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You can exclaim that the folks at Anchor Bay Entertainment cherish movies. It shows in every disc they release (like last years unbelievable “Indignant MONSTER PARTY” DVD) . And this novel release of director Richard Lester’s delightfully delightful 70’s comedy/ swashbuckler’s “THE THREE MUSKETEERS” and “THE FOUR MUSKETEERS” in one 2-disc dwelling is yet another example of their care and fancy. This is a fabulous release and a favorable job over the DVD’s Fox-Lorber have had on the market for the last couple of years. No one ever mentioned it (maybe nobody noticed it), but the Fox-Lorber DVD of “3 MUSKETEERS” was missing about 1 petite of footage in a scene between Charlton Heston and Christopher Lee. These fresh discs have the complete versions of both films and they search for and sound grand! For the first time they are presented in anamorphic widescreen in their superior aspect-ratio (chunky shroud versions are also included but I haven’t yet viewed them so I can’t comment on them) . The extras are also very nice. Two half hour documentaries on each disc includes interviews with stars Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Charlton Heston, Michael York and Frank Finlay and producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler. Trailers, tv spots, radio spots, photo & poster galleries and star biographies (that are actually informative and worth reading) round out this very glorious package! Retract it, eye it and relish!
Anchor Bay deserves a colossal deal of credit for this informative and fascinating double feature of the two classic Musketeer films from the early 1970s.
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Originally planned as one long fable movie (including a then standard intermission in the middle) the decision was made at some point during the production of THE THREE MUSKETEERS that they would either have one four hour movie or two separate movies. Rather than slit out some of the wonderful scenes that had been shot to fabricate the movie more manageable the production company made the more sensible decision to gash the production in two releasing THE THREE MUSKETEER’ one year and then THE FOUR MUSKETEERS shortly after.
Not everyone fervent in the production of the movie was jubilant about the decision. Actress Faye Dunaway publicly stated that (had she known about the splitting of the movie into two) she would have refused to do it since her role in the first was so diminutive. The fade led to some litigation and was eventually settled but today movie contracts include what is termed “The Salkind Clause” (named after the Salkind’s who produced the MUSKETEER movies) to protect actors from such moves.
It is perhaps for this reason that Faye Dunaway is one of the only detached living members of the main cast who does not appear on camera for the qualified hour-long documentary THE SAGA OF THE MUSLETEERS that Anchor Bay has set together for this release.
Perhaps a deliberate reflection of the movie (or perhaps simply due to little station on the DVDs) the documentary is split into two half-hour parts on each disc. Recounting their memories of the production are actors Charlton Heston, Raquel Welch, Michael York, Frank Finlay and Christopher Lee who cloak nearly every aspect of the production from their casting to some of the finish calls and injuries the actors sustained performing their enjoy stunts and swordflighting with genuine, very lethal swords.
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Lee, himself an expert swordsman, had to remind a rather over enthusiatic Oliver Reed (who abandoned the staged moves for a fight for some more improvised swings) that it was “only a movie.”
Also on camera for interviews are producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler (who would both go on to form SUPERMAN) who discuss not only the steady production of the movies but also where the initial view came from and the recruiting of Director Richard Lester. Salkind recounts how Lester initially turned down the invitation to voice the movie, referring to it as “a children’s book” (as it was seen at the time) . It was not until Salkind actually sent him a copy of the genuine Alexandre Dumas fresh that Lester became enraged by the prospect of directing the adaptation.
With a screenplay by George MacDonald Fraser (of the FLASHMAN novels and later of 1983’s OCTOPUSSY) these two movies work remarkably well. Even though there are some surprising stylistic differences (surprising since it was originally meant as one movie) . The first movie is definitely more humorous in tone and the second darker and more dramatic. This is not to say the second movie is lacking in humor – fair recognize the Musketeers eating lunch as the assume for battle with the Protestants.
Of the two I actually buy the second movie grand more because I feel the characters are more drawn out and the intrigue more attractive, The climatic sword fight and Oliver Reed-Faye Dunaway subplot are both highlights in my concept. The second movie also features the horrible deaths of two of the more likeable major characters.
Overall, a fabulous job by Anchor Bay. One can only hope that the third movie in the series, 1989’s THE RETURN OF THE MUSKETEERS which was also directed by Richard Lester and included the majority of the fresh cast, will one day be released on DVD.
Well recommended.
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