Don't give D'Artagnan a musket, he'll put someone's eye out...
I have been meaning to watch The Three Musketeers (1973) for years and years. I am a complete fawning fangirl for the book, which I think is one of the most brilliantly flawed masterpieces of adventure fiction ever.
I really enjoyed this! Michael York was appropriately dorky as the hapless D'Artagnan. They actually put in the whole romantic plot where he falls for his elderly landlord's sexy wife for no reason whatsoever apart from her being a) sexy and b) present, and Raquel Welch livened up the role of Constance considerably by making her comic throughout. Oliver Reed was a marvellous Athos, possibly because he was actually drunk throughout all filming (either that or... best actor EVER). The cast also includes Richard Chamberlain (Aramis), Christopher Lee (Rochefort), Geraldine Chaplin (Anne of Austria), Charlton Heston (Richelieu) and Faye Dunaway (Milady), with two bonus great comic performances by Spike Milligan (Bonacieux the landlord) and Roy Kinnear (Planchet).
Seriously. How did I stay away from this movie for so long? For some reason in my head it was one of those old stilted black and white style movies, like the Greer Garson Pride and Prejudice, I am obviously insane.
The chaotic mad swashbuckle and humour of the original book is there, and the utter randomness of the plot (in which three of the king's men and a lad hoping to be one of them aid the queen to hide her adultery/treason for no reason other than... a lady asked them to), though little of the darkness that coloured so much of the latter part of the book. I'm hoping that The Four Musketeers - Milady's Revenge will redress that, but considering how much of the original Dumas is in this movie (with an extra helping of Seventies Style bawdiness and slapstick) I'm certainly not complaining.
It certainly puts the 90's Three Musketeers (my first introduction to the story) to shame, though Kiefer Sutherland will always be my Athos, Oliver Platt is still the best Porthos, and Chris O'Donnell was almost as appropriately wimpy and annoying as "our hero" though he cannot in anyway compete with Michael York's comic fight scenes and Tim Brooke-Taylor hair.
EDIT: Same director as A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum! Makes so much sense!
DOUBLE EDIT: Also same director as Superman II and III... less sense... less sense...
I really enjoyed this! Michael York was appropriately dorky as the hapless D'Artagnan. They actually put in the whole romantic plot where he falls for his elderly landlord's sexy wife for no reason whatsoever apart from her being a) sexy and b) present, and Raquel Welch livened up the role of Constance considerably by making her comic throughout. Oliver Reed was a marvellous Athos, possibly because he was actually drunk throughout all filming (either that or... best actor EVER). The cast also includes Richard Chamberlain (Aramis), Christopher Lee (Rochefort), Geraldine Chaplin (Anne of Austria), Charlton Heston (Richelieu) and Faye Dunaway (Milady), with two bonus great comic performances by Spike Milligan (Bonacieux the landlord) and Roy Kinnear (Planchet).
Seriously. How did I stay away from this movie for so long? For some reason in my head it was one of those old stilted black and white style movies, like the Greer Garson Pride and Prejudice, I am obviously insane.
The chaotic mad swashbuckle and humour of the original book is there, and the utter randomness of the plot (in which three of the king's men and a lad hoping to be one of them aid the queen to hide her adultery/treason for no reason other than... a lady asked them to), though little of the darkness that coloured so much of the latter part of the book. I'm hoping that The Four Musketeers - Milady's Revenge will redress that, but considering how much of the original Dumas is in this movie (with an extra helping of Seventies Style bawdiness and slapstick) I'm certainly not complaining.
It certainly puts the 90's Three Musketeers (my first introduction to the story) to shame, though Kiefer Sutherland will always be my Athos, Oliver Platt is still the best Porthos, and Chris O'Donnell was almost as appropriately wimpy and annoying as "our hero" though he cannot in anyway compete with Michael York's comic fight scenes and Tim Brooke-Taylor hair.
EDIT: Same director as A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum! Makes so much sense!
DOUBLE EDIT: Also same director as Superman II and III... less sense... less sense...