DVD Corner

The Three Musketeers/The Four Musketeers Criterion 4K UHD Review

“The Three Musketeers” and “The Four Musketeers” are still the definitive adaptations.

Based on the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas, 1973’s “The Three Musketeers” and 1974’s “The Four Musketeers” cover the first and second half of the novel. Adapted by George MacDonald Fraser, the story begins with a country man (d’Artagnan) venturing to Paris to become a King’s Musketeer. He soon finds himself getting involved in quite a lot in the city. He encounters 3 Musketeers (Athos, Porthos, Aramis), bumps heads with Comte de Rochefort, falls for the Queen’s dressmaker (the married Constance), and embarks on a quest alongside the 3 musketeers to retrieve diamonds for the Queen. The Queen’s diamonds are part of a potential scandal involving a past romance between the Duke of Buckingham and the Queen (who is married to King Louis), the power hungry Cardinal Richelieu, and his seductive spy Milady.

“The Four Musketeers” continues where “The Three Musketeers” left off and takes place during the religious centric Anglo-French War. Milady (and Cardinal Richlieu) have Constance kidnapped while the two also plot revenge against the Duke and d’Artagnan. Milady’s past secrets and history with Athos also come to light in this sequel.

Directed by Richard Lester (best known for “A Hard Day’s Night” and Superman 2 and 3), “The Three Musketeers” is a true classic swashbuckling adventure filled with sword fights, action, stunts, first rate period accurate production values, lush Spain filming locations, and, of course, Lester’s trademark humor. One can argue the first entry is a bit too comedic and that is valid. There are several goofy moments involving dog chess, breasts, a potato, a tree, a bumbling servant, and a polar bear costume. Purists may scoff at the more lighthearted tone, but it does tend to work in the film’s favor. Lester makes this crowd pleasing adventure his own with his comedic antics. It makes the movie more entertaining than it already is. Additionally, to this day, both this and the sequel remain the best and most faithful adaptations of Dumas’ legendary tale. 

“The Four Musketeers” has comedy bits here and there, but is much more serious than its predecessor. There’s a sense of urgency to this tale as it’s set during a war and has considerably high stakes. Not everyone will make it out alive of this one. The sequel is much more Milady centric, but the action is also bigger and better with sword fights occurring on ice, on burning scaffolding and in a church. Really though, both this and “The Three Musketeers” feature incredible fight choreography by William Hobbs. 

Both films are also notable for their all-star casts featuring Faye Dunaway, Michael York, Charlton Heston, Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Christopher Lee, Frank Finlay and Geraldine Chaplin. York does a fine job as d’Artagnan, but it’s Oliver Reed who tends to steal every scene he is in as the drink loving Athos. Faye Dunaway plays a great villain as Milady and Christopher Lee also shines as Rochefort. Truth be told, everyone here is perfectly cast.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 2160p. How do the films look? From the image quality to the colors, these 4K digital restorations deliver the goods. You can’t ask for better upgrades than this.

Audio Tracks: Uncompressed Mono. How do they sound? Expect Crisp and clear Mono tracks that really come alive during sword fighting action. 

Extras (On The Blu-ray Discs):
* Blu-ray copies
* A booklet featuring “Where’s Waldo?” esque art, credits, and an essay by film critic Stephanie Zacharek.
* “The Three Musketeers” and “The Four Musketeers” trailers
* “The Saga Of The Musketeers”-A two-part archival David Gregory directed documentary about the 2 films, production, Oliver Reed, stunts, and much more. Cast and crew interviews are also included.
* “Two For One”- A brand new extensive 4 part documentary by film scholar David Cairns that includes audio Richard Lester interviews (among others), scene analysis, behind-the-scenes stories, discussions about authenticity, filming in Spain, adapting the novel, editing, and the 2 films.
* “The Making Of The Three Musketeers”- A vintage 1973 making of featurette. 

May 26, 2025 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | 70's Movies, Alexandre Dumas, Charlton Heston, Christopher Lee, Criterion Collection, Faye Dunaway, Michael York, Oliver Reed, Swashbuckling Movies, The Four Musketeers, The Three Musketeers, The Three Musketeers/The Four Musketeers Criterion 4K UHD Review