Articles/Interviews

Alexandre Dumas's masterpiece The Three Musketeers has been filmed an incalculable number of times throughout the world. There were versions from Hollywood in 1911, 12, 13 and 14 before the Douglas Fairbanks spectacular of 1921. IN 1939 there was a musical comedy version, while in 1948 Gene Kelly stunned us all with his acrobatics as D'Artagnan. Now comes the 20th Century-Fox Alexander Salkind production distributed by Fox-Rank, the most entertaining of them all, which has been chosen for this year's Royal Film Performance.

Michael York brings D'Artagnan brilliantly to life not only as a brave, lusty and agile fighter, but also a bit of a country bumpkin which makes him endearingly funny. (Incidentally, this is Michael's 4th Royal film. He starred in The Taming Of The Shrew, Romeo And Juliet and Lost Horizon).

The Musketeers, too, were not whiter-than-white heroes ready to put honour above everything. They were mercenaries - bully boys if you like - prepared to fight for anyone who would pay them. We get genuine Musketeers from Richard Chamberlain, Oliver Reed and Frank Finlay - a splendidly rumbustious trio, giving us plenty of excitement, thrills and laughs.

The Three Musketeers was made mostly on location in Spain where 20th-century rubs shoulders with the 16th and 17th. Lovely old castles abound, villages that seem untouched by time, magnificent vistas with nary a telegraph pole, a motorway or a television aerial in sight. The two-million pound budget took care of a crew of over 200, on 55 locations, with 110 separate and distinct sets and a transport corps of 90 vehicles.

The swordplay, battling and general mayhem produced several incidents. Oliver Reed as twice carted off to hospital, once to have a broken finger set, the second visit was more serious - Ollie's palm had been pierced by a sword blade. But it has all come right in the end. The film is visually breathtaking with the camera having a field day among Spain's architectural treasures, while the story is action-filed, realistic, romantic, and very funny.

What do the actors think of it? Oliver Reed says: 'This film is what the industry needs. Let's do without water closets and go back to crinolines and lace, eye-patches and feathers.'

Raquel Welch agrees. 'There's a splendid innocence about it', she said. 'A wonderful fantasy scope with nothing too seriously-serious.'

Director Richard Lester made the point about a tendency in the past to misrepresent Dumas. 'I particularly liked the fact that Dumas looked somewhat coolly at his heroes and warmly at his villains,' he said.

'I'll go along with that,' said Michael York. 'D'Artagnan was loyal, brave, romantic, daring and a bit of a silly ass. That's how I've tried to portray him.'

Frank Finlay, too, had no illusions about Dumas's characters. 'The Musketeers were adventurers, out for themselves. They might be polite and chivalrous, but they could also be quite the reverse. 'That's very true,' put in Richard Chamberlain. 'If one drew a blade in that era it was to kill. We have none of those wrist-flicking duels.'

The humour in the film appears to have spilled out on the set and the actors. Like that day at lunch when Charlton Heston was stoutly defending the somewhat tarnished reputation of Louis XIII, listened to avidly by Jean Pierre Cassel who plays him in the film. Suddenly Heston turned to him quickly. 'Look out, Jean Pierre,' he said. 'Your moustache is about to drop in your soup!'