"The Three Musketeers" is Douglas Fairbanks take on the famous Alexandre Dumas novel. It has a large competent cast, most of whom have substantial parts in this sometimes overlong film.
We open with King Louis XIII (Adolph Menjou) and Cardinal Richelieu (Nigel De Brulier) engage in a game of chess. It is made immediately apparent the Richelieu is trying to undermine the King's power. Louis, on the other hand, is smarter than Richelieu thinks and is wise to him. In the county of Gascon a young D'Artagnan (Fairbanks) is making ready to go to Paris to find his destiny. His father (Walt Whitman) is an impoverished noble who arranges a meeting for D'Artagnan with Capt. De Treville ((Willis Roberts) of the King's musketeers.
D'Artagnan sets off on a mangy old horse and a threadbare outfit. Along the way, he stops at an Inn where he encounters Count Rochfort (Boyd Irwin), a Richelieu cohort, who was sent to see Milady de Winter (Barbara La Marr) off to England on a Richelieu assignment. The over zealous D'Artagnon is upset when Rochfort makes fun of his horse and challenges him to a duel. The crowd prevents the duel from taking place with D'artagnon vowing revenge.
In Paris, D'Artagnon goes to meet with Capt. De Treville and meets Athos ((Leon Barry), Porthos (George Siegmann) and Arimis (Eugene Pallette)....The Three Musketeers. The ambitious D'Artagnan has come to Paris to join the Musketeers you see. De Treveille informs him that he would have to serve a minimum of two years apprenticeship first.
As luck would have it, D'Artagnon spots Rochfort from a window and rushes down to meet him. Along the way he encounters the Musketeers who he sees as impeding his progress and challenges each to a duel. Rochfort, meanwhile has disappeared. Ready to engage each of the Musketeers in turn, the groups is greeted by some of Richelieu's guards and D'Artagnon joins his new found friends in a duel with Richelieu's guards besting them at every turn.
When D'Artagnan goes to seek lodging, he meets Constance (Marguerite De La Motte) the Queen's servant and an immediate attraction ensues. The Queen, Anne of Austria (Mary MacLaren) it seems has been corresponding with England's Duke of Buckingham (Thomas Holding). Richelieu is aware of this and has sent Milady de Winter to England to spy on Buckingham.
Richelieu gets Queen Anne to sign a phony letter to Buckingham in the guise of an official document luring Buckingham to Paris. When Buckingham arrives, he learns that the Queen did not send for him and sends him away but not before giving him a diamond encrusted brooch that the King had given her, as a memento of their love. This brooch will prove to be the "McGuffin" of the tale.
A court ball is to be held and the King has asked that his Queen wear the brooch he had given her. The Queen becomes worried. When she shows up at the ball sans the brooch the King becomes angry and sends her back to fetch it. Wily old King Louis, I am sure was aware that the brooch was missing.
Richelieu sends Milady de Winter back to England to retrieve the brooch. Constance meantime pleads with D'Artagnan to go to England to retrieve the brooch as well. Richelieu learns of this and posts his men along the route to the seaside port. D'Artagnan takes the Three Musketeers and his servant Planchet (Charlie Stevens) along to help him. The Musketeers are all injured along the way protecting D'Artagnan but he and Planchet reach the port only to find it closed by Rochefort.
The ever resourceful D'Artagnan manages to reach England and Buckingham but learns that Milady de Winter has already stolen the brooch and fled back to Paris. D'Artagnan commanderes a boat and pursues her. He catches up to her ship and boards it and manages to recover the brooch from her. Now he and Planchet must reach the castle before de Winter and Rochefort.
When he enters the castle through a moat entrance, D'Artagnan encounters Rochfort and is able to settle his score with him. Next D'Artagnan must fight his way through Rochefort's men to reach the Queen but...........................................................................................
I suppose the retrieval of the brooch was meant to protect the Queen's honor but wasn't her honor in question already with her overseas affair with Buckingham? And how much did King Louis really know about his wife's dalliances? And my kingdom, my kingdom for a brooch? C'mon.
Fairbanks gets to demonstrate his prowess with a sword as he takes on all comers as the dashing D'Artagnan. It's a little hard to believe that he could assimilate himself with the world of the King, Queen, Richelieu and the Musketeers so easily.
