The Three Musketeers (1953 film)
Encyclopedia
Les Trois Mousquetaires is a 1953 film based on the French
novel of the same name
. This adaption is one of five films director André Hunebelle
and screen writer Michel Audiard
achieved together. Georges Marchal
portrayed d'Artagnan
. In real life he was clearly older (born in 1920) than this character, but Marchal happened to be one of the most famous actors of European cinema in these days. With hindsight this adaption might be regarded as one of his lesser important appearences because later on he even starred for Luis Buñuel
.
and to become a musketeer
. He is told by his father he mustn't avoid any duel
. On his way to Paris d'Artagnan feels that his honour
is besmirched because he overhears how his horse is derided by a sinister
nobleman. He can't help but demand immediate satisfaction. Unfortunately of all things he has hereby challenged Count de Rochefort, a shifty character to whom Cardinal Richelieu frequently entrusts covert operations
. Count de Rochefort's henchmen
take care of d'Artagnan and steal from him. The enraged d'Artagnan is determined to take revenge. He will eventually have the chance for the Queen
his given a present to the Duke of Buckingham and d'Artagnan must retrieve it from her secret admirer who is already back in England
. If he fails her, Cardinal Richelieu is going disclose the Queen Anne's infidelity
to King
Louis XIII in order to force a war against Englad upon him. It goes without saying that the Cardinal and Count de Rochefort will do everything in their power if only they can put paid to d'Artagnan's mission. But with help from his three new friends d'Artagnan prevails.
Fontainebleau
and in the Forest of Fontainebleau
. In 1966 André Hunebelle returned to Fontainebleau for his film Fantômas contre Scotland Yard
.
films (Le Bossu
, Captain Blood
and Le Miracle des loups
) and hereby established Jean Marais
as a fixture for this genre.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
novel of the same name
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
. This adaption is one of five films director André Hunebelle
André Hunebelle
André Hunebelle was a French director born September 1, 1896 in Meudon , died 27 November 1985 in Nice .Hunebelle was a former publisher of a French newspaper called La Fleché...
and screen writer Michel Audiard
Michel Audiard
Pierre Michel Audiard was a French dialogue writer, screenwriter and film director. He is the father of French film director Jacques Audiard.- 1940 - 1950 :*1949 :** Mission à Tanger of André Hunebelle...
achieved together. Georges Marchal
Georges Marchal
Georges Marchal was a French actor, one of the most beautiful. He was married to Dany Robin, forming a famous and popular couple , they play together in movies La Passagère , La Voyageuse inattendue, Le plus joli péché du monde, Jupiter directed by Gilles Grangier , Quand sonnera midi written by...
portrayed d'Artagnan
D'Artagnan
Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard and died at the Siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War. A fictionalized account of his life by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras formed the basis for the d'Artagnan Romances of...
. In real life he was clearly older (born in 1920) than this character, but Marchal happened to be one of the most famous actors of European cinema in these days. With hindsight this adaption might be regarded as one of his lesser important appearences because later on he even starred for Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés was a Spanish-born filmmaker — later a naturalized citizen of Mexico — who worked in Spain, Mexico, France and the US..-Early years:...
.
Plot
Young d'Artagnan leaves his parents and travels from his native Gascogne to the capitol of France because he wants to prove himself an excellent fencerFencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
and to become a musketeer
Musketeer
A musketeer was an early modern type of infantry soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern armies, particularly in Europe. They sometimes could fight on horseback, like a dragoon or a cavalryman...
. He is told by his father he mustn't avoid any duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
. On his way to Paris d'Artagnan feels that his honour
Honour
Honour or honor is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation...
is besmirched because he overhears how his horse is derided by a sinister
Sinister
Sinister means the following:# In heraldry, the side of an escutcheon or coat of arms that is to the left of the bearer # In the Middle Ages it was believed that when a person was writing with their left hand they were possessed by the Devil....
nobleman. He can't help but demand immediate satisfaction. Unfortunately of all things he has hereby challenged Count de Rochefort, a shifty character to whom Cardinal Richelieu frequently entrusts covert operations
Covert operation
A covert operation is a military, intelligence or law enforcement operation that is carried clandestinely and, often, outside of official channels. Covert operations aim to fulfill their mission objectives without any parties knowing who sponsored or carried out the operation...
. Count de Rochefort's henchmen
Henchman
Henchman referred originally to one who attended on a horse for his employer, that is, a horse groom. Hence, like constable and marshal, also originally stable staff, henchman became the title of a subordinate official in a royal court or noble household...
take care of d'Artagnan and steal from him. The enraged d'Artagnan is determined to take revenge. He will eventually have the chance for the Queen
Queen
-In government and monarchy:* Queen regnant, a female monarch of equivalent power to a male king* Any of the three currently living queens regnant:** Beatrix of the Netherlands , Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba** Elizabeth...
his given a present to the Duke of Buckingham and d'Artagnan must retrieve it from her secret admirer who is already back in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. If he fails her, Cardinal Richelieu is going disclose the Queen Anne's infidelity
Infidelity
In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
to King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Louis XIII in order to force a war against Englad upon him. It goes without saying that the Cardinal and Count de Rochefort will do everything in their power if only they can put paid to d'Artagnan's mission. But with help from his three new friends d'Artagnan prevails.
