three musketeers redux movie review

2
Three Musketeers Redux (1973) Though it’s been ten years (  Jesus!) since I reviewed this movie, which turns forty this year, I felt compelled to take a look at it again because I just received in the mail a copy of it on blu-ray, along with its companion The Four Musketeers. I had accepted that this film would never be upgraded to high definition, that I would be forever stuck with the lacking DVD transfers. I was shocked to learn that they had been released, willing to shell out the $40 for the set, because while I might balk at that price for some (many) movies, these are among my favorites and priceless to me. They could have cost a hundred for the pair and I probably still would have paid it. If we’re fortunate, and I am in this regard, we find movies all our lives that we are enamored of, that inspire us, that we simply love. But I am taken to believe that the movies we embrace in our youth stay with us much longer than those we discover as adults; maybe with less competition for our youthful attention (certainly the case when I was a child), we can incorporate films deeper into our hearts and psyches. Or maybe it’s simply when we first encounter something that opens our eyes in certain ways, it tends to lodge itself in our memory banks. This is the f ilm that taught me, though I didn’t know it until years later, the value of production design; what color can mean and signify in visual images, how it can be artfully used to convey information to the audience. It doesn’t hurt that the film has a clever script, an amazing cast, a stirring soundtrack, and now, thanks to the blu- ray, finally a version worth watching. Though the disc tends toward the bright end a little almost all day-for-night shooting just looks like daylight we can see details we’ve never seen before, such as the rich textures in the clothing, the patterns in the cardinal’s royal purple outfits, and the incredible detail on all costumes, but in particular those of the musketeers and the Duke of Buckingham. We can also hear a good deal better, and the little asides that people on the sidelines make are fully audible and usually very funny. Altogether this disc is a marked improvement in every way over any other version, and worth the purchase price for any fan. I know I’ve harped on this elsewhere, but this film both of them, reallyare so good it makes no sense aside from a financial standpoint why you would ever try to remake them. While I know fans of the Kiefer Sutherland version from the 90s, the one done recently with Matthew Macfayden was execrable, and the kung-fu Musketeer  from a decade ago was an embarrassment. Dumas’ novel is a rich tapestry of smart plotting and brilliant characterization, and while the movie isn’t exactly terrible faithful to the details of the book, it captures the spirit of the work inimitably. Please, Hollywood, don’t try to make another version of this. It simply won’t be as good as this one. While I watched it this go -around, I tried to think of whom I would cast in a new version, and while I came up with some ideas, really, you could never outdo Oliver Reed’s Athos or Charlton Heston’s Richelieu (his finest performance, period). Why even try?

Upload: oshram-kino

Post on 03-Apr-2018

214 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

7/29/2019 Three Musketeers Redux movie review

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/three-musketeers-redux-movie-review 1/2

Three Musketeers Redux(1973)

Though it’s been ten years ( Jesus!) since I reviewed this movie, which turns forty

this year, I felt compelled to take a look at it again because I just received in themail a copy of it on blu-ray, along with its companion The Four Musketeers. I hadaccepted that this film would never be upgraded to high definition, that I would beforever stuck with the lacking DVD transfers. I was shocked to learn that they hadbeen released, willing to shell out the $40 for the set, because while I might balk atthat price for some (many) movies, these are among my favorites and priceless tome. They could have cost a hundred for the pair and I probably still would havepaid it.

If we’re fortunate, and I am in this regard, we find movies all our lives that we areenamored of, that inspire us, that we simply love. But I am taken to believe thatthe movies we embrace in our youth stay with us much longer than those wediscover as adults; maybe with less competition for our youthful attention (certainlythe case when I was a child), we can incorporate films deeper into our hearts andpsyches. Or maybe it’s simply when we first encounter something that opens oureyes in certain ways, it tends to lodge itself in our memory banks.

This is the f ilm that taught me, though I didn’t know it until years later, the value of production design; what color can mean and signify in visual images, how it can beartfully used to convey information to the audience. It doesn’t hurt that the film hasa clever script, an amazing cast, a stirring soundtrack, and now, thanks to the blu-ray, finally a version worth watching. Though the disc tends toward the bright end alittle – almost all day-for-night shooting just looks like daylight – we can see details

we’ve never seen before, such as the rich textures in the clothing, the patterns inthe cardinal’s royal purple outfits, and the incredible detail on all costumes, but inparticular those of the musketeers and the Duke of Buckingham. We can also heara good deal better, and the little asides that people on the sidelines make are fullyaudible and usually very funny. Altogether this disc is a marked improvement inevery way over any other version, and worth the purchase price for any fan.

I know I’ve harped on this elsewhere, but this film – both of them, really—are sogood it makes no sense aside from a financial standpoint why you would ever try toremake them. While I know fans of the Kiefer Sutherland version from the 90s, theone done recently with Matthew Macfayden was execrable, and the kung-fu

Musketeer   from a decade ago was an embarrassment. Dumas’ novel is a richtapestry of smart plotting and brilliant characterization, and while the movie isn’texactly terrible faithful to the details of the book, it captures the spirit of the workinimitably. Please, Hollywood, don’t try to make another version of this. It simplywon’t be as good as this one. While I watched it this go-around, I tried to think of whom I would cast in a new version, and while I came up with some ideas, really,you could never outdo Oliver Reed’s Athos or Charlton Heston’s Richelieu (his finestperformance, period). Why even try?

7/29/2019 Three Musketeers Redux movie review

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/three-musketeers-redux-movie-review 2/2

I’m just glad I finally have a version worthy of the material that is wholly watchableinstead of the disappointing DVD release. This movie has been one of my favoritesfor forty years, and probably will always remain in my top ten movies ever made. If any film (other than The Seven Samurai ) deserves a blu-ray, then certainly it is this

one. I’m inordinately pleased to finally have a good copy of a movie that is so dearto me, and has meant so much to me for so long. Now if someone could justrelease Return of the Musketeers, which reunites this cast, I’d truly be in Heaven. 

March 15, 2013