The Four Musketeers 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Four Musketeers 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 16, 2023

Richard Lester's "The Four Musketeers" (1974) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critic Neil Sinyard; archival documentary; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH, French, and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The Four Musketeers begins exactly where The Three Musketeers ends -- in the Royal Court, where D'Artagnan (Michael York, Cabaret, Logan's Run) has been officially welcomed amongst the King’s (Jean-Pierre Cassel, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) musketeers. The Queen (Geraldine Chaplin, Doctor Zhivago, Cria Cuervos) gives him a small present, his friends congratulate him, and Cardinal Richelieu (Charlton Heston, Ben-Hur) gives him a nasty look. The action then moves to the La Rochelle fortress where the protestant rebels have managed to capture Rochefort (Christopher Lee, The Skull, The Man Who Could Cheat Death), Cardinal Richelieu's best swordsman. Moments before he is to be executed, the four musketeers appear and help him escape.

Shortly after, Cardinal Richelieu orders Rochefort to remove Constance (Raquel Welch, Fantastic Voyage, Bedazzled), the Queen’s confidante. Without her, the Queen would no longer be able to keep in touch with her lover, the Duke of Buckingham (Simon Ward, Young Winston), who has been secretly providing support for the protestant rebels.

After Constance is abducted by Rochefort’s men, Milady de Winter (Faye Dunaway, Bonnie and Clyde, Network) is also summoned by Cardinal Richelieu and asked to travel to London and kill the Duke of Buckingham. She agrees but requests the elimination of D'Artagnan, who has managed to break her heart, and his beloved Constance. Cardinal Richelieu foolishly gives Milady de Winter a note that allows her to begin executing her plan.

Meanwhile, Athos (Oliver Reed, Paranoiac, Tommy), Porthos (Frank Finlay, Othello, Gumshoe) and Aramis (Richard Chamberlain, The Music Lovers, The Last Wave) rescue Constance from Rochefort’s men and hide her in an old monastery not too far away from Paris. After they reunite with D'Artagnan, a terrible secret is revealed, and the inspiration for Athos’ alcoholism is exposed. The Queen, who has been informed that Cardinal Richelieu has sent Milady de Winter to London to kill her lover, asks D'Artagnan and his three friends to save him for her.

The sequel to The Three Musketeers is a fast and occasionally entertaining film in which the action convincingly outweighs the drama. Interestingly it has more complicated subplots than those observed in the first film. Also, it moves further away from Alexandre Dumas's famous novel and produces far greater inaccuracies in the depiction of the relationships between the main characters. The most glaring ones are in the final act, where Milady de Winter goes after Constance.

Shot on location in Spain, the film’s panoramic scenes look great. The period costumes and decorations are excellent as well. David Watkin’s lensing, however, isn’t always stellar. As a result, there are multiple sequences where it feels like the camera tries to capture more than it possibly can. John Victor-Smith’s editing leaves a lot to be desired, too.

Ultimately, The Four Musketeers should please viewers that enjoy light period action films, but it will disappoint viewers expecting it to deliver an accurate adaptation of Dumas’s classic novel.

The Four Musketeers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

StudioCanal's release of The Four Musketeers is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-B "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-26 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #31-36 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

In native 4K, The Four Musketeers looks as good as The Three Musketeers. I expected that it would be so because these films were clearly restored at the same facility and by the same crew. Once again, I did not do extensive comparisons with the only other release of The Four Musketeers that I have in my library because it was immediately obvious that the new 4K makeover was vastly superior. Also, the exact same improvements that I observed on the 4K makeover of The Three Musketeers were present here. Of course, The Four Musketeers has more outdoor panoramic footage, so the superior delineation, clarity, and depth are even easier to appreciate. The HDR grade is identical, too. For example, it handles highlights and darker nuances with the same precision, so a direct comparison with the 1080p presentation from the previous release instantly reveals some pretty dramatic jumps in quality. Fluidity is outstanding, so fast movement, zoom, and panning look terrific now. I think that the color grade is excellent. The period stylization produces various unique primaries and supporting nuances that are wonderfully balanced and very healthy. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks immaculate, too.

The Four Musketeers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this release: English LPCM 2.0, French LPCM 2.0, and German, LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH, French, and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All exchanges sound very clear and healthy. The outdoor footage sounds great too, though you need to keep in mind that there are some small but noticeable fluctuations during fast movement with scattered lines and music. There are no encoding anomalies. The previous release that I have does not have optional English SDH subtitles, but this time folks that need them will be able to use them.

The Four Musketeers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Interview with Neil Sinyard - in this new program, critic Neil Sinyard (The Fims of Richard Lester) discusses The Four Musketeers and some of the misconceptions about its production. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (24 min).

• The Saga of the Musketeers Part Two - Part One of this archival program is included on the 4K Blu-ray release of The Three Musketeers. There are some particularly interesting comments here about the life and career of Milligan. Included are numerous clips from interviews with executive producer Ilya Salkind, production director Pierre Spengler, Michael York, Christopher Lee, Charleton Helston, and Raquel Welch, amongst others. The program was produced by Blue Underground and Anchor Bay Entertainment. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (25 min).

• Trailer - presented here is an original U.S. trailer for The Four Musketeers. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (3 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Interview with Neil Sinyard - in this new program, critic Neil Sinyard (The Fims of Richard Lester) discusses The Four Musketeers and some of the misconceptions about its production. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (24 min).

• The Saga of the Musketeers Part Two - Part One of this archival program is included on the 4K Blu-ray release of The Three Musketeers. There are some particularly interesting comments here about the life and career of Milligan. Included are numerous clips from interviews with executive producer Ilya Salkind, production director Pierre Spengler, Michael York, Christopher Lee, Charleton Helston, and Raquel Welch, amongst others. The program was produced by Blue Underground and Anchor Bay Entertainment. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (25 min).

• Trailer - presented here is an original U.S. trailer for The Four Musketeers. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (3 min).

The Four Musketeers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perhaps The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers should have been one giant film with an intermission, as Christopher Lee implies in an archival program that is included on this release. If this was the type of film everyone tried to make, then perhaps its second half would have turned out as good as its first half. Earlier today, I revisited The Four Musketeers for the first time in more than a decade and enjoyed it quite a lot, but it is clearly not as well polished as The Three Musketeers. Indeed, it moves so far away from Alexandre Dumas's novel and dedicates so much time on the flashy action that it begins to look like a different type of period film. StudioCanal's 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack introduces a great new 4K makeover of The Four Musketeers, so if you pick up The Three Musketeers, you should add it to your library. If you reside in North America, please keep in mind that the 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free while the Blu-ray disc is Region-B "locked". RECOMMENDED.