Comments by "Glamdolly" (@glamdolly30) on "WatchMojo.com"
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Agreed! In my view Richard Lester's first two Muskateer movies, released just 6 months apart in 1973 and '74, are by far the best Muskateer movies ever made. He intended it to be one movie, but had filmed so much material, he realised he'd never make his promised release date, so instead he split it into two movies, 'The Three Muskateers' of '73 and hot on its heels 'The Four Muskateers' of 1974.
Because the two films were made simultaneously with the same superb, all-star cast, they are best watched back to back.
Richard Lester (unwisely in my view), made a third movie with the original cast - minus its wonderful leading ladies Faye Dunaway and Raquel Welch who'd both been killed off - in 1989, 'Return of the Muskateers'.
I think that third film was a mistake. The plot and script were inferior, and most disappointingly, the cast were no longer in their sexy, dynamic prime. And it showed! Oliver Reed was looking quite portly and booze-ravaged, and Michael York had lost the youthful exuberance so essential to D'Artagnan's character. The only Muskateer who'd hardly aged a day was Richard Chamberlain as Aramis.
Christopher Lee was rather improbably brought back as villain Count de Rochefort, after he was definitely killed with a sword through the heart by D'Artagnan at the end of the 1974 'Four Muskateers' movie.
In the subsequent, third and final movie, Rochefort explains that he survived that fatal wound, bleeding overnight on the floor of the cathedral (where he'd received D'Artagnan's sword through his chest in a dramatic and beautifully choreographed and performed fight to the death), and spent the next 20 years imprisoned in the Bastille.
Liberties like that with the plot make me prefer to watch the two first movies, which wrap the story up well, and forget the third movie ever happened!
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I think Richard Lester's first two Muskateer movies of '73 and 74 (which are practically one film as they were made simultaneously with the same cast and released just 6 months apart), were by far the best made by anyone. That Charlie Sheen '93 version was an abomination!
It's impossible to match the quality of the all-star cast Lester assembled for his first two Muskateer movies - Oliver Reed, Christopher Lee, Raquel Welch, Faye Dunaway, Michael York, Frank Finlay, Richard Chamberlain, Simon Ward and the rest, were all in their sexy, dynamic prime, and all turned in fantastic performances.
Unfortunately Lester made a third movie in 1989 'Return of the Muskateers', which did not come close to the high quality of the first two, 15 years on, the cast looked much older, especially Oliver Reed who was rather booze ravaged. The plot and script were not a patch on the two originals either - the slapstick had become predictable.
Tragedy marred that third movie too. Beloved British comedy actor Roy Kinnear, reprising his role as the Muskateers sidekick Planchet, died after falling off a horse while filming in Spain in September 1988. The movie was dedicated to him as a result.
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Totally agree with your summary, the Richard Lester directed Musketeer movies of 1973 and '74 (released just 6 months apart) are quite brilliant, and totally stand up today.
In my opinion their all-star casts cannot be surpassed by any other version of the Musketeers (and certainly not that ghastly Charlie Sheen abomination of 1993).
Christopher Lee was perfection as the villain Count de Rochefort, and the great Oliver Reed was perfectly cast as the brooding, charismatic Athos. There isn't a single duff casting - even the great Spike Milligan strikes the right, surreal comedic note!
The third and final Dick Lester Muskateers movie, 1989's 'Return of the Musketeers' was a disappointing affair. 15 years on, the cast were no longer in their exciting, physical prime, and we'd lost the two sublime female leads of the first two movies. Raquel Welch and Faye Dunaway.
Sadly British actor Roy Kinnear who'd featured in all 3 Dick Lester Muskateer movies, died during the making of the third aged 54, after falling off a horse. The movie was dedicated to him as a result.
They cheated the third movie by bringing Back Christopher Lee's villain the Count de Rochefort, when he was clearly killed with a sword to the heart by Michael York's D'Artagnon in the second, 1974 film. In the final '89 movie, Rochfort mentions that he lay bleeding all night on the cathedral floor where that duel took place, but survived to be thrown in the Bastille for many years. As If!
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