreshing example of that NOT being the case. They even have the same director (Richard Lester), which helps to explain why the old mix of slapstick, political intrigue, sex and action is still so effective. Before I actually saw The Return Of The Musketeers, I was foolish enough to listen to all the negative critical buzz surrounding the film. As a result I came to it already prejudiced, expecting it to be a tired, listless, unworthy end to the trilogy (as many reviewers had suggested). Not so.... this is a most enjoyable instalment, and those who say otherwise are, frankly, wrong!

The musketeers as we remember them have long since gone their separate ways. D'Artagnan (perenially youthful Michael York) is the only one still employed as a musketeer, but he now works for the King - and rather less money! He is galvanised back into action when entrusted by the Cardinal Mazzarin (Phillipe Noiret) to deal with the rise of Beaufort supporters in the wake of Cromwell's rise to power in England. However, he soon has more to worry about than a mere rebellion when it becomes apparent that a name from the past has returned to exact revenge on each of the musketeers. That name is Justine de Winter, daughter of Milady de Winter (the female villain that Faye Dunaway played in the earlier films, who was eventually captured and beheaded by the musketeers). With Justine out for revenge, D'Artagnan has to track down his old friends - some of whom are Beaufort supporters and therefore the very people he should be fighting against - and together they ride again into various adventures and dangers.

There are certainly some problems with The Return Of The Musketeers, but none of them undermine the film as much as its detractors would have us believe. Firstly, Kim Cattrall plays Justine in too contemporary a style and this jars with the film's period trappings. Secondly, Richard Chamberlain's character, the musketeer Aramis, is not in the story much and the scripters have tried to compensate for his absence by introducing the character of Raoul, son of Athos. Alas, Raoul is both unnecessary to the story (he was mentioned in the book, but not used whatsoever as a key figure) and rather poorly played by C. Thomas Howell - another actor too contemporary for the surroundings. Apart from that, this is a most enjoyable movie with plenty of exciting sequences and good humour. In particular, there are several action sequences which are given a lovely element of slapstick (check out the wonderfully funny opening sequence, for example). The plot is quite complex and hard to keep up with - as, indeed, it was in the two earlier instalments - but the lively pacing and frequent bursts of action keep the audience engrossed. Many reviewers have already commented that this was Roy Kinnear's last film (he died following a horse-riding accident on the set), so I won't add too much to what has already been said. I will, however, say that Kinnear's performance in the film is comedy at its finest and this whole film is a lovely tribute to a lovely man and his considerable comic talents.