The Three Musketeers (1948 film) / Die drei Musketiere / Director : George Sidney / Starring : Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, June Allyson

The Three Musketeers (1948 film) / Die drei Musketiere / Director : George Sidney / Starring : Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, June Allyson

UPC 7321921506529 

Made in Germany

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.

I watched this movie because I enjoyed an adaptation when I was a child and I was curious about the older versions. I was expecting to be counting out points where the new movie that I grew up with was better, but I was wrong. I could not be more wrong. I have never seen such a well acted sword fight in my life. The choreography was excellent, the actors were fit and enthusiastic. I had no idea that a movie like this could exist. Everyone should see this, it will change the way you look at modern movies forever. 

The Three Musketeers is a 1948 film directed by George Sidney, written by Robert Ardrey, and starring Gene Kelly and Lana Turner. It is a Technicolor adventure film adaptation of the classic novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.

THIS DVD CAME TO US FROM GERMANY!

Audio: English, German

Subtitle: German

Playtime:  121 minutes

REGION 2 PAL EUROPEAN DVD

Plot

D'Artagnan (Gene Kelly), an inexperienced Gascon youth, travels to Paris to join the elite King's Musketeers. On his way, he encounters a mysterious lady at a roadside inn. When he picks a fight with one of her escorts, she becomes suspicious and has him knocked unconscious. His letter of introduction from his father to de Treville (Reginald Owen), the commander of the Musketeers, is burned. When he awakens, he continues on to the city.

In Paris, he nevertheless presents himself to de Treville, who recognizes d'Artagnan's description of one of his assailants and, saying "A man is sometimes known by the enemies he makes," makes him a cadet. The young Gascon spots the very man and in his haste to confront him, annoys three of the most skillful Musketeers: Athos (Van Heflin), Porthos (Gig Young) and Aramis (Robert Coote). Each challenges him to a duel. At the appointed place, upon learning they are all there to duel the same man the master swordsmen are amused by the newcomer's audacity. Before they can begin, however, they are interrupted by Richelieu's guards, who try to arrest the Musketeers. Outraged that the three are outnumbered, d'Artagnan joins them in dispatching their foes, displaying his superb swordsmanship in the process. As a result, he is welcomed into their ranks.

Later, d'Artagnan rescues (and falls in love with) Constance Bonacieux (June Allyson), a confidante of Queen Anne (Angela Lansbury). The queen had been given a matched set of twelve diamond studs by her husband, King Louis XIII (Frank Morgan). Foolishly, she gives them to her lover, the Duke of Buckingham (John Sutton), who is also the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Knowing of the queen's indiscretion, Richelieu (Vincent Price) sees a way to persuade the King to go to war with Britain. Richelieu arranges a ball and suggests to Louis that he have the Queen wear the diamonds.

D'Artagnan and his three friends volunteer to travel to Britain to retrieve the jewels, but along the way, they are ambushed by Richelieu's men. One by one, the Musketeers are forced to stay behind to hold off their pursuers. Finally, only d'Artagnan and his servant Planchet (Keenan Wynn) are left to reach the Duke. However, Richelieu had already sent the beautiful Milady, Countess de Winter (Lana Turner) to work her wiles on His Grace and steal two of the studs. The Duke's jeweler is able to make replacements quickly and d'Artagnan races back to France. He arrives just in time to save the Queen from disgrace.

Admiring d'Artagnan's resourcefulness, Richelieu has Constance abducted in an attempt to enlist him in his service. He also assigns de Winter to help persuade the young man. D'Artagnan tries to learn where Constance is being held from Milady, but begins to fall under her spell instead. When Athos discovers that the Countess de Winter is actually his treacherous wife, he tries to warn d'Artagnan, but is not believed. Then d'Artagnan finds out that Athos was telling the truth: He sees a brand on Milady's shoulder, the mark of a common criminal, just where Athos had told him he would.

Fighting breaks out between Britain and France. The Queen succeeds in freeing Constance and sends her to Buckingham for safety. When the war goes against him, Richelieu gives de Winter a carte blanche and sends her to Britain to assassinate his foe. The Musketeers learn of the plot and send Planchet to warn the Duke. Athos confronts Milady and recovers the carte blanche as proof of Richelieu's treachery. De Winter is imprisoned by the Duke and placed in the custody of Constance, but when the latter lets her guard down de Winter kills first her, then Buckingham. Athos and d'Artagnan arrive too late to save them.

D'Artagnan and Athos return to France with a self-imposed mission: find the Countess de Winter and give her justice for the murders of the Duke of Buckingham and Constance. They lose track of her on the road to Lille and return to Paris. Captain de Treville informs them that de Winter has not been seen in the city, and warns the Musketeers that she is under Richelieu's protection; if they continue their vendetta, if they are not killed they will have to flee to Spain as wanted men. They elect to proceed after Aramis recalls a conversation between Milady and Richelieu concerning the granting of a title and an estate near Lille.

Caught once again by the Musketeers at that estate, the ancestral home of Athos, she begs for mercy but finds none, even though her husband still loves her despite her many crimes. Seeing this, she calms herself and walks with dignity to her execution. The Musketeers are ambushed by Richelieu's men, captured, and returned to the Royal Court for judgment.

As Richelieu is about to have them sentenced to death by the king, d'Artagnan produces the carte blanche. Richelieu is compelled to recommend to King Louis that he grant Aramis's wish to enter a monastery; Porthos, an introduction to a rich widow; Athos, the restoration of his title and lands; and d'Artagnan, a commission as a Musketeer and a mission to England, for "the English lead too dull a life." The four, dismissed by the King, stride from the throne room in triumph.

Cast

• Lana Turner as Milady, Countess de Winter
• Gene Kelly as d'Artagnan
• June Allyson as Constance Bonacieux
• Van Heflin as Athos
• Angela Lansbury as Queen Anne
• Frank Morgan as King Louis XIII
• Vincent Price as Richelieu. Not wanting to risk offending Roman Catholics, MGM ensured that the character was never referred to as a cardinal.^[4]
• Keenan Wynn as Planchet
• John Sutton as the Duke of Buckingham
• Gig Young as Porthos
• Robert Coote as Aramis
• Reginald Owen as Treville
• Sol Gorss as Jussac, an officer in Richelieu's Guards (uncredited)
• Ian Keith as Rochefort, Richelieu's chief henchman. Keith reprised his role as Rochefort from the 1935 version.
• Patricia Medina as Kitty, Lady de Winter's maid
• Richard Stapley as Albert
• Byron Foulger as Bonacieux (uncredited)
• Gil Perkins as Felton (uncredited)
• Dick Simons as Count de Wardes (uncredited)
• Robert Warwick as d'Artagnan Sr. (uncredited)
• Alberto Morin as Bazin (uncredited)

The film was very successful, earning MGM's second highest gross of the 1940s, even though its large production budget minimised profits. According to MGM accounts it made $4,124,000 in the US and Canada and $4,288,000 elsewhere, recording a profit of $1,828,000.

It was one of the most popular films of 1948.