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Georges Marchal Georges Marchal Georges Marchal was a French actor, one of the most beautiful. He was married to Dany Robin, forming a famous and popular couple , they play together in movies La Passagère , La Voyageuse inattendue, Le plus joli péché du monde, Jupiter directed by Gilles Grangier , Quand sonnera midi written by... |
d'Artagnan D'Artagnan Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard and died at the Siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War. A fictionalized account of his life by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras formed the basis for the d'Artagnan Romances of... |
| Bourvil Bourvil André Bourvil, born André Robert Raimbourg was a French actor and singer best known for his roles in comedy, most notably in his collaboration with Louis de Funès in La Grande Vadrouille .-Biography:His father was killed in the First World War before Bourvil was born... |
Planchet |
| Jean Martinelli | Athos Athos (fictional character) Olivier d'Athos de la Fère, Comte de la Fère is a fictional character, a Musketeer of the Guard in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père.... |
| Gino Cervi Gino Cervi Gino Cervi was an Italian actor of international fame.Cervi was born in Bologna. His father was the theatre critic Antonio Cervi.In 1928, he married Nini Gordini and they had a son, Tonino Cervi... |
Porthos Porthos Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers Athos and Aramis are friends of the novel's protagonist, d'Artagnan... |
| Jacques François | Aramis Aramis C. René d'Aramis de Vannes is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père... |
| Danielle Godet | Constance Bonacieux |
| Marie Sabouret | Queen Anne Anne of Austria Anne of Austria was Queen consort of France and Navarre, regent for her son, Louis XIV of France, and a Spanish Infanta by birth... |
| Louis Arbessier | King Louis XIII Louis XIII of France Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority... |
| Renaud Mary | Cardinal Richelieu |
| Yvonne Sanson Yvonne Sanson Yvonne Sanson was a Greek film actress. She appeared in 46 films between 1946 and 1972 and she mainly worked in Italy.-Selected filmography:* Flesh Will Surrender * Campane a martello... |
Milady de Winter Milady de Winter Milady Clarick de Winter, often referred to as simply Milady, is a fictional character in the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père. She acts as a spy for Cardinal Richelieu and is one of the chief antagonists of the story.... |
| Jean-Marc Tennberg | Count De Rochefort Comte de Rochefort The Comte de Rochefort is a secondary fictional character in Alexandre Dumas' d'Artagnan Romances. He is described as "around forty or forty-five, fair with a scar across his cheek".-In "The Three Musketeers":... |
| Steve Barclay | Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG was the favourite, claimed by some to be the lover, of King James I of England. Despite a very patchy political and military record, he remained at the height of royal favour for the first two years of the reign of Charles I, until he was assassinated... |
| Françoise Prévost | Ketty |
| Félix Oudart | M. de Tréville |
| Claude Dauphin Claude Dauphin (actor) Claude Dauphin was a French actor. He appeared in over 130 films between 1930 and 1978.He was born in Corbeil-Essonnes, Essonne. His father was Maurice Étienne Legrand, a poet who wrote as Franc-Nohain, and who was the librettist for Maurice Ravel's opera L'heure espagnole.Dauphin married... |
the narrator |
Production
The film was shot in the Studios de Saint-Maurice, on the premises of castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
and in the Forest of Fontainebleau
Forest of Fontainebleau
The forest of Fontainebleau is a mixed deciduous forest lying sixty kilometres southeast of Paris, France. It is located primarily in the arrondissement of Fontainebleau in the southwestern part of the department of Seine-et-Marne...
. In 1966 André Hunebelle returned to Fontainebleau for his film Fantômas contre Scotland Yard
Fantômas contre Scotland Yard
Fantômas contre Scotland Yard is the final installment of a trilogy of films starring Jean Marais as the arch villain with the same name opposite Louis de Funès as the earnest but outclassed commissaire Juve and the journalist Fandor, also played by Marais. The trilogy was France's answer,...
.
Reception
Due to the film's success André Hunebelle directed three more swashbucklerSwashbuckler
Swashbuckler or swasher is a term that emerged in the 16th century and has been used for rough, noisy and boastful swordsmen ever since. A possible explanation for this term is that it derives from a fighting style using a side-sword with a buckler in the off-hand, which was applied with much...
films (Le Bossu
Le Bossu (1959 film)
Le Bossu is a French-Italian swashbuckler film starring Jean Marais and directed by André Hunebelle. The film also featured Bourvil, possibly the most popular French comedian of the time...
, Captain Blood
Captain Blood (1960 film)
Captain Blood is a 1960 French-Italian swashbuckler film directed by André Hunebelle and starring Jean Marais, Bourvil, Elsa Martinelli and Lise Delamare. It is based on a novel by Michel Zévaco.-Cast:* Jean Marais ... François de Capestan...
and Le Miracle des loups
Le Miracle des loups (1961 film)
Le Miracle des loups is a French action adventure drama film from 1961, directed by André Hunebelle, written by Henry Dupuis-Mazuel, starring Jean Marais. The scenario was based on a novel of Maria Luisa Linarès...
) and hereby established Jean Marais
Jean Marais
-Biography:A native of Cherbourg, France, Marais starred in several movies directed by Jean Cocteau, for a time his lover, most famously Beauty and the Beast and Orphée ....
as a fixture for this genre.