D'artagnan and Three Musketeers

I am not a huge fan of musical comedies, musical action films or musical romances, and this movie is all of it in one. One should expect the characters to break into a song at any time during the movie as it is basically a filmed operette, loosely wrapped around the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas. Think 'The King and I' in Russian. Nothing unusual, however, for many Russian movies of the time. Songs were probably the only and the best sound effect available to Soviet directors back then.

However, in this particular movie everything fits in pretty nicely. Boyarsky's good looks (I dare anyone to find a better D'Artagnan in any film), Tabakov's silliness as Louis XIII, even Terekhova's acting as Milady. Credit is due to Yungvald-Khilkevich for putting it all together. The songs, written just for the movie, fit perfectly into the plot, and have become Russian classics, instantly recognized by anyone even now, 20 years later (pun intended).

The action sequences are quite good, the cinematography is beautiful, Porthos is lovable, Constance is a knockout. What else do you want from a musketeer movie?

I was born when this movie came out, so I saw it much later. Some times even now in my twenties I take out that film and watch it. The movie is very simple; it is about good and evil, adventure and misfortune. The whole romanticism with being a hero, a true hero. It is an absolute escape from the reality, but that is what it supposed to be.

Even now when we go camping with my friends we always sing the memorable songs from this movie.

The silliest and most ironic part about the movie is the duet between de'Treville and d'Artagnan, where de'Treville sings, "How old are you my child?" and d'Artagnan (Boyarski with huge mustache and is about 30-35) answers back, "I am 18 years old!" That is the greatest silliness.

This particular movie, unlike many others of its kind, shows a deep and long lasting friendship, respect and love. I have seen this movie countless times and undoubtedly will watch it again. This movie doesn't age. Its characters stay with you forever. After seeing this version of "The Three Musketeers" I cannot watch any other. They all seem to lack the most imprtant thing, the one that the author wrote the book about - friendship. Most movies of this kind concentrate on the fighting and numerous stunts. I read "The Three Musketeers" and all the books that followed it numerous times. It makes me laugh when I watch American version of this movie. In "D'Artanyan" the cast is superb. The actors match their characters perfectly. The storyline follows the book, which is what I can't say about Anerican version. Growing up, my friends and I dreamed of meeting such D'Artanyan some day.... The movie was partly shot in the city where I used to live and it's true-streets became dead when the movie was shown. The next day, kids in school tried to re-enact the scenes. This movie relates the life in those times, just like the book.

I was 4 when I saw this movie (or should I say serie) for the first time. I still watch it, after 20 years. The songs are great, and brings a little extra to it. I love the characters, I compare every other movie of the three musketeers with this one. No-one beats it. I think it´s the best and most well made movie of this famous book.

It IS the best screening of Dumas's novel so far. Russians have a certain decency and respect to classic masterpieces and this piece of work does not fail this rule. A strong emphasis on the friendship between the musketeers and a strong sense of honor that bears the marks of pure hearts , both enough to provide the power to fight and the power to love. It is a must see, especially since I don't believe the Hollywood or any other cinema school for that matter is able to come with a better mise-en-scene.

I was somehow forced to write down this review as the latest one that I saw here was an insult to the art behind this movie. I'm sick and tired of watching the yearly laboring pains of classic stories depictions. This story has no need to be put into the present days , no need for gang dialogues, no need for the Hollywood cliché.

It is one of the few most screened stories of the history and anyone mocking its epic should feel that mockery turning against him a thousand times stronger.