AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Chris Hulaj A full half-hour longer than Richard Lester's Three Musketeers and Four Musketeers combined, this mini-series sticks much closer to the original text. After reading the books by Dumas I realized what was missing with the Lester films, namely characterization, dialog, and plot. This BBC Television version was shown as 10 episodes, and features a well-balanced cast including Brian Blessed and Jeremy Brett. My only complaint is that each episode features the same opening and closing credits as seen on TV. This means sitting (or fast-forwarding) through ten sets of credits. If I can re-sequence the episodes to exclude the credits then I'll have the best film version to date.

anandadavidson I have fond memories of this series when I was a child, and thought Jeremy Brett was gorgeous. Seeing it again as an adult, I was surprised at how good it still is.Some of the acting is rather hammy, particularly Anne of Austria and Constance Bonacieux, the fights seem pedestrian and some of the lighting is poor. However, given the time it was made, it is a faithful adaptation and it is unfair to compare it to modern dramas. The musketeers are all fine, and Brett is still gorgeous. Most impressive though to me is a very convincing portrayal of the melancholy and woman-hating Athos by Jeremy Young, whose performance stands out among the four friends. I recommend it as more closely following the novel than the later films. Just a shame it's in black and white.

the-cullens A nice change to see a series which keeps to the book, preserving the dark and sombre tone of the overall story as well as the comedy of the opening chapters. Given that this is a BBC series dating from the mid-sixties the quality (B & W) is surprisingly good, certainly comparable to the early Dr Who's, though the camera clearly had difficulty with the lighting in some of the outside scenes (and this is very early in the history of British TV drama to have any scenes at all shot in the open air). The fight scenes seem pedestrian until one realises that there are no special effects and the actors are performing all the action in person (no stunt men) and live (no cutting and editing; each scene had to be shot as a whole, as if on a theatre stage). D'Artagnan is fiery and emotional, 'the typical Gascon' that Dumas describes; the three musketeers themselves are exactly as I have always imagined them to be - the ascetic Aramis, the extrovert Porthos (a very young Brian Blessed) and the immensely tragic Athos; Milady is evil incarnate; and Richelieu is power-hungry, manipulative and supremely ambivalent. If you want a faithful adaptation with excellent acting and the focus on the characters then this is the one for you; if you're more interested in good visuals and special effects, CGI and Errol Flynn-type fight scenes, give it a miss.

mkb-8 This TV version of the Dumas novels was made during the golden age of the BBC Sunday teatime classic serial and I still have fond memories of it forty years later. Like its successor, 'The Further Adventures of the Three Musketeers', the whole thing was played straight and not as a jokey camp fest like so many of the movie versions. The young Jeremy Brett as d'Artagnan was particularly memorable.It is actually a very good story, and if played straight with outstanding actors as was the case in this BBC version, can make for thrilling and at times moving drama. Let's hope that the original tapes are still lodged safely in the BBC vaults and have not been wiped, since this is a true classic.