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The Three Musketeers [1948] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


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Good overall but has failings
Review date: 2008-03-31 Rating: 6 out of 10

For the first non-musical I've seen Gene Kelly in this was surprisingly good, and it is easy to see why out of all his non-musical films this was Gene Kelly's personal favorite. It fails to impress however in some important ways (this is just an opinion from a die-hard fan of the Oliver Reed/Michael York version) I found some of the musketeer costumes a bit hard to swallow those bright pastel colours detracted somewhat from the belivability I felt. From MGM it was probably expected to have an abundance of colour but for me it detracted from the realism. The sword play was very well choreographed. Another failing might just be true of my copy but the sound in the big fight at Milady's chateau was ever so slightly out of sync. But the main failing of this film was it was overlong, it is (mostly) true to the book but I wouldn't want to sit through a film that was unnecessarily longer than 2 hours! All in all, it is a good film but just a bit on the long side.

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Reviews


The best movie version of the classic story
Review date: 2008-02-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

Far and away the best movie made of the French tale of noble minded courtier rebels doing everyone a favour by getting rid of a tyrant ruler. High spirited, atmospheric, with a good mix of derring do action and poignant dramatic moments, this is a roistering boys own kind of movie showing old Hollywood at its best. Gene Kelly shines as the brave and handsome, very athletic D'Artagnian who leads a righteous rebelion against a totally rotten and cruel government. No other version I've seen holds a light to this one.

Almost the best version
Review date: 2007-05-10 Rating: 8 out of 10

The influence of Buster Keaton on Jackie Chan's brand of comedy-action stunt work is well documented, but looking at Gene Kelly's impressively energetic stunt work in George Sidney's lavish 1948 MGM version of The Three Musketeers it's clear that his viewing extended beyond the silent era. The sheer amount of vitality and imagination that goes into the first duel with Richelieu's men is absolutely astounding: it's almost like watching a vintage live-action Tom and Jerry cartoon. Unfortunately, while he shares Douglas Fairbanks Sr.'s athleticism, he also shares his penchant for ham, particularly in the love scenes (this is the performance Kelly sends up mercilessly in Singin' in the Rain's The Duelling Cavalier), but he's never quite bad enough to throw the film of course. George Sidney, who had one of the best eyes for striking composition of any directors at MGM, makes sure it always looks good (this is from the days when Technicolor really was glorious), Herbert Stothart's rousing score carries it along with unashamed gusto (though it could have done without the Tchaikovsky for the love scenes) and there's a fine supporting cast - Van Heflin, Gig Young and Robert Coote round out the Musketeers, Angela Lansbury and Frank Morgan play the royalty, Lana Turner the femme fatale while Vincent Price provides superbly underplayed velvet villainy as Richelieu, beating Ernst Stavro Blofeld to the cat on the lap business by a good 19 years (though he opts for a tortoiseshell tabby rather than a Persian White). Great fun in a Christmas Day kind of way.

Warners' Region 1 NTSC DVD is quite a treat - a fine transfer with the theatrical trailer, brief radio promo, cartoon (though curiously 'What Price Fleadom?' instead of the obvious choice of Tom and Jerry's The Two Mouseketeers) and a vintage James Fitzpatrick travelog (curiously once again France doesn't get a look-in) that has some interesting but not always accurately identified colour footage of post-war London.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Gene Kelly
Angela Lansbury
Van Heflin
June Allyson
Lana Turner

Creators:
Lana Turner (Primary Contributor)
Gene Kelly (Primary Contributor)
Robert H. Planck (Cinematographer)
George Boemler (Editor)
Robert Kern (Editor)
Pandro S. Berman (Producer)
Alexandre Dumas père (Writer)
Robert Ardrey (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 0012569795099
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC,
Release date: 2007-03-06
Universal product code (UPC): 012569795099
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 125 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1948-10-20
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Portuguese (Subtitled)
Language: French (Published)

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