Followed by the sequel "The Iron Mask" (1929).
We open with King Louis XIII (Adolph Menjou) and Cardinal Richelieu (Nigel De Brulier) engage in a game of chess. It is made immediately apparent the Richelieu is trying to undermine the King's power. Louis, on the other hand, is smarter than Richelieu thinks and is wise to him. In the county of Gascon a young D'Artagnan (Fairbanks) is making ready to go to Paris to find his destiny. His father (Walt Whitman) is an impoverished noble who arranges a meeting for D'Artagnan with Capt. De Treville ((Willis Roberts) of the King's musketeers.
D'Artagnan sets off on a mangy old horse and a threadbare outfit. Along the way, he stops at an Inn where he encounters Count Rochfort (Boyd Irwin), a Richelieu cohort, who was sent to see Milady de Winter (Barbara La Marr) off to England on a Richelieu assignment. The over zealous D'Artagnon is upset when Rochfort makes fun of his horse and challenges him to a duel. The crowd prevents the duel from taking place with D'artagnon vowing revenge.
In Paris, D'Artagnon goes to meet with Capt. De Treville and meets Athos ((Leon Barry), Porthos (George Siegmann) and Arimis (Eugene Pallette)....The Three Musketeers. The ambitious D'Artagnan has come to Paris to join the Musketeers you see. De Treveille informs him that he would have to serve a minimum of two years apprenticeship first.
As luck would have it, D'Artagnon spots Rochfort from a window and rushes down to meet him. Along the way he encounters the Musketeers who he sees as impeding his progress and challenges each to a duel. Rochfort, meanwhile has disappeared. Ready to engage each of the Musketeers in turn, the groups is greeted by some of Richelieu's guards and D'Artagnon joins his new found friends in a duel with Richelieu's guards besting them at every turn.
When D'Artagnan goes to seek lodging, he meets Constance (Marguerite De La Motte) the Queen's servant and an immediate attraction ensues. The Queen, Anne of Austria (Mary MacLaren) it seems has been corresponding with England's Duke of Buckingham (Thomas Holding). Richelieu is aware of this and has sent Milady de Winter to England to spy on Buckingham.
Richelieu gets Queen Anne to sign a phony letter to Buckingham in the guise of an official document luring Buckingham to Paris. When Buckingham arrives, he learns that the Queen did not send for him and sends him away but not before giving him a diamond encrusted brooch that the King had given her, as a memento of their love. This brooch will prove to be the "McGuffin" of the tale.
A court ball is to be held and the King has asked that his Queen wear the brooch he had given her. The Queen becomes worried. When she shows up at the ball sans the brooch the King becomes angry and sends her back to fetch it. Wily old King Louis, I am sure was aware that the brooch was missing.
Richelieu sends Milady de Winter back to England to retrieve the brooch. Constance meantime pleads with D'Artagnan to go to England to retrieve the brooch as well. Richelieu learns of this and posts his men along the route to the seaside port. D'Artagnan takes the Three Musketeers and his servant Planchet (Charlie Stevens) along to help him. The Musketeers are all injured along the way protecting D'Artagnan but he and Planchet reach the port only to find it closed by Rochefort.
The ever resourceful D'Artagnan manages to reach England and Buckingham but learns that Milady de Winter has already stolen the brooch and fled back to Paris. D'Artagnan commanderes a boat and pursues her. He catches up to her ship and boards it and manages to recover the brooch from her. Now he and Planchet must reach the castle before de Winter and Rochefort.
When he enters the castle through a moat entrance, D'Artagnan encounters Rochfort and is able to settle his score with him. Next D'Artagnan must fight his way through Rochefort's men to reach the Queen but...........................................................................................
I suppose the retrieval of the brooch was meant to protect the Queen's honor but wasn't her honor in question already with her overseas affair with Buckingham? And how much did King Louis really know about his wife's dalliances? And my kingdom, my kingdom for a brooch? C'mon.
Fairbanks gets to demonstrate his prowess with a sword as he takes on all comers as the dashing D'Artagnan. It's a little hard to believe that he could assimilate himself with the world of the King, Queen, Richelieu and the Musketeers so easily.
Followed by the sequel "The Iron Mask" (1929).