Author Topic: Is the cinematic age of the Period piece gone? 2011's Three Musketeers  (Read 14705 times)

Offline serious crayons

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 22,712
I glimpsed Christoph Waltz, too. I really like him.

Tell you what, I can't get all upset about the Michael-Bayization of a story that's been told a dozen times already. What else is there to do to make it new, besides put the latest pretty faces in the roles?

As for a woman dueling in period dress, I see where that would be be unrealistic -- the whole underlying point of upper-class women's dress throughout history, including today, is to hamper movement -- but I can't help applauding it. Not to get all political, but if we must target all of our movies at 14-year-old boys, let's at least offer them some sex-role enlightenment while we're at it.

But admittedly, I'm not exactly a Three Musketeers buff. In fact, I've never even understood why they're called the three Musketeers when there are four of them, and they don't seem to be armed with muskets.


Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
But admittedly, I'm not exactly a Three Musketeers buff. In fact, I've never even understood why they're called the three Musketeers when there are four of them, and they don't seem to be armed with muskets.

Good point!  I never thought much about that, but it's kind of a "hunh" thing.  ;D
Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Jeff Wrangler

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,165
  • "He somebody you cowboy'd with?"
But admittedly, I'm not exactly a Three Musketeers buff. In fact, I've never even understood why they're called the three Musketeers when there are four of them, and they don't seem to be armed with muskets.

That puzzled me, too, when I was a kid and used to watch a Hanna-Barbera cartoon version. But you really have to go back to the novel for that. It takes something like half the book--maybe more--before D'Artagnan is admitted to the regiment. So there were only three for half the story, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis.

Remember the two movies from the early 70s?

The Three Musketeers: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072281/

The Four Musketeers: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073012/

Michael York (who has nothing to fear from Logan Lerman, or even Chris O'Donnel from the Disney version, for that matter) doesn't become a Musketeer until the end of the first film. In the scene where Porthos, Athos, and Aramis place the tabard on him, he is also handed a musket.

BTW, while double-checking at IMDb before I wrote this post, I discovered a sequel that I never heard of (or at least sure don't remember and never saw):

The Return of the Musketeers: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098194/

Interestingly enough, I also learned that the screen plays for all three films were written by George MacDonald Fraser. I've never gotten around to reading his Flashman novels, but I understand that they're very funny.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Front-Ranger

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 30,288
  • Brokeback got us good.
I was going to answer the three/four question, but Jeff beat me to it! So I'll just say a little something about the period dress...those flowing shirts the men wore presented lots of opportunity to grab something too. I'll bet there were quite a few women who wore men's clothes to duel in, but if there wasn't time to change, they could duel in a dress (good title for a story?) or just cut off excess material with their swords. A dress would be good for concealing extra weapons too!! Maybe the corset might provide a bit of protection against glancing sword blows.

And our friend Jeff HAS worn forementioned flowing shirt so he knows a thing or two about this!!
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Front-Ranger

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 30,288
  • Brokeback got us good.
Somewhat relevant to this...I'm going to see the exhibition "Cowboys and Rock Stars" about the Rockmount Western Wear store that is at the Foothills Art Center in my town today!! Hopefully, they'll let me take pics!!
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Jeff Wrangler

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,165
  • "He somebody you cowboy'd with?"
And our friend Jeff HAS worn forementioned flowing shirt so he knows a thing or two about this!!

When you're wearing one, it's very difficult to keep your sleeves out of the gravy at dinner.  ;D
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline delalluvia

  • BetterMost 5000+ Posts Club
  • *******
  • Posts: 8,289
  • "Truth is an iron bride"
I was going to answer the three/four question, but Jeff beat me to it! So I'll just say a little something about the period dress...those flowing shirts the men wore presented lots of opportunity to grab something too. I'll bet there were quite a few women who wore men's clothes to duel in, but if there wasn't time to change, they could duel in a dress (good title for a story?) or just cut off excess material with their swords. A dress would be good for concealing extra weapons too!! Maybe the corset might provide a bit of protection against glancing sword blows.

