| Running Time 105 mins
Rated: PG
In the early 1970’s, Director Richard Lester took on the daunting task of filming Alexander Dumas’ incredible novel of France in the 1600’s. Now the novel is vast, sweeping in scale, and has an incredible number of twists and turns. Many filmmakers have tried to cram this novel into a two hour running time, and Lester was no different. However, what he did was unique. He filmed the entire novel, getting into the detail and all the action, but when he looked at his film, he discovered that he had more than enough footage for two films. And, that’s what he did – he made two films out of the footage.
Problem here: he forgot to tell anybody but the studio. All of the actors and workers involved in the films were only payed for one film. When the second film was released a year after the first, all hell broke loose. Eventually, the actors et al won a lawsuit against the releasing company, but were never compensated fully for the two films. Consequently, it has been difficult at times to find these films, but Fox/Lorimar has both available on VHS and, magically, both films are in their orignal letterbox aspect ratio – a true bonus!
Never before and never again has Dumas’ novel been presented so well. First off, Lester’s direction and style are perfectly suited to the material. His film jumps between humour and pathos, between action and dialogue, between fun and tension. It is a masterful tightrope job of directing, and Lester never did any better work.
One of the best things in the movie(s) is the cast. Wow. What a cast to work with. As the famed Musketeers of the title, Oliver Reed (Athos), Richard Chamberlain (Aramis), and Frank Finley (Porthos) are, in a word, perfect. Reed has the exact mix of charm, wit and nastiness needed for his role, while Chamberlain is at his very best as the lover, while Frank Finley is so good as the fun loving Porthos that one can hardly imagine any other actor taking on the role. And Michael York as D’Artagnan was never, ever any better in his career – he never had a role he was as suited for. His youthful charm is exploited to perfection.
Supporting the stellar core cast is a glittering array of star power, staring with Raquel Welsh as Constance, the object of D’Artagnan’s love and obsession. She is made to be clumsy as well as beautiful, and her acting gives the character a perfect blend. But how about this: Charlton Heston having a wild time playing the evil Cardianl Richelieu; Christopher Lee as his lead henchman Rochefort, blending a cunning mix of deadpan humour in with his natural menace; Faye Dunaway, stunningly portraying the deceptively seductive Milady De Winter; Spike Milligan hamming it up incredibly as Contstance’s husband Bonancieux; Geraldine Chaplin unbelievably luminous as the Queen of France; Simon Ward as the Duke of Buckingham (the Queen’s true love); and Sybil Danning as the hateful Eugenie. Whew!
After you marvel at the cast list, the next thing to look at is the action (this is a swashbuckling adventure, after all). In my experience, the swordplay and fighting scenes have rarely been equalled, let alone surpassed. The fighting is brilliantly staged. Just watching Oliver Reed fend off (and beat up) a swordman armed only with some wet laundry is jaw dropping. The choreography throughout is smashing.
The film(s) also have a slightly gritty and nasty feel to them that really puts the viewer right into France in the 1600’s. We get to see some of what the women went through in their wardrobes to look as they did, we get to see behind the scenes at a Royal Court, we get to see the squalid dwelling that Parisians lived in at the time. Superb.
Um, should we talk about the stories? Sure, why not. The first film starts with a young, naive D’Artagnan leaving his Gascony farm for Paris, to join the Musketeers as his father did. As soon as he arrives, he gets himself embroiled in duels (all but simultaneously with all three Musketeers, above), in trouble with the Cardinal, and at odds with the King of France. During their adventures, the four heroes must save the honour of the Queen by travelling to England and rescuing a bracelet of diamonds. The action and story is exciting, witty, thrilling and funny all at the same time.
The second half of the piece (subtitled “The Revenge of Milady”) seems a little off from the first, for the action really cranks up to a whole new level, and there is a new edge of nastiness that creeps into the film by the end. Of course, the story tells the tale of how Milday De Winter exacts her revenge on the four Musketeers (for defeating her in the first film), and tells an interesting tale of how Milady and Athos are joined from the past.
While I felt the second film fell off a bit from the first, both of these filcks are superb retellings of Dumas’ classic tale. The acting is top notch (I would consider these films the peak of many of these actor’s careers), the direction is spot-on, and the art direction and cinematography are excellent. My recommendation is to find these movies, and watch them one after the other. It’s a great show.
See also: The Four Musketeers |
