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Ahhh, there’s
nothing quite like a swashbuckling adventure
to stir the imagination. I’ve long
been a fan of films about The Musketeers,
whether there be Three, Four, or even Five
of them. Oddly enough, having thought that
I had seen them all, I was surprised to
find there was one that had not graced my
television screen or that I had seen in
the local multiplex.
“The Fifth Musketeer”, is 1979’s
answer to “The Man in the Iron Mask.”
In the ever familiar story, we find that
Louis XIV has a twin brother Philippe. He
is brave and righteous as opposed to the
King’s less than valiant nature. Knowing
that Phillipe will cause no end of trouble
for the King and his plans to wed the Spanish
Infanta, he has him thrown in the Bastille
and forces him to wear the famed ‘Iron
Mask.’ Once freed by his friends,
The Musketeers, Phillie plots his revenge
against the Evil Monarch.
The film itself is surprisingly lighthearted
and fun, but what really makes “The
Fifth Musketeer”, is the terrific
all-star international cast.
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Surprisingly good in the dual role of Louis and
Phillipe is a very young Beau Bridges. Often living
in the shadow of his brother Jeff, he really shows
his stuff and has a lot of fun with the role.
He even gets to team up with father Lloyd, who
plays Aremis. Of course, there are three other
Musketeers that need to be mentioned in order
for the film to be complete. Jose Ferrer is terrific
as Athos, while Cornell Wilde plays a dashing
D’Artagnan. Last but not least, we have
Porthos. His casting came as a bit of a surprise,
but I noticed him right off when I looked at the
DVD cover. He is none other than Alan Hale, Jr.
If you don’t recognize the name, just think
‘Skiiippperrrrr.’ Rounding out this
illustrious cast are the sumptuous Sylvia Kristel
as the Spanish Infantina, the ever luscious Ursula
Andress as Madame de la Valliere and the always
marvelous Rex Harrison as Colbert.
Sony / Columbia Tristar is releasing a bare bones
edition of the film on DVD this week, and though
I would have welcomed a few extra features, I
guess I can understand why there aren’t
any. The film wasn’t huge, so the expense
was probably hard to justify. Fortunately, the
movie does look and sound pretty good and still
makes for a fun watch.
Directed by: Ken Annakin
Starring: Beau Bridges, Sylvia Kristal, Ursula
Andress, Cornel Wilde, Ian McShane, Alan Hale
Jr., Helmut Dantine, Olivia DeHavilland, Jose
Ferrer, Rex Harrison
Extras: None
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1)
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 7/13/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website
We'll give The Fifth Musketeer a B.
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