Gene Kelly stars as the swashbuckling young French nobleman D’Artagnan who, possessing nothing more than his title, travels to Paris to join The Three Musketeers. D’Artagnan no sooner arrives in the capital, than he insults Athos (Van Heflin), Porthos (Academy Award winner Gig Young) and Aramis (Robert Coote), the most feared of the musketeers. Challenged to a duel by each, D’Artagnan earns their respect with his courage, if not by his fighting prowess. But his courage, skill and wit are quickly needed to help the musketeers thwart a plot by the powerful Prime Minister Richelieu (Vincent Price) to overthrow King Louis XIII (Frank Morgan), save Queen Anne (Angela Lansbury) and win the heart of Lady de Winter (Lana Turner). This all-star frolic was a box-office hit as M-G-M and director George Sidney pulled out the stops to bring together its finest talents, and now it’s been restored and remastered for its Blu-ray debut.
For thoughts on The Three Musketeers (1948), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
Warner Archive presents The Three Musketeers (1948) with a truly stunning new 1080p master transfer sourced from a 4K scan of the Original Nitrate Technicolor Negatives. Warner Archive typically shines especially bright with their Technicolor transfers, and this one ranks high even in comparison to the bar they have set for themselves. The level of detail and clarity is stunning with the appropriate amount of natural film grain intact. The film appears to be almost entirely free of dirt and damage, which almost makes the feature feel like it could have been made in modern times. The film features some vibrant colors within the costumes and set design that pop off the screen with a wondrous intensity. The black levels are also very deep with a nice stability throughout. There does not appear to be any pesky digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding or any other such nuisances. This presentation is an A+ effort from Warner Archive on all fronts.
Audio Quality
Warner Archive has delivered a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio presentation that is quite strong. When it comes to the music in this feature, the track handles the different core elements well with only slight strain in the highest registers. The gorgeous score from Herbert Stothart feels almost like another character in the film and it comes through with remarkable fidelity. Dialogue is the driving force of this film, and it comes through clearly for the most part with only a handful of instances where the source seems a bit fuzzier. The track balances vocals with the environmental sounds with magnificent clarity. Even in the most active moments, there are no moments where the track ever appears as if it will fail to maintain its stability. Warner Archive has provided a pleasing audio presentation that does not exhibit any overwhelming instances of age-related wear-and-tear. The disc also comes with optional English (SDH) subtitles.
Special Features
- Fitzpatrick TravelTalks Short – Looking At London: A ten-minute travelogue piece at the sights of London post World War II. This is mostly exciting as a specific time in history captured on film.
- Tex Avery Cartoon – What Price Fleadom: A seven-minute Tex Avery cartoon which showcases the relationship between a dopey dog and his little flee companion. This is also included on the highly-recommended Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume Three.
- MGM Radio Promo: A 14-minute audio piece which features a Lana Turner interview where she gets to talk up the movie.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Three Musketeers (1948) is an ambitious take on the swashbuckling Alexandre Dumas material that can be a bit dull and convoluted in its plotting but delivers ample spectacle. The propulsive action and confrontations help you somewhat overlook the uneven performances. While based on classic material, this version just fails to make any of the non-action material particularly exciting or memorable. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a tremendous A/V presentation and a few great special features. If you enjoy this genre, you will have a good time with this release, but this is far from a masterpiece.
The Three Musketeers (1948) can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
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