And our friend Jeff HAS worn forementioned flowing shirt so he knows a thing or two about this!!

Eh, shirt sleeves were tucked into gauntlets and the flowy shirts were not that flowy.  Not compared to dress skirts and hoops.

While I find making a woman a jack of blades in a 21st century Three Musketeers movie OK to get the pubescent boys used to warrior women, leaving them in women's clothes fetishizes them, making them titillating as well.  As a woman who has worn one, you can barely breathe and hardly bend at all in a boned bodice, much less do athletics in one.  

I would have liked to have seen a twist on the story, making D'Artagnan a woman in mens' clothes.  


That puzzled me, too, when I was a kid and used to watch a Hanna-Barbera cartoon version. But you really have to go back to the novel for that. It takes something like half the book--maybe more--before D'Artagnan is admitted to the regiment. So there were only three for half the story, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis.

Remember the two movies from the early 70s?

The Three Musketeers: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072281/

The Four Musketeers: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073012/

Michael York (who has nothing to fear from Logan Lerman, or even Chris O'Donnel from the Disney version, for that matter) doesn't become a Musketeer until the end of the first film. In the scene where Porthos, Athos, and Aramis place the tabard on him, he is also handed a musket.

Jeff beat us all to it.  It was called The Three Musketeers because D'Artagnan wasn't a musketeer until the very end.

They do have muskets.  In the versions I've seen, they usually fire the one shot a musket allows, then - rather than spend the next minute or so reloading - they toss the musket and pull their swords and take the fight up close.  

There's a funny scene in the 1970's movie where a man is trying to defend his wife by loading a musket and the kidnappers just walk right up to him while he's going through the process.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,165
  • "He somebody you cowboy'd with?"
There's a funny scene in the 1970's movie where a man is trying to defend his wife by loading a musket and the kidnappers just walk right up to him while he's going through the process.

It's been a while since I saw either film, though I have both in my library. I think I remember that scene--at least vaguely. It must have been Constance's husband.

I actually liked the second film better than the first one. In one thing, I actually wish the screenwriter had departed from his source material. I thought Raquel Welch was so good, so funny, as Constance, that I hated to see her murdered by Faye Dunaway.

Not being a SCAdian drag queen  ;D I can't comment from personal experience, but I have heard several women in the SCA who are, er, rather well endowed, say that they find those boned "wench bodices" wonderfully supportive.  8)
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline delalluvia

  • BetterMost 5000+ Posts Club
  • *******
  • Posts: 8,289
  • "Truth is an iron bride"
It's been a while since I saw either film, though I have both in my library. I think I remember that scene--at least vaguely. It must have been Constance's husband.

Yep!

Quote
I actually liked the second film better than the first one. In one thing, I actually wish the screenwriter had departed from his source material. I thought Raquel Welch was so good, so funny, as Constance, that I hated to see her murdered by Faye Dunaway.

I love both equally.  They have a DVD set of both movies with extras that I have on my Amazon wishlist I hope to afford soon.  My love of dirty, rough sword-fighting came from watching those two movies and they're the standard to which I measure every other Three Musketeer movie that comes out.

Quote
Not being a SCAdian drag queen  ;D I can't comment from personal experience

No?!?!?  :o  Say it ain't so!!   ;)


Quote
but I have heard several women in the SCA who are, er, rather well endowed, say that they find those boned "wench bodices" wonderfully supportive.  8)

They are wonderfully supportive.  Wonderfully supportive and comfortable and flexible are not the same things, however.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,165
  • "He somebody you cowboy'd with?"
I love both equally.  They have a DVD set of both movies with extras that I have on my Amazon wishlist I hope to afford soon.  My love of dirty, rough sword-fighting came from watching those two movies and they're the standard to which I measure every other Three Musketeer movie that comes out.

I am happy to say I agree with you, hunnerd percent.  :)

I have a boxed set of the two on VHS tape. I'm sure it would be a Good Thing to have them on DVD.

I'm now really intrigued to hunt down the sequel that I mentioned earlier. I know I can't remember sh*t anymore, but I have absolutely no recollection of ever even having heard of it.  ???
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.