Cinema Revisited: Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers

I wish I could remember her name.

It was a pretty girl attending high school with me back in the Spring of 1974 when this movie first hit American theaters. She came up to me one day and said, "Jimmy, you have to go see The Three Musketeers, it's really funny and crazy like those classic comedies you're always talking about!" Of course that intrigued me.

The 1970s was an incredible decade for a film buff to come of age. The classic films were all over television and in revival theaters allowing me to discover the great cinema of Hollywood's golden age. And the new movies were created by filmmakers who were inspired by these classics, but also challenged the norm. So when someone recommended a movie to me, it was pretty likely I'd dig it.

"The Three Musketeers" was a classic story by Dumas that had been filmed often before. I already knew of a silent version with Douglas Fairbanks, and a 1935 sound version. There was the one with Gene Kelly years later, and also the one with Don Ameche and The Ritz Brothers that Beaver Cleaver used as the basis of a book report, much to the chagrin of Miss Rayburn.

This latest film was directed by Richard Lester who had helmed the two Beatles movies A Hard Day's Night and Help! as well as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which featured, in its cast, heroes of mine like Phil Silvers and Buster Keaton.

The Three Musketeers had a pretty amazing cast itself: Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Michael York, Richard Chamberlain, Christopher Lee, Charlton Heston -- even Charlie Chaplin's daughter Geraldine! In the ads for "The Three Musketeers," there was a quote from fellow classic film buff Peter Bogdanovich, who called it "The best new movie I have seen in years."

When I did finally go see the movie I was not disappointed. it was part Douglas Fairbanks swashbuckling, and part slapstick zaniness like The Ritz Brothers. Perhaps because it concentrated on the more comic elements of the story, it was more fun and exciting. Director Lester's penchant for absurdity and his skill at directing action sequences, including slapstick, made the movie edgier, crazier, more exuberant than the usual telling of the story. I was happy to report to the pretty girl in school that I agreed with, and appreciated, her recommendation.

Fast forward nearly 50 years later. I honestly don't recall having seen The Three Musketeers since its initial release back in those long ago 70s. So, I caught it on cable and, as with most period pieces that don't define a particular era in the culture or filmmaking, it has held up beautifully. It is still as much fun as it was then, maybe even moreso.

I have since read about them filming two movies at the same time, and editing together yet another feature out of the remaining footage. Apparently the length of The Three Musketeers was so great, it resulted in enough material for The Four Musketeers to be released in February of 1975 (I recall that film being good, but not as good). This practice caused lawsuits, resulting in something called the Salkind Clause, wherein all SAG actors' contracts must stipulate how many films are being made during production.

There are films that resonate with us film buffs over time. We watch them over and over, and they seem to improve upon repeated viewings. It's like they become a part of our existence. And then there are films that lurk in the deep in the dimness of one's past, reminding us, when revisited, of the fun they can still provide. The Three Musketeers is the latter.

But I still wish I could remember that girl's name.