With a British accent It so happened that many people have an unambiguous attitude to the Three Musketeers - bravura vaudeville style, the prevalence of comedy. And yet, despite the many adaptations, it is worth admitting a completely different interpretation.
Richard Lester’s tape seems too strict, but it is thanks to it that we can give a new appreciation to all known details. Let's take a look at some of them.
A novel with Constance: What can I add here? Especially since she is bred as one of the central characters, and Raquel Welch is extraordinarily good here. But Lester says Constance is a married lady. And treason, especially marital, is always treason. . .
A trip to England to the Duke of Buckingham: What can I add? Richard Lester showed everything quite smoothly, without much heroism. But, d'Artagnan will be quite cool to show attention from the British. Is it just a nuance? Nope. Just Richard Lester understands that despite his commitment, our hero understands that his actions can be interpreted as treason, as well as admits that he is only a victim of someone else’s game.
Friendship between Musketeers: Surprisingly, Leicester has a special community, not to mention sentimentality, as it is traditionally shown in the movies between the characters. There are four of them, but each on its own. And that's more plausible. These people are too different. And this author's view deserves attention.
The Queen's suspensions: in the presentation of Richard Lester, the whole story with pendants looks quite ambiguous. Of course, none of the characters will tell us anything. But... Leicester is so skillfully presenting all this that the suspensions themselves look somehow small. And the situation with them is shown so that all the participants in the scandal are not in the best light. Moreover, because of these symbols of the struggle for influence, people risked their lives and parted with her. But could the great master of anti-war expressions Richard Lester reason differently?
The Passionate D'Artagnan: He is usually portrayed fearlessly getting into all sorts of intrigues. But Michael York’s character is far more reserved and rational. His image rather reveals the meaning of the word courage. No wonder. How long would a bravura and not relying on men's endurance fighter last? This is true, but so far from the usual hero-bonvivan.
Bad Richelieu: Charlton Heston gives us the perfect shot. Heston doesn't look like himself here because he's not in front of us. There's only Richelieu incarnation. And if this is a false image, then it is incredibly beautiful and believable.
So, in the performance of Heston before us is not a villain, but a sage and brilliant strategist. Heston shows us a man for whom there are no victories and defeats, there are only interests and a personal position.
Special attention should be paid to the portraits of Lester’s heroes. They are not perfect, but very psychologically worked out and decorated with really decent acting. Sometimes it fully conforms to stereotypes. Could Milady be any different than Faye Dunway? Isn't Richard Chamberlain suitable for the role of the sweet Aramis? Now it seems that it could not be otherwise. But there were more unexpected hits.
Heston and York are mentioned above. But how do you forget about Oliver Reed? It's the perfect Athos. In his image there is not even a drop of ostentatious play in nobility (and this sins many performers of this role). Reed’s Athos is above all courage multiplied by personal sadness.
I think Richard Lester was very creative. For many of the actors, this movie was an obvious success. The same Cassel in the role of the King paired with Geraldine Chaplin in the role of his wife, like nothing special do. But against the background of many screen versions stand out with a decent game and a confident entry into the image.
And these are just a few touches, nuances. We have a completely different "Three Musketeers", there is no vanilla and gloss. There is no usual for French tapes bet on decor and costumes. Richard Lester probably saw this film adaptation with typically British modesty. He paid more attention to the portraits of characters, the elaboration of scenes - which simultaneously combined dynamics, storyline, and humor. Of course, with a British accent.
7 out of 10