Les quatre Charlots mousquetaires

...on what Hunebelle used to do fifteen years before:swashbucklers.The Charlots are abominable actors but André Hunebelle is a veteran.He never made anything but commercial flicks but who could blame him?We have seen worse since.

Daniel Ceccaldi/Paul Préboist /Bernard Haller are quite funny as the Louis the Thirteenth /Father Joseph/Richelieu threesome.The Charlots do not play the part of the four musketeers but those of their valets. Dumas must be turning in his grave :the musketeers are not up to scratch ,that's why the valets are here for!Milady was played by Karin Petersen who starred in the made-for -TV series "la Dame de Montsoreau" ,a must for Alexandre Dumas fans.Sadly ,she was to commit suicide in the early eighties.

This movie is not about the three (or four) musketeers. It is a funny parody of all those movies, and it centres around the four servants of the musketeers. As a kid, I enjoyed it immensely, and it was the only musketeer movie I liked, simply because it is such naive and harmless fun.

The main plot: The three (or four) musketeers are useless. They are lazy and drunk and barely ever appear in the film. It is their four servants who do all the work and all the rescuing. And they faithfully tell the stories to Alexandre Dumas, the pub landlord who likes to write things down. The rest sticks to the main premise of the novel (a French queen in distress, an English Baron dating her, etc.) but always with a wink in the eye. This is a slapstick movie, a parody and a funny one, although not really a clever one. The finale is big fun, involving lots of people sneaking up on each other and kicking each other in the butt, so you can see that this is not clever or subtle humour at all. Think of the average Bud Spencer & Terence Hill movie and you're quite close to this. I'm not sure whether it has as much appeal to adults as it has for kids...

The most ridiculous, indicative, one might say, reference comedy with the participation of the legendary comic quartet "Charlots". These guys are really great - they made some killer funny comedies, but only here, in "4 Musketeers," did they appear in all the splendor of their talents.

The difference of this film from such comedies as "Recruits Going to War" or "Crazy at the Stadium" is that, firstly, it is a parody of numerous screen versions of the famous Dumas novel, and, secondly, the director does not give " Charlottess "to turn everything that happens on the screen into a simple clownery with grimaces, grimaces and jumps, to which this clown group constantly strives. Their previous comedies staged by Claude Zidi are rather plotless variety-circus acts, and this film is a full-fledged sitcom, a true masterpiece of buffoon and parody art.

In the film, all the main values of France are ridiculed, everything that the great writer wrote out in his novel with such zeal, everything that great actors and directors have been recreating on the screens for years. All that for years was called true French - French spirit, musketeer honor, courage, battles for the heart of a beautiful lady, royal stories about pendants - all this is exposed in such an idiotic light that it is simply impossible to watch serious comedies after this comedy.

The main characters here are, of course, clever, cunning and cheerful servants of the musketeers, while the musketeers themselves are exposed to arrogant, blunt idlers who are worthless without their servants. The cardinal is a complete moron, the king is a loser, the sadist father Zherbe is just a sex maniac and a fool. A lot of funniest tricks, adventures and funny gags accompany the adventures of four servants - they left the cardinal's guardsmen without pants, gave kicks to the king and the cardinal, dressed Buckingham into a woman - which they didn't do!

The fantasies and ingenuity of "Charlots" and the writers do not get tired of being surprised. At the same time, they still managed to preserve the charm of the original musketeers, did not make a pathetic parody of the novel, namely, offered him an ironic rethinking. Laughing at yourself never hurts! The film is very smart and also shot in stunning scenery and give odds to many of these productions. Our, for example, the production of "The Three Musketeers" is significantly inferior to the beauty of the costumes and scenery of this uncommon comedy.

In everything that happens on the screen, the experienced hand of a great professional is felt. Still would! If you take a look at the director's name, you immediately understand how "Charlots" managed not to overstep his foolishness - Andre Yunnabel, the creator of the genius trilogy "Fantômas" - one of the best French comedies.

Well, of course, what a French comedy without fights, chases, disguises, substitutions, witty dialogues and beautiful girls? None So here we will see fascinating horse races, parody fights with swords, as well as with batons, rakes, crayfish and blacksmiths. And the girls are just beautiful, especially the beautiful Catherine Jordan as Anna of Austria and charming Josephine Chaplin as Constance.

Fascinating, classic, arrogant comedy, one of the most exciting films of the 70s in this genre. The best film "Charlots", a true comedy masterpiece!