7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a king's musketeer. He meets and quarrels with three men, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, each of whom challenges him to a duel. D'Artagnan finds out they are musketeers and is invited to join them in their efforts to oppose Cardinal Richelieu, who wishes to increase his already considerable power over the king. D'Artagnan must also juggle affairs with the charming Constance Bonancieux and the passionate Lady De Winter, a secret agent for the cardinal.
Starring: Oliver Reed (I), Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, Frank FinlayComedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
German, Japanese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B, A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Richard Lester's "The Three Musketeers" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features on the disc. In English, with optional Spanish, Japanese, German, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles for the main feature. Region A/B "locked".
Constance and D’Artagnan
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.
Viewers expecting a fresh new high-definition transfer for this quite entertaining film will likely be disappointed because the one used by the British distributors appears to have been struck from a dated source. However, this is not to say that there are serious flaws with it; rather, there are inherited limitations that could have been avoided if a new high-definition transfer was struck specifically for the Blu-ray release. The relatively good news is that partial corrections to cover these limitations and make the film look sharper and smoother have not been applied.
There are traces of filtering throughout the entire film, but they are clearly not as damaging as they could have been. The most severe examples are during the majority of the panoramic daylight scenes (see screencapture #3) where detail and contrast have clearly been affected. Many of the close-ups, however, are quite easy to tolerate (see screencaptures #16 and 17). Color reproduction is also decent, though some of the whites and light blues are occasionally too soft, while the blacks appear crushed. Overall, however, the color scheme is certainly more satisfying than that of the Anchor Bay R1 DVD release (unfortunately, I do not have in my library the R2 double-pack Optimum Home Entertainment released to compare). Finally, edge enhancement is never a serious issue of concern. There are no large cuts, damage marks, or stains to report in this review. (Note: This Blu-ray disc is Region A/B "locked". Therefore, if you reside in North America you will be able to play it on your player. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and
German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional Spanish, Japanese, German, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles for the main feature.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is quite good. Some of the more elaborate action scenes in the film have clearly benefited as the audio boasts that familiar crispness and fluidity all good loseless tracks deliver. There are no serious balance issues with legendary composer Michel Legrand's music score or problematic audio dropouts and distortions either. The dialog, however, is not always easy to follow (some of the fake French accents and pronunciations could be problematic for some viewers), which is why optional English subtitles should have been included.
Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray disc.
Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers is not an entirely faithful adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's classic novel, but it is a very entertaining one. It has a terrific cast and it is quite beautifully lensed. In my opinion, it is clearly better than the newest adaptation by Paul W.S. Anderson. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Optimum Home Entertainment, could best be described as a budget release. The technical presentation is not overly impressive, but this is likely the best treatment the film will see. If you enjoy it, look around for a good deal before adding it to your collection.
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