The Three Musketeers (1993)

The three best of the disbanded Musketeers - Athos, Porthos, and Aramis - join a young hotheaded would-be-Musketeer, D'Artagnan, to stop the Cardinal Richelieu's evil plot: to form an ... See full summary »

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writers:

Alexandre Dumas (novel), David Loughery (screenplay)

Stars:

Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris O'Donnell

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlie Sheen	...	Aramis
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Athos
Chris O'Donnell	...	D'Artagnan
Oliver Platt	...	Porthos
Tim Curry	...	Cardinal Richelieu
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Countess D'Winter
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

Storyline

The three best of the disbanded Musketeers - Athos, Porthos, and Aramis - join a young hotheaded would-be-Musketeer, D'Artagnan, to stop the Cardinal Richelieu's evil plot: to form an alliance with enemy England by way of the mysterious Milady. Rochefort, the Cardinal's right-hand man, announces the official disbanding of the King's Musketeers. Three, however, refuse to throw down their swords - Athos the fighter and drinker, Porthos the pirate and lover, and Aramis the priest and poet. Arriving in Paris to join the Musketeers, D'Artagnan uncovers the Cardinal's plans, and the four set out on a mission to protect King and Country.

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Plot Keywords:

eyepatch | held at swordpoint | king | pirate | priest | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for action/violence and some brief sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

Disney's Official Site

Country:

Austria UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 November 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Three Musketeers

Filming Locations:

Hofburg, Vienna, Austria

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$53,898,845

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Caravan Pictures, Wolfgang Odelga Filmproduktion GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlie Sheen really hated horses.

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Goofs

When King Louis inducts D'Artagnan into the Musketeers, in the closeup shots of D'Artagnan he holds the sword parallel to the floor. But in the closeup of the king, Louis holds the sword tilted upward.

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Quotes

Aramis: You will never harm another soul ever again. My promise to God.
King Louis: Wait.
[punches Cardinal Richelieu, knocking him into the water]
Aramis: Well done, Your Majesty.

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Alternate Versions

Two scenes were cut from the German cinema version to secure a "Not under 12" rating (The murder of the prisoner is cut completely (ca. 13 seconds) and the death of the bald headed man in the prison at the end is shortened (ca. 6 seconds).) Second DVD release is uncut ("Not under 16") and bears the note "Uncut version" on the sleeve.

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Connections

Version of The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974)

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Soundtracks

A l'entrada del temps clar
from TROUBADOURS
Performed by René Clemencic (as Rene Clemencic) & the Clemencic Consort
Recorded by Harmonia Mundi France
Courtesy of Harmonia Mundi USA, Inc.

User Reviews

The comic book version

This is a very ordinary version of The Three Musketeers. Film versions of classic novels should at least bear some resemblance to the plot of the novel from which they are adapted, even if they are just pot-boilers intended for a family audience like this one, and not meant to be taken too seriously. But this is a very loose adaptation indeed.

The acting is just up to the level required and the dialogue is a mix of pseudo-17th century and contemporary Americanisms which fail to convince the viewer that he/she is watching a picture set in 17th century France. Though the production is quite a handsome one, with the sets, locations, and costumes all nice to look at, the characters are not well-drawn, in particular those of Cardinal Richlieu, portrayed as an out and out villain, admittedly enjoyably, but with little depth, and D'Artagnan who is played as naive, arrogant and pompous and not as a particularly likable character.

Other comments stress that this is a Disney picture made for the family, but that should not save it from criticism. Compare it with Disney's Treasure Island, or Kidnapped, both much superior adaptations. Nor have they helped children understand the novel. Because it is so loosely based they would hardly recognise it as The Three Musketeers if the characters' names had been changed, though I do agree that film adaptations don't have to follow the source novel absolutely faithfully.

But is it entertaining? Yes and no. The villains are hiss-able, Aramis, Arthos and Porthos are sometimes entertaining, despite the questionable dialogue they are given, and Richlieu, though often over the top, has his moments. The action scenes are OK but not done with any great verve compared with the Richard Lester version. Milady does not feature as a really central character in the plot as she should and in fact many of the novels' characters do not appear in the film at all.

Read the book and see the 1973 version and forget this one if you are over 16.