The Vincent Price Movie Review

Released in 1948
Directed by George Sidney
Based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas

“Why don’t you use your right hand?”
“I use my right hand for my drinking.”

This will be a short review because this is another movie which Vincent Price had little screen time in. I won’t get into the plot much, or draw comparisons between other film versions or the book. You probably already know what The Three Musketeers is about: it’s one hell of an action-packed swashbuckling movie with relentless sword fights usually fought over honor, the Throne, and/or a beautiful woman - and a hefty dose of comedy thrown in.

Vincent Price, in another of his supporting roles, plays the villainous Prime Minister Richelieu, who seeks to wrest control of France from the King. As usual, he plays the bad guy with perfection. Price’s Richelieu is cunning, malicious, and ruthless, with touch of suave. Each time he appears in a scene, you immediately get the impression that something bad is about to happen to one of the heroes. He may also be the first villian in cinematic history to stroke a cat while expounding treacherous plans. (somebody look this up and get back to me)

Gene Kelly as D’Artagnan is no less than fantastic. This guy combines the agility of a monkey, the grace of a cat, and the alacrity of a hummingbird. I’m sure he had a stunt double do the really hard scenes, but you can definitely tell he did a lot of the acrobatics. The thing that struck me most about the stunts were how graceful they were accomplished. It looks almost as if the maneuvers are performed haphazardly, suggesting that a Musketeer does that kind of stuff everyday.

One casting decision that is retroactively humorous for someone of my generation is Angela Lansbury playing the Queen. She is around 23 years old in the movie, but for some reason I kept picturing her as she looked in Murder, She Wrote. (just how many people can die in a small New England town, anyway?!)

Lana Turner plays the beautiful but deadly Lady de Winter. Throughout most of the movie, she and Richelieu are joined at the hip by their nefarious mutual schemes. She gives an icy performance that complements the malevolence of Price and piques the chivalry of Kelly.

If you’re looking for a typical Vincent Price movie, you might want to pass on The Three Musketeers. Even though he delivers a great performance, his screen time is limited because of the nature of the role. However, if you like this kind of action-packed, swords and chivalry stuff, definitely give this movie a try.