The Three Musketeers (1948)

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.Running Time: 126 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 012569795099 Manufacturer No: 79509 Product Description

Another Great Swashbuckler

Another wonderful swashbuckler. Very entertaining. The color is wonderful. There is nothing like the old movies Terrific. August 28, 2008

Swashbuckling in the Rain

MGM's strange version of the Alexandre Dumas classic remains the most miscast swashbuckler in movie history. Gene Kelly plays D'Artagnan as though he were in a musical, which isn't surprising since George Sidney directs "The Three Musketeers" as though it were "Anchors Aweigh." At least Kelly doesn't sing. This 1948 production finds plenty of actors stuck in the wrong genre: Lana Turner, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Vincent Price, Gig Young, Frank Morgan and Keenan Wynn! Only Angela Lansbury and Reginald Owen emerge unscathed. Sidney approaches the Dumas adventure with an uneasy, uncertain tone - not helped by the cheerfully garish Technicolor. Happily, the filmmaking stylist showed a remarkable resurgence in his 1952 remake of "Scaramouche." August 4, 2008

ANOTHER MGM SCHIZOID PRODUCTION

Previous reviews have gone on at length about the plot, and made comparisons to other productions, so I'm just adding a few thoughts.
1) Yes, Gene Kelly is jaw-droppingly brilliant in his swashbuckling scenes. I don't think I've ever seen anyone top him, including Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Unfortunately, he does have a tendency to smirk at the worst possible times, including June Bug's death scene.
2) As some others have suggested, Lana Turner and Angela Lansbury should
have traded parts, altho Lana's fake remorse scene, done with no make-up
and a modified fright wig, is better than I would have expected from The
Sweater Girl.
3) Did Miss Allyson have it in her contract that she would only wear costumes which included a Peter Pan collar? Her outfits are nearly as
funny as the Musketeers, almost all of which were in various shades of
pink, purple and puce. I've seen drag queens on Halloween who were less
flamboyant!
4) Was Robert Coote ever THAT YOUNG?? April 15, 2008

Why eat crackers when you can have croissant?

I'm sorry, but technicolor alone doesn't make a good movie. This is a perfectly dreadful version of a classic, ham-handed and light-headed. Only Van Heflin keeps it going. Lana Turner, even when well cast, was an awful actress. Kelly can bound and fence, but his grief over June Allyson is barely serviceable. See the Michael York version instead...MUCH better! (Charlton Heston even makes a better Richelieu.) February 23, 2008

For Gene Kelly, Gravity is Optional. For George Sidney, So is Good Storytelling.

If you only know Gene Kelly as a famous dancer, then you have reason enough to see this film. In the role of D'Artagnan, a young romantic out to unleash himself on the world, Kelly's is a presence to be savored. His amazing agility and commitment to his role pay off in unspeakably rich ways during the film's many swash-buckling scenes. He leaps across roofs, off and onto balconies, and across villain-filled rooms with the kind of effortlessness one only sees in comic books. He owns the physically impossible to an extent that would make Jackie Chan blush. Watching this film for the first time, I found it difficult to believe that he accomplished all of this unaided in the age before computerized special effects. Kelly is the real deal.

Unfortunately, that's where my praise of this film ends. Though filled to the brim with legendary actors and taken from a brilliant novel, this film fails to shine on any other level. George Sidney takes a character-rich adventure of light idealism and dark villainy, and translates it into a trite, feel-good comedy adventure. Just as the Technicolor of the film takes away the rich shadows and replaces them with shiny colors, so too does the film take away those subtle hues of character and replace them with smiling, laughing heroes and unhappy looking villains. Turner manages to impress me when she isn't being directed to deliver over-the-top performances, yet command performers like Vincent Price and Van Heflin, though given an abundance of screen time, are never really given an opportunity to shine. Price's Richilieu is just a mean guy with a french accent. Athos's rich conflict with Lady de Winter is thoroughly underplayed in order to keep this smiling swash-buckling adventure light. And the choice of Frank Morgan (a highly talented comedian) to play the king seals the guarantee that this film has little intention of delivering any level of substance by the close.

George Sidney's Three Musketeers features some of the best swash-buckling I've ever seen on the silver screen and absolutely nothing more. Even with Gene Kelly's amazing physical performances, the film offers very little to inspire a second watching. Were we in the late 1940s, this would have been a fun Friday evening's diversion at the movies, but it is not a film for the ages. February 11, 2008

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