THE FIGHTING MUSKETEERS is a low budget French-Italian co-production and yet another version of the famous Alexandre Dumas novel. This one feels less focused and more slapstick than most, and the poor English dubbing makes it something of a chore to sit through. Most of the characters from the book are present and correct, but what the book didn't have was the silly, stunt-filled action which really gets on the nerves after a while. This has more in common with the lacklustre Italian costume adventures of the era than the book on which it is based, and the '70s Hollywood version remains the definitive adaptation thus far.

Spectacular swordplay in colorful style , this is a superior version of the classic Dumas novel set in 17th Century France . Producer Raymond Borderie presents Dumas' exciting story of love and adventure ,¨The three musketeers¨ . For this new rendition is adapted in the greatest splendor , the complete romance , the historical characters, the full novel just as Alexandre Dumas write it . It is packed with comedy , derring-do , intrigue, a love story , action , drama and moving swordplay . An awesome casting and lavish production shot in French Studios and location make for a fairly amusement swashbuckler . This is the classic version of the Dumas's novel with a fine cast headed by handsome Gerad Barray as D'Artagnan in a brave role as a young and handsome soldier of fortune , a dashing, audacious lover and nimble athlete . He is accompanied by Georges Descrières as Athos , Bernard Woringer as Porthos and Jacques Toja as Aramis and of course the nasty Milady Winter well played by Mylène Demongeot .This is a slight and enough budgeted retelling about the durable Alexandre Dumas's novel with French all-star-cast. This delightful adaptation based on Alexandre Dumas classic novel starts with the youngster D'Artagnan who arrives in Paris to find Mister Treville , chief of Musketeers. But he meets with three two-fisted Musketeers , Athos, a rollicking adventurer , fighting to live and living to love , Porthos and Aramis . DÁrtagnan to be aware they are Musketeers and is invited to unite them in their objective to struggle against guards of Cardinal Richelieu , his deputy Rochefort (Guy Delorme who is well cast as villain), and an astute secret agent named Milady De Winter (a poisonous but gorgeous Mylene Demongeot) who is lovely as a jewel, deadly as a dagger the wickedest woman in all Christendom . Meanwhile, D'Artagnan falls in love with a gorgeous young , wife an innkeeper , she is a golden-haired beauty entangled in a web of treachery and intrigue. Furthermore , there is developed an intrigue between Luis XIII (Guy Trejan), Queen Anna of Austria (Francoise Christophe who portrays appropriately the famous queen), dazzling as her gilded palace for her, men dared a thousand perils , and Duke of Buckingham (Jacques Berthier); and of course the nasty Richelieu (Daniel Sorano) , as evil as ever . The musketeers join forces for royal vengeance with the shout : ¨One for all and all for one¨.It's a nice rendition from the immortal novel with pretty budget and breathtaking scenarios . The picture contains rousing action, plenty of crashing , intrigue , romantic adventure, romance , treachery mayhem and a lot of fence . Amusing swashbuckling with lavish production , glamorous gowns and luxurious sets . Furthermore , a vein of humour is evident here , though sometimes falling flat . For this movie itself , though , energetic and frantic are the best adjectives you could think of to describe its attractions . Sympathetic performances by main star cast and enjoyable secondary cast , as the marvelous main actors are completed by stellar cast full of good and veteran players as Jacques Berthier , Francoise Christophe and the likable Jean Carmet who seems positive gem of casting playing as Planchet , among others. Colorful cinematography stunningly showed on the splendorous images . Evocative and lively musical score . Glamorous production design is well reflected on the luxurious interiors and exteriors filmed in Abbaye De Fontenay, Montbard, Côte-d'Or and Pérouges, Ain, Rhône-Alpes, France. The motion picture was professionally realized by Bernard Borderie . This cool filmmaker provided visual style , comedy , fencing ,drama , clangorous action in equal proportions . It's followed by a second part : The vengeance of Milady of Winter .This classy story is former and subsequently remade on several versions , firstly take on about this classic is the following : 1921 silent version by Fred Niblo with Douglas Fairbanks and going on the 1935 adaptation by Rowland V Lee with Walter Abel and Paul Lukas ; the MGM classic version in musical style by George Sidney with Gene Kelly , Paul Lukas , Gig Young , Vincent Price , Frank Morgan and Lana Turner as Milady ; 1973 amusing version by Richard Lester with Michael York, Oliver Reed and Raquel Welch ; 1993 modern adaptation by Stephen Herek with Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt and Chris O'Donnell, and 2001 rendition by Peter Hyams with Justin Chambers, Mena Suvari and Tim Roth , among others. ¨The three Musketeers¨ is an outstanding and entertaining adaptation of the classy that will appeal to the costumer genre buffs and it results to be a good adaptation with acceptable budget based on the classic tale .

This is the most truthful version of one of my favourite books. It makes all the other films on the subject of the three musketeers sound and look like trash. I saw it last when I still lived in Bulgaria, Sofia, where I originally come from. I still remember the thrill with which we children went to see the movie. We were a bunch of book buffs and all of us knew the book by heart. And we were not disappointed. D'Artagnan looked and behaved exactly as we had imagined him and so did Aramis, Porthos, Athos and Milady.The year was 1962! To this very day this is a film that I consider a must for every movie lover and for every romantic soul.

This is a wonderful faithful version of Alexandre Dumas'The Three Musketeers.It starts out with D'Artagnan meeting his first two adversaries the Count de Rochefort and the beautiful spy Milady de Winter.D'Artagnan arrives in Paris and immediately accidentally insults the Three Musketeers who each one challenges him to a duel.D'Artagnan later joins with them in a duel with the Cardinal's Guards who had interrupted his duel with the first musketeer Athos.Then they all become friends in arms against the Cardinal's Guards.D'Artagnan later meets up with Constance the Queen's dressmaker a relative of D'Artagnan's landlord.This friendship with Constance leads up to D'Artagnan and the Three Athos,Porthos and Aramis going to England to save the Queen Anne from public scandal because of her relationship with the Prime Minister of England the Duke of Buckingham.A fact that Cardinal Richelieu and his agents want exposed so that the Queen will be exiled.D'Artagnan defeats the Cardinal's agents Milady and Rochefort brings back the diamonds the queen gave to Buckingham to the Queen.Saves the Queen's honor and leaves the Cardinal and Milady plotting revenge at the end of the film.Gerard Barray is excellent as D'Artagnan and Mylene Demongeot not only one of the most beautiful screen Milady de Winters rivaling that of Lana Turner but also excellent in the part as well.A fine supporting cast,historically accurate costumes and beautiful scenery rate this a 7 on my scale.This was followed by a sequel The Vengeance of Milady also called Vengeance of the Three Musketeers.If you like the Gene Kelly version or the Michael York 2 part version.You will like this two part version.