Review of The Three Musketeers (1948) by Jacob M — 04 Oct 2013

"To die among friends. Can a man ask more? Can the world offer less? Who wants to live 'till the last bottle is empty? It's all-for one, d'Artagnan, and one for all. ".

The Three Musketeers is one of the most acclaimed books in all of literature. It's also the subject of many film adaptations, including the recent disappointment featuring Logan Lerman and Mila Jovovich. But the most famous film version of the story would definitely be the version I'm about to review, the first version filmed in Technicolor and starring Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, and Vincent Price. And I must say, while I did have some problems, it is much, much better then the 2011 version.

Gene Kelly plays D'Artagnan, a young country farmer who leaves his home to join the Musketeers in Paris. After a rough start, his amazing sword-fighting techniques causes him to become popular and ends up becoming friends with veteran Musketeers Athos (Van Heflin), Porthos (Gig Young), and Aramis (Robert Coote). Together, they team up to save the Queen (Angela Lansbury) from disgrace, from a diabolical scheme plotted by Milady de Winter (Lana Turner) and Prime Minister Richelieu (Vincent Price).

The film also stars June Allyson as the loyal Constance, who Gene Kelly has an eye for, Keenan Wynn as Kelly's servant Planchet, John Sutton as the Duke of Buckingham, and Frank Morgan as King Louis XIII.

This was the first version of The Three Musketeers that was filmed in Technicolor, and it's the color in this film that really stands out. I was immersed in the locations and the sets, plus the costumes of the time period set in the story. One of the problems I had with the 2011 film was that the story was overdone and mostly confusing. But this one fixed it by making the story easy to remember and one to truly care for.

The action sequences are well-done. Gene Kelly was a perfect choice for the role of D-Artagnan, especially when it comes to the action scenes. Kelly's acrobatic stunts are hard to beat, and his easy-going choreography is very, well-done. Portions of Gene Kelly fighting off guards were later reused in the fake silent movie scene in Singin' in the Rain, but in black-and-white. But the other Musketeers, Heflin, Young, and Coote, do some pretty serious stunts too, but it's Kelly that makes the film worthwhile.

Kelly was incredible when it comes to stunts, but what about his acting? Well, Kelly was strong in the role of D'Artagnan, even if in some cases, he could be considered over-the-top in some places. Heflin, Young, and Coote were also memorable as the Three Musketeers, especially Heflin, who put on a truly, emotional performance as Athos. June Allyson was fine as Constance, even if her beginning scenes scream "MISCAST", but she does improve as the film progresses. Angela Lansbury has a good small role as the Queen, and Frank Morgan, who finally reveals himself outside of Oz, has a memorable appearance as the King. Vincent Price, before he was the "Master of Horror", was great as Richelieu. Price, while not being truly evil here, manages to still immerse you in his role, and is even a little creepy in some paces (such as when he's petting his cat). But the best performance in the film is Lana Turner's role as Milady de Winter. Sure she was heavily glamorized for the role, but, unlike Mila Jovovich's awful take on the same role, Turner could actually come off as attractive and sinister at the same time. When her character goes suicidal towards the end, I was getting goosebumps by her performance alone. That's how excellent Turner was in the role.

There's also a good score here, which was mostly comprised of Tchschviscovksy themes. It's heroic, it's strong, and the Musketeer theme is memorable.

But I did have a couple issues with the film. The film is an exciting action film, but moments featuring Kelley going girl crazy in the middle act was very overdone, dull, and annoying. Also I felt the ending to be a little anticlimactic, especially considering how suspenseful the majority of the film was, but despite this annoying ending, I was pleased with this film. Gene Kelly's stunts were incredible, the action sequences were well-done, the acting performances were mesmerizing, including the performances of Kelly, Van Heflin, Vincent Price, and especially Lana Turner, and the Technicolor is strong. If the 2011 version let you down, this version makes up for it, mostly.