To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1970s swashbuckling classic, Studiocanal has announced a brand-new 4K restoration of the star-studded The Three Musketeers (1973). Directed by Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night, Help!),the film will be available to own on 4K UHD for the very first time, on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital from April 24. To accompany the release, the equally thrilling sequel, The Four Musketeers, has also enjoyed the same 4k treatment, and will be available to own on the same day.
Starring Oliver Reed (Women in Love), Richard Chamberlain (The Towering Inferno) and Frank Finlay (Othello) as the titular Musketeers with Michael York (Logan's Run) as D'Artagnan, The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers boast exceptional supporting casts featuring many of the most lauded stars of the era including Charlton Heston (Ben-Hur), Raquel Welch (One Million Years BC), Christopher Lee (The Wicker Man), Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde), Roy Kinnear (Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory) and Spike Milligan (The Goon Show).
In 17th Century Paris, young, naïve and energetic D'Artagnan (Michael York) leaves home to seek his fortune as a swordsman. Making friends with the three musketeers: world-weary Athos (Oliver Reed), comically arrogant Porthos (Frank Finlay) and chivalric Aramis (Richard Chamberlain), he is invited to join them in their efforts to thwart the aristocratic schemer Cardinal Richelieu (Charlton Heston), who plots to prove the infidelity of the Queen (Geraldine Chaplin) to King Louis XIII (Jean-Pierre Cassel) in order to increase his own power. Whilst attempting to foil the Cardinal's plans, D'Artagnan finds himself also juggling affairs with both the charming Constance Bonancieux (Raquel Welch) as well as the passionate Milady De Winter (Faye Dunaway), a secret agent for the Cardinal...
Originally conceived as a vehicle for The Beatles, it was ultimately decided that the Fab Four's personalities risked overshadowing the characters and the idea was shelved. Throughout production, Richard Lester insisted on secrecy from cast and crew for fear that his ideas may be stolen by any of the four other adaptations of the book that were also in production at the time. However, the film was both a critical and commercial hit on release and garnered Raquel Welch a Best Actress Golden Globe.
The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers will be released on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital on 24 April 2023 by Studiocanal at yet-to-be confirmed RRPs.
THE THREE MUSKETEERS UHD/BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:
- New Neil Sinyard on The Three Musketeers
- The Saga of the Musketeers Part 1
- The Making of The Musketeers vintage EPK
- Original US trailer
- Original UK trailer
THE FOUR MUSKETEERS UHD/BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:
- New Neil Sinyard on The Four Musketeers
- The Saga of the Musketeers Part 2
- Original Trailer
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