Review of Four Musketeers, The

Introduction

The Four Musketeer was made released in 1974 and is the sequel to the 1973 movie The Three Musketeers. Both films were made at the same time, and interestingly, the actors sued the filmmakers because they were under the impression that they were making one movie, whereas they were actually making two, for which they would have received more money! They won their case! A third movie, The Return of the Musketeers was made fifteen years later in 1989, but which time the principle actors were all getting on a bit.

The film adds D`Artagnan to the original Three Musketeers and this comedy sees the four fight against the devious Rochefort to save their beloved France.

Video

The video is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, and isn`t too bad given the 19 year age of the film, although the image is a bit grainy and there is some dirt on the print. The picture doesn`t have a great deal of detail, particularly on long outdoor shots, and in some cases there is a slight halo effect on distant buildings.

As far as the visuals go, the film is quite well made, with large sets and good use of location, and everything on offer looks reasonably authentic.

Audio

The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital Mono, and therefore doesn`t offer much in the way of aural excitement, although the dialogue is always clear and understandable. Similarly, whilst the effects and music are unexciting, they are well produced and don`t detract from the film.

Features

The only extra on offer is the trailer, accessible through the functional static menu system which is easy to navigate.

Conclusion

The Four Musketeers is a historic action comedy with an outstanding cast, but offers little in the way of laughs nowadays, perhaps unsurprisingly given that it was filmed for an 1974 audience, not a 2003 audience accustomed to a different sort of comedy altogether.

Having said that, the movie is what I would describe as good Saturday afternoon family entertainment, with some good scenes, good action and good performances from the all-star cast which includes the late Oliver Reed, Michael York, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Christopher Lee and Faye Dunnaway.

The picture quality is not too bad given the age of the film, and although the soundtrack is uninspiring, it is perfectly satisfactory. The only extra on offer is the trailer, which isn`t very exciting.

Overall, if you are a fan of the movie, this is a reasonable DVD, but doesn`t offer much of note for those who haven?t seen the movie and are looking to be entertained.