THE THREE MUSKETEERS
US, 1973, 107 Minutes, Colour.
Michael York, Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain,
Frank Finlay, Faye Dunaway, Christopher Lee, Simon Ward. Roy Kinnear, Geraldine Chaplin. Jean- Pierre Cassel. Spike Milligan.
Directed by Richard Lester.
The Three Musketeers - if you like swashbuckling costume adventures, you should like this. You will like it even more if you join in its mocking mood, for this is an elegant spoof: 3 clumsy musketeers, a naive Dartagnan, some hilarious misadventures in chivalry, dialogue straight from the Goons. And generally it works very well - though a good mood is always a pre-requisite. Very colourful, it follows Dumas' story: it is also very funny. Director Richard Lester moves his cast energetically, with irony and joy. There are Michael York, Raquel Welch, Charlton Heston, Faye Dunaway, Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, Spike Milligan amongst others.
1. Why did audiences find this film enjoyable? Its treatment of the romantic 19th century story? How much of the romance did it retain? As an expensive spectacle with costume and drama? Its basic plot? Its humour? Was it a' successful version of the story?
2. How important were the satirical and parody elements of the story? What was the film satirising? The genre itself? How did it parody the ordinary swash-buckling film? Successfully? Did it remain in good taste and effectiveness in its burlesque of romance dramas?
3. The significance of the screenplay and the dialogue? The Goon humour. the wit. the bathos and contrast of the dialogue and situations? What happened to audience response when romantic incidents are linked with parody dialogue? Does the success of the film lie here? Did the film have 'its cake and eat it,?
4. How well did the film portray the different classes in France. the life of the peasants and the musketeers background. court life and the intrigues of court life? Why do audiences find such costume intrigue interesting?
5. what did the film portray of power struggles? How seriously? Richelieu’s power hunt? The ineffective king and queen. the English influence. Richelieu's spies the dash of the Musketeers?
6. How was the film a morality fable? Surface conventions and interior hypocrisy? The stands of right and wrong. good and evil? Noble situations and ironic comments? Ugly situations and ironic comments?
7. Why was D’ Artagnan made the central figure? Our response to him at the start - the swords during the credits, his fight.. lessons from his father, his arrogance in challenging people? Why was he accepted as a Musketeer? His poor background and yet their overcoming this? The number of his mistakes and awkwardness? His hiring the house, his relationship to Constance and her husband, his role in the court? How much a hero was he? How romantic? The picture of patriotism? How enjoyable a hero? How real?
8. what was audience response to the Musketeers themselves? Our initial viewing of them? The personality of the actors portraying them? Their pretensions and pride, vanity? Their patriotism? Their love of a fight? Their roguery? The fact that they were not entirely successful? mock heroics?
9. Was Richelieu a comic character like the others? Charlton Heston's performance and style? His intrigue for power? His hold over 'milady'? Over Rochefort? His torturing of Constance's husband? The sequences of his presence at the chess game. in the dungeons. at the final banquet?
10. The portrayal of the king and queen - arrogant costume drama? Fools of royalty? Was Buckingham also presented as a fool?
11. How romantic a heroine was Constance? The personality of Raquel Welch? Her love for her husband? Her love for DArtagnan? As a loyal patriot for the queen? The awkwardness of her presence at the end?
12. How did Planchet add to the humour of the film? The peasant servant for the peasant Musketeer? His loyalty and devotion? As a buffoon and fool?
13. How strongly did the film rely on spectacular details? The Musketeers fighting with the soldiers, the animated chess game, the poorhouse and the periscope, the elaborate stealing of the food, the fighting in the laundry, the Pageantry of the court, the jewels incident, the ball, the suspense about the jewels etc.?
14. The film was made with satire and spectacle. What does this say about the tastes of the audiences of the 70s?
