The Three Musketeers is a 1969 Canadian television film based on the Stratford National Theatre's adaption of Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel The Three Musketeers. It stars Kenneth Welsh as d'Artagnan. The Three Musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, are played by Powys Thomas, James Blendick and Colin Fox.

Premise

A young man named d'Artagnan leaves home to travel to Paris, with the intention to join the Musketeers. Although d'Artagnan is not able to join this elite corps immediately, he befriends the three most formidable musketeers of the age — Athos, Porthos and Aramis — and gets involved in affairs of the state and court.

Cast

Background

The film was based on a play previously performed by the Stratford Natiional Theatre in 1968. The film was shot on location entirely in Toronto over a thirteen day shoot in January 1969. Director John Hirsch said "we didn't want to capture the words as much as the flavor, it's the action that counts, the energy, the vitality". Hirsch also highlighted the fourteen separately staged fights, and praised Peter Raby for an "extraordinary achievement of condensing the whole novel into two hours".

Reception

The Calgary Herald said "watching the film wasn't what you would call a chore ... it was fast paced and overloaded with action ... the story was almost secondary ... it was the swashbuckling that really mattered". The Toronto Star criticized the film, saying, "where film has so often failed to capture the spectacle, the action, the intrigue, the ardor, and above all the plumed and extravagant glamor, why expect television to succeed ... bringing the Stratford National Theatre production of the Three Musketeers to the small screen, CBC-TV provided a fatiguing demonstration of the perfectly obvious". The Province opined that it was "one of the biggest, most complex and spectacular dramas ever produced by CBC ... The Three Musketeers rivals in scope to last season's 2 hour production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".