The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a King's musketeer. He meets and quarrels with three men, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, each of whom challenges him to a duel. D'Artagnan finds out they are musketeers and is invited to join them in their efforts to oppose Cardinal Richelieu, who wishes to increase his already considerable power over the King. D'Artagnan must also juggle affairs with the charming Constance Bonancieux and the passionate Lady De Winter, a secret agent for the Cardinal.
Michael York
D’Artagnan
Oliver Reed
Athos
Richard Chamberlain
Aramis
Frank Finlay
Porthos / O'Reilly
Faye Dunaway
Lady de Winter
Raquel Welch
Constance de Bonancieux
Christopher Lee
Rochefort
Geraldine Chaplin
Anna of Austria
Jean-Pierre Cassel
Louis XIII
Spike Milligan
M. Bonancieux
Charlton Heston
Cardinal Richelieu
Simon Ward
Duke of Buckingham
Georges Wilson
Treville
Roy Kinnear
Planchet
Joss Ackland
D’Artagnan’s Father
Sybil Danning
Eugenie
Michael Gothard
Felton
Nicole Calfan
Kitty
Gitty Djamal
Beatrice
Ángel del Pozo
Jussac
Rodney Bewes
Spy
Gretchen Franklin
D’Artagnan’s Mother
William Hobbs
Assassin
Ben Aris
1st Musketeer
Francis de Wolff
Sea Captain
Frank Thornton
Man in Small Carriage (uncredited)
John Bluthal
Various Roles (voice)
Michael Hordern
Treville (voice)
Richard Briers
Louis XIII (voice)
Director
Richard Lester
Novel
Alexandre Dumas
Screenplay
George MacDonald Fraser
December 25, 2023
7
OK, so I never really did understand why Michael York succeeded, but here he makes for quite a decent "D'Artagnan". A country bumpkin who arrives in Paris determined to follow in his father's footsteps and join the king's musketeers. His first day is not auspicious, though. He ends up slated to fight three duels with "Athos" (Oliver Reed), "Porthos" (Frank Finlay) and 'Aramis" (Richard Chamberlain). Luckily the Cardinal's guard intervene and soon the four are "one for all....". "D'Artagnan" ends up lodging with the cowardly "Bonacieux" (Spike Milligan) and his unlikely bride "Constance" (Raquel Welch) who is a dressmaker to the Queen (Geraldine Chaplin) who is treading a dangerous line between her marriage to the King (Jean-Pierre Cassel) and her love of British Prime Minister, the Duke of Buckingham (Simon Ward). None of this is unknown to the shrewd Cardinal Richelieu (Charlton Heston) who uses his two stalwarts "Rochefort" (Christopher Lee) and "Milady" (Faye Dunaway) to lay a trap that will rid him of not just the Queen, but also discredit the musketeers and leave the king squarely in his pocket! Tongues are firmly in cheeks here as this enjoyable adventure picks up pace from the get-go and with loads of characterful contributions from Milligan, the long-suffering "Planchet" (Roy Kinnear) and, personally, the always good value Frank Finlay. There's loads of lighthearted comedy, some pithy dialogue and all-in-all everyone looks like they are having a good time swashing and buckling, manoeuvring, seducing, plotting, swilling copious amounts of wine and... Funnily enough, it's actually Heston who comes across more the Thespian amongst the cast - his being the more earnest role, but Reed and Lee are up for the lark, and I was too. Enjoyable stuff, this!
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$22,018,000.00