The Four Musketeers (film)
| The Four Musketeers | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster
|
|
| Directed by | Richard Lester |
| Produced by |
Alexander Salkind Pierre Spengler Ilya Salkind Michael Salkind |
| Written by | George MacDonald Fraser |
| Based on |
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas père |
| Starring |
Oliver Reed Charlton Heston Raquel Welch Faye Dunaway Richard Chamberlain Frank Finlay Michael York Christopher Lee |
| Music by | Lalo Schifrin |
| Cinematography | David Watkin |
| Edited by | John Victor Smith |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
108 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $8,760,000 (US/ Canada) |
The Four Musketeers (also known as The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge) is a 1974 Richard Lester film that serves as a sequel to his The Three Musketeers, and covers the second half of Dumas' 1844 novel The Three Musketeers.
During production on The Three Musketeers, the producers realized that the project was so lengthy that they would not be able to complete it as initially intended — as a roadshow epic with intermission — and still achieve their announced release date. The decision was therefore made to split the project into two films, and thus the two halves were released as The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers some six months apart. Most of the actors were incensed that their work on the long shoot was used to make an entirely separate film, while they were only being paid for the work of one. Lawsuits were filed on behalf of those contributing to the film to gain the salaries and benefits associated with a second film that was not mentioned in the original contracts. All SAG actors' contracts now have what is known as the "Salkind clause", which stipulates how many films are being made.
Fifteen years after completion of The Four Musketeers, much of the cast and crew reassembled to film The Return of the Musketeers (1989), loosely based on Dumas' Twenty Years After (1845).
During the Anglo-French War (1627–29), which involved suppression of the Protestant rebels of La Rochelle, Cardinal Richelieu continues the machinations he began in The Three Musketeers by ordering the Count de Rochefort to kidnap Constance Bonancieux, dressmaker to the Queen of France. The evil Milady de Winter, who wants revenge on junior musketeer d'Artagnan, seduces him to keep him occupied. He soon discovers her true nature, however, and also that she was once married to his fellow musketeer Athos, who had supposedly killed her after discovering that she was a branded criminal.
...
Wikipedia