The Three Musketeers (1953 film)

The Three Musketeers (French: Les Trois Mousquetaires) is a 1953 film based on the 1844 French novel of the same name. This adaptation is one of five films director André Hunebelle and screen writer Michel Audiard achieved together.[2] 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 adaptation might be regarded as one of his lesser important appearances because later on he even starred for Luis Buñuel.

The Three Musketeers
Directed byAndré Hunebelle
Produced byPaul Cadéac
Written byMichel Audiard
Based onLes trois mousquetaires
by Alexandre Dumas père
StarringGeorges Marchal
Bourvil
Jean Martinelli
Danielle Godet
Music byJean Marion
Costantino Ferri
CinematographyMarcel Grignon
Henri Thibault
Edited byJean Feyte
Distributed byPathé
Titanus
Release date
  • 7 October 1953 (1953-10-07) (France)
  • 8 December 1953 (1953-12-08) ((Italy))
Running time
120 minutes
CountryFrance
Italy
LanguageFrench
Box office5,354,739 admissions[1]

Plot

Young d'Artagnan leaves his parents and travels from his native Gascony to the capital of France because he wants to prove himself an excellent fencer and to become a musketeer. He is told by his father he must not 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 men he finds he has challenged the Count de Rochefort, a shifty character to whom Cardinal Richelieu frequently entrusts covert operations. Rochefort's henchmen take care of d'Artagnan and steal from him. The enraged d'Artagnan is determined to take revenge and will eventually have the chance to do so, for the Queen has given a present to her secret admirer the Duke of Buckingham, and d'Artagnan must retrieve it from him, although he is now already back in England. If he fails her, Cardinal Richelieu is going to disclose Queen Anne's infidelity to King Louis XIII, in order to force a war against England upon him. 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
ActorCharacter
Georges Marchald'Artagnan
BourvilPlanchet
Jean MartinelliAthos
Gino CerviPorthos
Jacques FrançoisAramis
Danielle GodetConstance Bonacieux
Marie SabouretQueen Anne
Louis ArbessierKing Louis XIII
Renaud MaryCardinal Richelieu
Yvonne SansonMilady de Winter
Jean-Marc TennbergCount De Rochefort
Steve BarclayDuke of Buckingham
Françoise PrévostKetty
Félix OudartM. de Tréville
Claude Dauphinthe narrator

Production

The film was shot in the Studios de Saint-Maurice, on the premises of castle Fontainebleau and in the Forest of Fontainebleau. In 1966 André Hunebelle returned to Fontainebleau for his film Fantômas contre Scotland Yard.

Reception

It was the sixth most successful film at the French box office in 1953, after The Greatest Show on Earth, The Return of Don Camillo, Peter Pan, The Wages of Fear and Quo Vadis.[3]

Due to the film's success André Hunebelle directed three more swashbuckler films (Le Bossu, Captain Blood and Le Miracle des loups) and hereby established Jean Marais as a fixture for this genre.

References
  1. "Box office for Bourvil". Box Office Story.
  2. "Leur collaboration ne s'arrêtera pas là, puisqu'ils tourneront cinq films ensemble entre 1947 et 1956". Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  3. "1953 at the box office". Box Office Story.
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