Les Trois mousquetaires (1953)
Directed by André Hunebelle

Film Review

Alexandre Dumas' swashbuckling classic The Three Musketeers is vividly brought to life in this colourful adaptation, which somehow condenses Dumas' substantial tome into just under two hours of screen time without losing much of its content.  The film was directed with gusto and a modest quantity of panache by André Hunebelle, who is perhaps better known today for his popular French comedies, including his 1960s Fantômas films.  This was the first of Hunebelle's lavish swashbucklers, a genre that was enormously popular in France in the 1950s after Fanfan la Tulipe (1952) proved a box office hit.  Hunebelle's subsequent offerings in the genre included Cadet-Rousselle (1954), Le Bossu (1960) and Le Capitan (1960).  The popular French comic actor Bourvil featured in all four of these Hunebelle-directed swashbucklers, appropriately cast as the comedy sidekick to the hero.  D'Artagnan's skill with an épée pales into insignificance when compared with what Bourvil can do with a frying pan.

This version of Les Trois mousquetaires may not be as well-known or as gratifying as other adaptations but it is a superbly crafted production which exemplifies French cinema's aptitude for period drama (closely rivalling the achievements of Hollywood at that time).  The film's main shortcoming is the lack of a charismatic lead actor, of the calibre of Jean Marais, to give focus to the narrative and maintain the interest of the spectator.  Whilst the action scenes are certainly impressively choreographed, the lacklustre characterisation and generally bland performances prevent the film from being as exciting and compelling as it deserves to be.  It is also a pity that the film glosses over some of the darker aspects of Dumas' novel, such as the fate of Milady de Winter.  Compared with Henri Diamant-Berger's unsurpassed 1921 version, this is pretty tame stuff - watchable but not particularly memorable.

Film Synopsis

Under the reign of Louis XIII, the young Charles d'Artagnan leaves his home village in Gascony and sets out for Paris, determined to fulfil his ambition to become one of the king's musketeers.  Lodgings are hard to come by in the capital but he takes a room in the house of the tight-fisted Monsieur Bonacieux, having taken a liking to his attractive niece, Constance.  D'Artagnan's eagerness to prove himself causes him to cross swords with three of the king's best swordsmen, Athos, Porthos and Aramis.  When these four are attacked by Cardinal Richelieu's men, they join forces and become instant friends.  The king overlooks this embarrassing skirmish and rewards his loyal musketeers with money, which D'Artagnan uses to hire a valet, Planchet.  Meanwhile, Cardinal Richelieu has devised a Machiavellian plot to discredit the queen consort, Anne of Austria.  He engages the villainous Milady de Winter to steal the queen's diamond jewellery, so that he can then give substance to the rumour that her majesty has been unfaithful to the king.   When they learn of this vile scheme, D'Artagnan and his three musketeer friends race to England in a desperate bid to recover the stolen jewels and save the reputation of their queen...