The Three Musketeers (1973 live-action film)
| The Three Musketeers | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Lester |
| Written by | George MacDonald Fraser |
| Based on | The Three Musketeers 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas père |
| Produced by | Ilya Salkind |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | David Watkin |
| Edited by | John Victor Smith |
| Music by | Michel Legrand |
Production company | Film Trust S.A. |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4.5 million |
| Box office | $10.1 million (rentals) |
The Three Musketeers (also known as The Three Musketeers (The Queen's Diamonds)) is a 1973 swashbuckler film based on the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is directed by Richard Lester from a screenplay by George MacDonald Fraser, and produced by Ilya Salkind. It stars Michael York, Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay, and Richard Chamberlain as the musketeers, with Raquel Welch, Geraldine Chaplin, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Charlton Heston, Faye Dunaway, Christopher Lee, Simon Ward, Georges Wilson and Spike Milligan.
The film adheres closely to the novel, and also injects a fair amount of humor. It was proposed in the 1960s as a vehicle for The Beatles, whom Lester had directed in A Hard Day's Night and Help! It was shot by David Watkin, with an eye for period detail, in Madrid and Segovia, Spain. The fight scenes were choreographed by master swordsman William Hobbs. The musical score was composed by Michel Legrand.
The Three Musketeers premiered in France on 11 December 1973. It was both a critical and commercial success and was nominated for several awards, including five BAFTAs. Raquel Welch won a Golden Globe for her performance. The Four Musketeers, a sequel shot back-to-back with its predecessor, was released the following year.