1948 Kelly and Turner
1973 York, Heston and Reed
1993 O'Donnell, Sheen and Curry
2011 Lerman and Jovovich
ASKED ON OTHER SITES.
"It's the system, Lara. People will be different after the Revolution."
Oh God. Except for the 1948 one, the others are so far below the 1973 and 1974 ones, it's mindblowing. They are truly awful. Even as a teen, I marveled at how bad and "disneyfied" the 1993 version was, being used to the excellent 1973/-74 versions. Don't even get me started on the 2011 sci-fi one (I could only watch half of it, but.. really, the trailer was enough).
I hear a TV show came not long ago, that's not supposed to be too bad. Then there's the actual French versions. Might check one of those out one day. But these movies? No. Even the 1948 one with the light-footed Kelly is hampered by the movie conventions of its day.
-----------------------
"The best fairytale is one where you believe the people" -Irvin Kershner
others are so far below the 1973 and 1974 ones
Oh we agree that the 1948 version isn't bad (I said Except for the 1948 one, the others are far below the 1973 and 1974 ones )
-----------------------
"The best fairytale is one where you believe the people" -Irvin Kershner
As much as I like Disney films I truly thought their version that came out in 93 was abysmal. I had some trailer park trash girl sitting behind me talking through the whole thing, so that didn't help. But even when I saw it again on HBO I just couldn't get through it.
I tried watching the TV series, but it's a Russian production, and only a few minutes of it are in French. They tried to make it like an American action series, but it really wasn't that good.
I'm thinking Heston was right, and that the Salkind productions are the best so far.
I hear a TV show came not long ago, that's not supposed to be too bad.
Ok thanks for the heads up... Looks like I can save myself the time!
That cardinal sounds even worse than Tim Curry's..
-----------------------
"The best fairytale is one where you believe the people" -Irvin Kershner
Yup, even worse than Tim Curry's version.
So many people who adapt Dumas' novel to movies or TV don't seem to get that Dumas actually respected Richelieu. His respect for Richelieu shows in the fact that Richelieu is literally the only character who is never portrayed as being a buffoon, and he is never played for laughs. Dumas' Richelieu is clever, ruthless and vindictive (kind of like the real life version of Richelieu) but he is also dignified, and he is a formidable foe for the Musketeers.
Indeed, it isn't even true that the Musketeers are clearly the heroes and Richelieu clearly the villain. Richelieu's view is that the queen is engaged in an act of treason, and in protecting her, the Musketeers are arguably guilty of treason themselves. D'Artagnan wants to protect the queen because he is interested in getting into Madame Bonacieux's pants. But Richelieu wants to expose the queen because he is motivated by patriotic fervor for France. Which motive is more honorable?
Moreover, King Loius XIII is a weak and incompetent king, whereas Richelieu is the only thing keeping the country together.
Dumas' portrait of Richelieu was balanced, on the one hand ,he is ruthless, and on the other hand, he is a truly great statesman who wants what is best for France.
But so many adaptations want to turn Richelieu into a cartoonish, one-dimensional super villain.
Oh God. Except for the 1948 one, the others are so far below the 1973 and 1974 ones, it's mindblowing. They are truly awful. Even as a teen, I marveled at how bad and "disneyfied" the 1993 version was, being used to the excellent 1973/-74 versions. Don't even get me started on the 2011 sci-fi one (I could only watch half of it, but.. really, the trailer was enough).
1973
1948
1993, 2011
I grew up watching the 1993 version and always loved it. Recently I rewatched both 90s films of T3M and TMITIM and still find both enjoyable. I then decided to watch the other versions, there's a 2023 French remake divided into 2 parts, tbh I found the first part extremely boring and tedious. The BBC series came highly recommended but it lacked the charm the 1993 version has imo. I also noticed everyone in leather, especially the Cardinal lol. Half the cast is black so it's slightly woke. I think the choice for all 4 musketeers with a mixed Porthos fitting, I also liked the actors they picked for Louis XIII and Queen Anne but everyone else was miscast imo , especially the love interests. They had bo chemistry with the men and we're on the ugly side .
Rewatching this version now and will give my opinion after I finish the trilogy. But all the women with very thin and light eyebrows make them look like they had none. The women all look like alien pod people which is weird.
Frankly, this version's the only good one. The rest are all either poor or average.
share