The Three Musketeers | |
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Theatrical poster
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Directed by | George Sidney |
Produced by | Pandro S. Berman |
Written by |
Alexandre Dumas, père (novel) Robert Ardrey |
Starring |
Gene Kelly Van Heflin June Allyson Vincent Price Lana Turner Angela Lansbury |
Music by | Herbert Stothart |
Cinematography | Robert H. Planck |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date
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Running time
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125 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $4,474,000 |
Box office | $8,412,000 |
The Three Musketeers (1948) is a Technicolor adventure film adaptation of the classic novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père, written by Robert Ardrey, which starred Gene Kelly and Lana Turner. The film is today best remembered by many movie fans for its outstanding fight choreography in the combat sequences, which has been used as inspiration for movie fight scenes ever since.
D'Artagnan (Gene Kelly), an inexperienced Gascon youth, travels to Paris to join the elite King's Musketeers. On his way, he encounters a mysterious lady at a roadside inn. When he picks a fight with one of her escorts, she becomes suspicious and has him knocked unconscious. His letter of introduction from his father to de Treville (Reginald Owen), the commander of the Musketeers, is burned. When he awakens, he continues on to the city.
In Paris, he nevertheless presents himself to de Treville, who recognizes d'Artagnan's description of one of his assailants and, saying "A man is sometimes known by the enemies he makes," makes him a cadet. The young Gascon spots the very man and in his haste to confront him, annoys three of the most skillful Musketeers: Athos (Van Heflin), Porthos (Gig Young) and Aramis (Robert Coote). Each challenges him to a duel. At the appointed place, upon learning they are all there to duel the same man the master swordsmen are amused by the newcomer's audacity. Before they can begin, however, they are interrupted by Richelieu's guards, who try to arrest the Musketeers. Outraged that the three are outnumbered, d'Artagnan joins them in dispatching their foes, displaying his superb swordsmanship in the process. As a result, he is welcomed into their ranks.