Articles/Interviews

"The film industry must get away from hairpins and ripped shirts and tell more about love, romance and beauty, " advises British star Oliver Reed who plays Athos in the huge new production of "The Three Musketeers," a film where the hairpins have pearls, rubies and diamonds attached to them and the shirt have been ripped by flashing blades.

Reed's worries about the motion picture industry are not about himself; he works non-stop. He simply feels strongly about the excessive reality in current films and wants to see more entertainment.

"'The Three Musketeers' is what the industry needs. Let's do without the water closets and go back to crinoline and lace, eye patches and feathers. Society deserves an escapist film now and again," he says.

Despite his reputation for hard living, Reed seems a romantic in person. He dreams of retiring, not to avoid the hard work of films but to dedicate himself to raising heavyweight hunting horses.

Always trying to conquer the best of both worlds, the burly star of "Women In Love" and "The Devils" is attempting to escape from films by starring in one of the greatest escapist stories of all time, brought to the screen by Alexander Salkind and director Richard Lester.

Reed's distinguished roster of co-stars in the swashbuckler are Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York as D'Artagnan, Frank Finlay, Christopher Lee, Jean Pierre Cassel, Geraldine Chaplin, Spike Milligan and Faye Dunaway as Milady and Charlton Heston as Richelieu.

Reed plays Athos in the cloak and sword romance. The character is described as "a burly, competent looking man, just entering middle age; his hair is slightly touched with grey and he has seen a lot of trouble...he lives hard, drinks too much, has a rooted distrust of women and observes the world with a cynical eye..."

Much of the character's description fits the actor, but Reed is quick to point out that "I love women dearly" and that the cynical eye still occasionally dons rose-colored glasses. Both of those aspects are reflected in his conversation. "I don't like the Socialists, but I love England, and that's why I'm one of the few actors who stay despite taxes."

Director Richard Lester counted on Reed and the others in the cast to be both artistic and physical. Lester demanded authenticity throughout the retelling of the romance, particularly the duelling sequences. He has also created with script writer George MacDonald Fraser distinctive characters for "The Three Musketeers" who in past re-creations tended to be three of a kind.

It all makes for the kind of entertainment for all that seems to be exactly what Reed wants for the industry.

"The Three Musketeers," presented by Alexander Salkind for 20th Century-Fox release, premieres ........................ at the ...................... Theatre. Ilya Salkind was executive producer. Music by Michael LeGrand