Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Richard Lester
Starring: Michael York, Faye Dunaway, Oliver Reed, Raquel
Welch, Charlton Heston, Richard Chamberlain, Frank Finlay, Geraldine
Chaplin, Roy Kinnear
By the 1970s Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel
The Three Musketeers was believed to be the world's most read
book after the Bible. In spite of its enduring popularity, Dumas'
swashbuckling tale had received relatively few English language screen
adaptations. Then came producer Ilya Salkind, who hired director
Richard Lester to helm an epic take on the classic tale. Originally
intended to be a three hour movie, Salkind had the idea of cutting it into
two movies, which greatly riled his cast and crew, who were unhappy at being
paid for a single film. This would lead to the establishment of the "Salkind
clause," which forbade producers from pulling this stunt on their
employees.
The Three Musketeers (1973)
Lester had been attached to the project in an earlier incarnation that
would have starred The Beatles, whom he had directed in
Help! and A Hard Day's Night. That idea collapsed with the break-up of the Fab Four, but Lester
would find himself ultimately directing
Michael York (d'Artagnan), Oliver Reed (Athos),
Frank Finlay (Porthos) and Richard Chamberlain (Aramis) in
the central roles rather than John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Sticking closely to the original story, the film sees the young and
naïve d'Artagnan leave his country home and head to Paris, where he
hopes to be enlisted in the ranks of the Musketeers. He immediately
makes an enemy of Rochefort (Christopher Lee), France's greatest
swordsman and agent of the evil Cardinal Richelieu (Charlton Heston), who secretly rules France with his manipulative powers of
controlling King Louis XIII (Jean-Pierre Cassell, dubbed by
British sitcom star Richard Briers). He also finds himself
rubbing the musketeers up the wrong way, but when he takes their side in
a clash with the king's guards they take the young man under their
wing.
The titular trio are really supporting characters in what is very much
d'Artagnan's adventure. Falling for Constance Bonacieux (Raquel Welch), d'Artagnan is embroiled in a plot by Richelieu to expose the Queen
of France's (Geraldine Chaplin) affair with the leader of
England, the Duke of Buckingham (Simon Ward). This sees him
buckle his swash across the channel to England and back, ending in a
climactic set-piece at an elaborate royal ball.
Had the planned Beatles version of
The Three Musketeers been made, it would have been an
outright comedy. While it's nowhere near as knockabout as the Fab Four's
version would likely have been, Lester's film is nonetheless as much a
spoof of Dumas' tale as an adaptation. As a result it falls between two
stools, and never quite satisfies as either a comedy or an action movie.
The comedy feels particularly dated now, and probably did even back in
1973 as it's an odd mix of Bob Hope and Carry On. A miscast York looks uncomfortable throughout, struggling to convince
as either a bumbling Bob Hope type or a skilled swordsman. Lester
displays no knack for constructing action sequences, his camera somehow
always either too close or too far from the action to convey it
precisely. The sword-fighting choreography is about as convincing as
kids playing with sticks in a school yard. There is one set-piece where
the comedy and action gel as the musketeers use their skills to steal
food from a tavern in a sequence that plays like a big-budget riff of
the sort of routines British comic duo Morecambe and Wise specialised in
during this era.
Watch The Three Musketeers with the sound off and it
likely plays as a far more prestigious production than the bawdy romp
its dialogue reduces it to. David Watkin's cinematography may not
capture the action well, but his establishing shots are a thing of
beauty. Yvonne Blake's costumes are exquisite, and combine with
the production design for a visually dazzling finale at the climactic
ball.
The Four Musketeers (1974)
The followup benefits greatly from giving York's d'Artagnan a reduced
role, allowing more talented supporting actors like Reed, Lee and
Dunaway more screen time. Dunaway's Milady becomes a prominent figure
here, seducing d'Artagnan while Rochefort abducts Constance. A
backstory is then revealed involving Milady's past relationship with
musketeer Athos, who believed he had killed her after exposing
previous wrongdoings. Milady is then sent to England with orders to
disrupt the Duke of Buckingham's assistance to France's Protestant
rebels.
Dunaway excels as the duplicitous Milady, and her backstabbing and
conniving represent arguably the most interesting moments across the
two films. Reed, who was largely a non-presence in the first film,
gets to display his acting chops in a monologue reminiscing of his
days with Milady. It's a rather blandly written piece but Reed lends
it a gravitas, his face betraying his confused feelings regarding the
villainess. It's too easy to simply think of Reed as a drunken
hellraiser today, but this is a reminder of just what a fine actor he
was.
Lee gets to show off his swordfighting skills in a couple of
set-pieces that are more skillfully staged than those from the
previous film, particularly a climactic duel against d'Artagnan. A
sequence on a frozen ice field is sadly fumbled by director Lester,
leaving us to wonder how great it might have been in more
action-oriented hands.
The Three Musketeers and
The Four Musketeers are on 4K
UHD, bluray, DVD and VOD from April 24th.