The Three Musketeers (1948) starring Gene Kelly, Van Heflin, Gig Young, Robert Coote, Vincent Price, Frank Morgan, Angela Lansbury, Lana Turner
The Three Musketeers is classic tale set during the reign of Louis XIII. A young man joins the three musketeers to foil an evil cardinal’s plot to seize control of France.
Review
I absolutely enjoyed The Three Musketeers, and heartily recommend it. The cast is excellent, the scenery is beautiful as are the costumes, with rounded out characters. We care about them, and our heart breaks for poor Athos.
The central protagonist, D’Artagnon, starts as a young, likable country bumpkin. Over the course of the film, he becomes somewhat sadder & wiser. The other protagonists are also fleshed out, with their own back stories. Primarily Athos. His backstory, which is central, is told only in bits and pieces.
Cast of characters
D’Artagnan
Gene Kelly (An American in Paris) plays D’Artagnon, a young “country bumpkin” who goes to Paris, with his father’s blessing, to join the Musketeers. Along the way, he picks a fight with one of a mysterious lady’s escorts. Ending in defeat. The next day, he introduces himself to the head of the Musketeers, and seeing that same man, desires revenge. He runs after him, only to bump into Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Resulting in a duel with them — each an hour apart. Get the idea that he’s impetuous?
Soon, the Three Musketeers are impressed by his courage, and when he joins them in a sword fight against Richelieu’s men, with his swordsmanship. He’s soon effectively a junior member of the trio.
Gene Kelly is at his acrobatic best here.
Cast
- Lana Turner (Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)) … Lady de Winter
- Gene Kelly (The Pirate, DuBarry Was A Lady) … D’Artagnan
- June Allyson (Two Girls and a Sailor,High Barbaree) … Constance
- Van Heflin (Black Widow (1954), Woman’s World) … Athos
- Angela Lansbury (The Picture of Dorian Gray, Gaslight) … Queen Anne
- Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz, The Vanishing Virginian) … King Louis XIII
- Vincent Price (The Last Man on Earth, The House on Haunted Hill (1958)) … Richelieu
- Keenan Wynn (The Great Race, Annie Get Your Gun) … Planchet
- John Sutton (My Gal Sal, The Invisible Man Returns) … The Duke of Buckingham
- Gig Young (Too Young to Kiss) … Porthos
- Robert Coote (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Lured) … Aramis
- Reginald Owen (Captain Kidd, Conquest) … Treville
- Ian Keith (The Ten Commandments) … Rochefort
- Patricia Medina (The Beast of Hollow Mountain, Snow White and the Three Stooges) … Kitty
- Richard Stapley (The Strange Door) … Albert
Editorial review of The Three Musketeers courtesy of Amazon.com
Gene Kelly stars as the swashbuckling young French nobleman D’Artagnan who, possessing nothing more than his title, travels to Paris to join The Three Musketeers. D’Artagnan no sooner arrives in the capital, than he insults Athos (Van Heflin), Porthos (Academy Award winner Gig Young) and Aramis (Robert Coote), the most feared of the musketeers. Challenged to a duel by each, D’Artagnan earns their respect with his courage, if not by his fighting prowess. But his courage, skill and wit are quickly needed to help the musketeers thwart a plot by the powerful Prime Minister Richelieu (Vincent Price) to overthrow King Louis XIII (Frank Morgan), save Queen Anne (Angela Lansbury) and win the heart of Lady de Winter (Lana Turner).
