The Three Musketeers (1973)

Director: Richard Lester
Starring: Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain

Synopsis:
The eager young Gascon D'Artagnan goes to Paris in order to fulfill his dream of becoming a Musketeer.

Impressions:
I actually saw The Four Musketeers before this, so it's a little weird going back. (However, originally it was all shot together and later split into two films, so there's obviously a strong sense of continuity between the two.) Trademarks of the sequel were established here, namely the poor overdubbing and the surprising preponderance of physical comedy. My praise of the cast in my review of The Four Musketeers holds true here, though Faye Dunaway doesn't get as much opportunity to show off her chops as Milday de Winter (though she shows enough promise of what you can expect in the sequel). Even more so than the sequel, Michael York brings a lot of energy to the role of D'Artagnan, which I figure is worth noting. As one of the better adaptations of the story out there, I certainly recommend it.

Rating:
Watch It