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The Three Musketeers |
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Staring:
Lana Turner,
Gene Kelly,
June Allyson,
Van Heflin,
Angela Lansbury
Director:
George Sidney
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $8.82
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Description
A classic tale set during the reign of Louis XIII. A young man joins the musketeers to foil an evil cardinal's plot to seize control of France.
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 Cheesy, but nostalgically fun..., 2010-08-15
I grew up on this film, so I'll always have soft spot for it. I realize now that some dialogue is trite, the drama over-done, and a few of the situations downright silly. But I still like it. This movie also remains the only version that remains semi-true to Dumas' book, and manages to tell the entire story within 120 or so minutes. It is also notable for two very strong acting performances: Van Heflin as Athos and Lana Turner as Milady. Heflin can seem sleepy at times, but that is largely due to the character: Athos was normally drunk and impassive, and Heflin does a good job of conveying this while giving hints of the 'hidden demons' that emerge later in the film. In spite of later efforts by highly qualified actresses, Lana Turner's Milady remains the definitive interpretation of the character - coy and charming one moment, a vicious tigress the next, while always having the face of an angel. If you're looking for swashbuckling / sword-fighting, there is plenty of that, though sometimes the fights seem to become a showcase for Gene Kelley's athleticism. If you can overlook a few gag-worthy moments, this remains very worthy adaptation of Dumas' novel.
The Three Musketeers that closely follow Dumas, 2010-08-02
This version of The Three Musketeers is the one I believe is closest to the unabridged book of the same name by the French Alexandre Dumas (father); yes, there is death, sorrow and revenge at the end, almost as much as in "20 Years After" by the same author, the story of the older and spent D'Artagnan and the 3 other musketeers that takes place 20 years after the end of The Three Musketeers. The fact that the movie includes Gene Kelly as D'Artagnan lends it light-footed and artistic swordplay scenes that only a born dancer such as he can perform. There are scenes where gravity seems not to apply. Good ol'Gene! What an artist! The DVD is very good quality in term of sound and image, specially given its age (1948). A great classic, albeit sent to the backburner by splashier and "oscar-for-wardrobe" type of later versions. I recommend it entirely due to quality of film, sound, Gene Kelly and price.
The Three Musketeers, 2010-07-27
Great example of the "swashbuckling" genre...All the players are great, especially Gene Kelly...and Lana Turner is the perfect mix of beauty and poison...overall, a very good movie...
THE Best Adaptation Of "The Three Musketeers"-& Kelly Steals The Show!!, 2010-07-19
Reviewers over the years have emphasized the un-even feel of this particular version of Dumas' tale. But next to the more revisionist 1974 version, this lavish MGM production is the most faithful to the source material;Besides, how could anyone expect the fates of Lord Chamberlain and Constance, and especially the back story of Athos, to be done in as fun and breezy a manner as the first half of the story, unless it was completely altered!!
It only SEEMS more uneven here, because Gene Kelly SO completely steals the film in the first half;With his robust, athletic/dancer skills, Kelly hands down, is the most convincing D'Artagnan onscreen ever, out-swashbuckling even THE symbol of movie swashbuckling, Errol Flynn!
And kudos to director George Sidney for the breath-taking action sequence on the beach;Watch this and take copious notes, film students!!
Dancing through Dumas, 2010-05-26
Like MGM, for which he made many movies, Gene Kelly was best known for musicals, but he's surprisingly effective in a swashbuckling role, and indeed his version of this classic title is about the best short of Richard Lester's two-volume treatment The Complete Musketeers (The Three Musketeers / The Four Musketeers), even if he does only get second billing. (Indeed, looking at the fight scenes, I suspect Lester had more than a nodding familiarity with this one.) He plays the young Gascon, d'Artagnan, who comes to 17th-Century Paris to become a member of the King's Musketeers, meets up with the three veterans Athos (Van Heflin), Porthos (Gig Young), and Aramis (Robert Coote), recovers the diamond studs given by the Queen (Angela Lansbury) to her beloved Duke of Buckingham (John Sutton), and gains the enmity of Cardinal Richelieu (Vincent Price) and Milady de Winter (Lana Turner), while falling in love with the royal maid Constance Bonacieux (June Allyson).
Kelly in his musicals was noted for the athletic exuberance of his performances and for tending to do his own stunts (to the horror of studio execs), and while he'd made only three of them before this (he was 36 but doesn't look it), you can clearly see the tendency carrying over. Heflin is suitably debauched as the cyncical former Count, Price is wonderfully sinister if just a bit campy (nothing unusual for him), and there's lots of action, intrigue, valorous escapes, humor (would you believe Keenan Wynn as d'Artagnan's valet Planchet? Neither would I, but he seems to handle the part), and color (the costumes are great--watch for Turner's sculpted waves and improbable hats). Some minor alterations have been made to keep the storyline acceptable to post-war mores (Constance is d'Artagnan's landlord's goddaughter, not his wife, and the two are eventually quietly married), but otherwise the original is followed almost as faithfully as Lester later did it. Anyone who enjoys lively swashbuckling should like this movie.
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
EAN: 0012569795099
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Subtitled, NTSC, Full Screen
Label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2007-03-06
Running Time: 125
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1948-10-20 |
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