D'Artagnans Tochter

A fun French comedy/adventure flick which resurrects the "Three Musketeers" and creates a beautiful daughter, Eloise, (Marceau) for an aging, portly D'Artagnan. The plot is a tad convoluted with subtitles which use some archaic English and nonstop dialogue making the story a bit of a challenge for non-French speakers to keep up with. Nonetheless, the 2+ hour run is full of swashbuckling adventures, funny antics, comedic dialogue, and the beautiful European countryside with misty moors, autumn forests, castles and all those things we love about Euro-period films.

A blithe film, perfect for a wintry evening. I saw it because I have loved every Tavernier film I have seen. This one was an unexpected treat--I was prepared for something dark and moody, and instead got Gallic sunshine. The plot is about as serious as a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, but it really doesn't matter. It's all delightful froth. Twenty years have passed since the famous adventures of the Three Musketeers. The film begins with an escaped African slave and a mysterious raid on the convent in which Eloise, the daughter of D'Artagnan, has been raised. Quick tempered and bold, she vows to avenge the death of the Mother Superior, disguises herself as a boy and leaves for Paris seeking her father's aid. The film records the amusing history of her subsequent adventures and companions. The French do this kind of picture better than any one else--it's civilized, affectionate, jolly, self-aware, playful, and respectful. Sophie Marceau is luminous, whimsical and feisty as Eloise. I wish we could see her in more roles. Phillipe Noiret is perfect as D'Artagnan, moving and comic simultaneously. Over-scheduled Americans may fret at the pacing, but just allow yourself to be a little French--enjoy the tale, the lack of American style violence and the delightful performances, music, and sets. C'est tres jolie.

Bertrand Tavernier has turned to the past many times before in his long career. He has no trouble telling a story with period costumes and swirling swordfights. La fille de D'Artagnan is a lot of fun for the first sixty minutes or so, then the lack of any great imagination in the plot construction starts to be apparent. There seems to be a coded message in a letter stolen from a convent that occupies the minds and energies of many of the characters to the detriment of telling the story.

Philippe Noiret is great, but the part is so easy for him. Sophie Marceau gets to show off her splendid breasts. Jean-Luc Bideau as Athos is perhaps the most watchable actor in the proceedings; he looks really dapper in that eyeband. If you want a really fine film about pre-Revolutionary France, try Que la fête commence, which has Noiret in one of his best roles.

The spirit of Dumas is alive and well as D'Artagnan and his three legendary companions regroup and once again go forth in defense of the Crown in `Revenge of the Musketeers,' directed by Bertrand Tavernier. This time around, however, it's D'Artagnan's daughter, Eloise (Sophie Marceau), who sounds the alarm after witnessing a cold-blooded murder at the convent she has called home these many years, having been raised there while her father was off on one adventure after another in service to the King. And it's the King for whom Eloise is concerned; in the wake of the murder, she has uncovered a conspiracy to assassinate the about-to-be-crowned Louis XIV during his coronation. Her evidence is a cryptic message discovered among the personal effects of the recently deceased resident of the convent. So throwing caution to the wind, Eloise takes to horseback, alone, to seek out her father and inform him of this threat to France and the King. What she doesn't know is that D'Artagnan (Philippe Noiret) has recently withdrawn from the service of the King, and not by his own choosing. It seems that the King-to-be is something of an upstart, the fact of which D'Artagnan conveyed to him personally-- in no uncertain terms-- after which the now former Musketeer retired to private life to give lessons in the art of swordsmanship. All of which is about to change with the arrival of the daughter he hasn't seen for many years, and who to his knowledge is still safely ensconced in the convent.

To successfully present yet another episode of `The Three Musketeers,' it must have that certain sense of bold carelessness born of confidence and larger-than-life adventure, and Tavernier's film has it. Though it takes a couple of scenes to find it's legs after an intense opening that makes you sit up and take notice, when it finally kicks in (which it does fairly quickly) it becomes a rousing adventure steeped in the tradition of it's predecessors. And, as in the best of the `Musketeer' movies, it's laced with subtle humor and intrigue. Tavernier sets a pace that is at times inconsistent, but he provides enough action and fun that it can be easily overlooked; it may threaten to stall occasionally, but never actually does.

Philippe Noiret cuts a striking figure as the aging D'Artagnan, who though slowed somewhat by the years, is still one of the best swords around. He successfully embodies that spirit and sense of `legend' that makes his D'Artagnan believable, and delivers it all with the confidence befitting his character.

The highlight of the film, however, is the lovely Marceau, who as Eloise proves that she can cross swords with the best of them. Her technique with a blade may be a bit awkward at times, but it gives credibility to the character; a young woman raised in a convent-- even the daughter of a famed Musketeer-- wouldn't necessarily be a master swordsman. And Marceau gives a lively performance as Eloise, diving into the action with a reckless abandon that makes her endearing, as well as fun to watch. She has a radiant screen presence that draws the eye to her, even in a crowded scene. But what really puts this character across-- and again, the entire film, for that matter-- is that unabashed spirit of adventure, which Marceau manifests in Eloise.

The supporting cast includes Claude Rich (Crassac), Sami Frey (Aramis), Jean-Luc Bideau (Athos), Raoul Billerey (Porthos), Charlotte Kady (Eglantine de Rochefort), Nils Tavernier (Quentin), Luigi Proietti (Mazarin) and Jean-Paul Roussillon (Planchet). Proving that even Musketeers beyond their prime can be engaging, especially when combined with a spirited beauty like Marceau, `Revenge of the Musketeers' is a welcome cinematic chapter in the saga Dumas began so many years ago. In the end, it's a satisfying experience that will transport you to another place and another time, when chivalry was alive and well, and right always triumphed over wrong. I rate this one 7/10.

Only based on Alexander Dumas' musketeer tales, not taken from them, this movie still manages to capture the sense of fun and adventure that marked his novels.

The four older actors playing the retired musketeers who are drawn back into the fray by D'Artagnan's daughter, Eloise, will be unfamiliar to most American viewers, but all of them have that same kind of slightly naughty French humor that so many Americans love in Gérard Depardieu (whose Porthos from the "Man in the Iron Mask" would have fit in perfectly here).

And Sophie Marceau will charm the pants off of you - although her pants are about the only clothing item she manages to hang onto here. But she is saucy, funny and very strong.

The scenery, too, will enchant - the castles, the countryside, all are gorgeous and true to the time.