Gene Kelly heads humorous action swashbuckler
MGM’s 1948 production of “The Three Musketeers” is based on the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas. A silent version in 1921 had been a big hit for Douglas Fairbanks. To date, there have been over 50 film and TV adaptations of the novel, both live action and animated. The MGM version features an all-star cast, headed by Gene Kelly and Lana Turner, that balances lots of swashbuckling adventure with broad comedy.<br /><br />Young swordsman D’Artagnan (Kelly) leaves his country village and sets out for Paris, where he hopes to become a musketeer. He has the bad fortune to run afoul separately of three expert musketeers, Athos (Van Heflin), Porthos (Gig Young), and Aramis (Robert Coote) and, as honor demands, agrees to a duel with each of them in three successive hours. When D’Artagnan shows up for his first encounter, he sees, to his surprise, that Athos has brought Aramis and Porthos as his seconds. A group of the king’s soldiers soon show up to arrest them for dueling, strictly outlawed. The musketeers, joined by D’Artagnan, engage the soldiers in a lengthy, often comic fight featuring lightning-fast swordplay, breathtaking athleticism, and plenty of amusing touches.<br /><br />D’Artagnan joins the musketeers in their efforts to protect the weak King Louis XIII (Frank Morgan) from his powerful prime minister, Richelieu (Vincent Price), who is trying to incite a war with England. The treacherous Lady de Winter (Turner) uses her sexual wiles as Richelieu’s chief spy to achieve his nefarious goals.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the musketeers’ beloved Queen Anne (Angela Lansbury) has been having secret trysts with the British ambassador, the Duke of Buckingham (John Sutton), and gives him two diamonds from a set of twelve recently given to her by the king. Richelieu sends Lady de Winter to steal the jewels from Buckingham so he can present them as evidence to the king of the queen’s infidelity. The musketeers, aided by the queen’s loyal servant Constance (June Allyson), set out for England to retrieve the diamonds.<br /><br />Director George Sidney has crafted some rousing action sequences with acrobatic derring-do, lots of stunt work, and swordplay choreographed as precisely as dance numbers. Kelly combines athletic ability and graceful movement to make these scenes great fun. Tumbling, jumping, summersaulting, and bounding about, he infuses terrific energy into his performance, which ranks among his best screen apperances.<br /><br />The first version of the tale to be filmed in color, “The Three Musketeers” is visually spectacular, with Turner’s enormous plumed hats and gowns in vibrant primary hues and the musketeers’ lavish costumes, as well as the opulent sets, geared to dazzle. The all-star cast adds stature to a story that was familiar to audiences in the late 1940s yet still filled seats in theaters.<br /><br />Though Turner is billed first, Kelly has far more screen time and the story revolves around his character. Kelly, who had shown his athletic agility earlier in “Living in a Big Way” and “The Pirate,” contributes considerable humor, maintaining a balance between the basic plot and comical enhancements. Though a bit too old to play a young man just leaving home to seek his fortune, he adds charm and a mischievous twinkle to his performance, endearing him to the viewer.<br /><br />Price is well cast as Richelieu, projecting an evil smile and a politician’s cunning as his character’s unctuous attentions to the king and nefarious plot threaten to create war. Allyson’s Constance serves both as love interest for D’Artagnan and as key player in the sub-plot involving Lady de Winter. Of the musketeers, only Van Heflin, as Athos, has a substantial role, with Porthos and Aramis practically extras in the film.<br /><br />Despite its strong action quotient, the film is too long, overly reliant on a series of duels, with dull stretches of exposition that put the brakes on narrative flow. At 126 minutes, the movie could easily have been trimmed by at least ten minutes. Richard Lester’s ”The Three Musketeers” of 1973 managed to get things right in a briskly paced picture with plenty of star power and exceptionally well-tuned humor. That film allowed each of the musketeers to be developed rather than serve as colorful set dressing.<br /><br />Bonus materials on the unrated Blu-ray release from Warner Archive include:<br />Vintage Fitzpatrick TravelTalks short - Looking at London (10:09)<br />Classic Cartoon What Price Fleadom (6:57)<br />Radio Promo (14:04)<br />Theatrical Trailer (1:56)<br /><br />A major problem with “The Three Musketeers” is its over-abundance of dueling scenes, which become repetitive. The best one occurs early in the picture and is never topped. George Sidney’s direction strives to combine slapstick, melodrama and epic action, yet never manages a comfortable blend. “The Three Musketeers” did huge business during its initial theatrical release and was obviously a crowd pleaser. MGM in its heyday was known for extravagance, and the film is a showcase of the studio’s style. Seen today, it’s a fun costume picture with an impressive roster of the studio’s contract stars.
The movie title "The Three Musketeers (blu-ray)," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.6 from 1051 reviewers. 
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 {"Genre": "Action & Adventure", "Contributor": "Frank Morgan, June Allyson, Gene Kelly VI, Lana Turner, Van Heflin, Pandro S. Berman, Angela LansburyFrank Morgan, June Allyson, Gene Kelly VI, Lana Turner, Van Heflin, Pandro S. Berman, Angela Lansbury   See more", "Language": "English", "Studio": "Warner", "MPAA rating": "NR (Not Rated)", "Package Dimensions": "6.26 x 5.35 x 0.47 inches; 2.29 Ounces", "Director": "Pandro S. Berman", "Release date": "February 15, 2022", "Actors": "Lana Turner, Gene Kelly VI, June Allyson, Van Heflin, Angela Lansbury", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : 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)..