Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel has been filmed many times, but the 1948 adaptation offers all the color and spectacle of a classic Hollywood production as well as the unexpected attraction of hoofer Gene Kelly in a role that might have been tailor made for Don Lockwood in “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952). Directed by George Sidney, this version of “The Three Musketeers” is a boisterous, colorful, good-natured romp, not as magnificent as “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938) but cast in the same mold. The supporting cast boasts an impressive collection of stars, and the movie provides plenty of action and laughs, even if it doesn’t always make effective use of its most talented players.
Kelly plays the heroic D’Artagnan, a newcomer to Paris eager to join the Royal Musketeers. He soon takes up with three of them: Athos (Van Heflin), Porthos (Gig Young), and Aramis (Robert Coote). In their attempts to foil a warmongering plot by the evil Cardinal Richelieu (Vincent Price), the four swordsmen protect the queen (Angela Lansbury), engage in much derring-do, and encounter a dangerous figure from Athos’ tragic past.
Despite the title of the story, this is always D’Artagnan’s show, and Kelly thoroughly dominates his male co-stars throughout the picture. His performance is undeniably hammy, especially in the early scenes, but his charisma and athleticism make him an ideal swashbuckler. The first major swordfight sequence proves a highlight of the film; even the Musketeers sit down to enjoy the spectacle as D’Artagnan takes on the villainous captain of Richelieu’s guards. Although Kelly doesn’t sing or dance in this production, he does demonstrate his tremendous personal appeal as a leading man, and the camera loves him.
A first-rate cast of supporting players appears, as well, but they generally get less screen time than they deserve. Vincent Price and Angela Lansbury are almost wasted in their small parts, and more might have been done with both of their characters to enhance the plot. Lana Turner turns in a perfectly good performance as Lady de Winter, but the idea of Lansbury in that role instead has a lot of appeal. Of the Musketeers, Van Heflin’s Athos is the most significant, but the tragic quality of his character jars with Kelly’s jovial D’Artagnan. Athos, in fact, seems a lot more upset by the betrayal of his lady love than D’Artagnan appears to be at the murder of his wife. June Allyson, who plays Constance, seems out of place in a period picture; her thoroughly American good girl persona simply doesn’t belong in the world of 17th century France. Other actors with small roles include Frank Morgan, Keenan Wynn, John Sutton, and Reginald Owen. These are all actors we want to see, although we either want to see more of them or see them in another picture altogether.
“The Three Musketeers” earned an Oscar nomination for Best Color Cinematography thanks to its eye-popping Technicolor visuals. If you like Kelly’s version of the swashbuckler, be sure to see “The Pirate” (1948), which came out the same year. For more of the genre, try “The Mark of Zorro” (1940), “The Black Swan” (1942), “The Flame and the Arrow” (1950), and “The Court Jester” (1956). For films more typical of Kelly’s career, see “For Me and My Gal” (1942), “On the Town” (1949), and, of course, “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952).
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