Monday, April 27, 2020

DVD/150: THE THREE MUSKETEERS (THE QUEEN'S DIAMONDS) (Richard Lester, 1973)

Although Lester's fondness for dubbed muttered asides gets wearing, THE THREE MUSKETEERS still delivers great Sunday afternoon adventure.


Alexandre Dumas' classic tale of young d'Artagnan's wish to join King Louis XIII's Musketeers and being taken under the wing of intense Athos, jovial Porthos and romantic Aramis.


He also finds love with Constance, Queen Anne's clumsy maid, and makes enemies of the manipulative Cardinal Richelieu, and his spies Rochefort and deadly Milady de Winter when he foils an attempt by them to discredit Queen Anne.


Lustrous cinematography by David Watkin, Yvonne Blake's costumes and Michel Legrand's stirring score make the film a delight to watch and Richard Lester mixes swordplay and slapstick memorably.


Delivering memorable performances are Oliver Reed as Athos, Michael York as d'Artagnan, Charlton Heston as Richelieu, Raquel Welch as Constance, Roy Kinnear as d'Artagnan's servant Planchet but above them all, is Faye Dunaway as a wonderfully icy Milady.


Shelf or charity shop?  The musketeers are swashing their buckles in the limbo of my plastic dvd storage box.


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