Alan Hale, Jr. plays Porthos, the same musketeer played by his father Alan Hale in L'homme au masque de fer (1939), of which this movie is a direct remake, the earlier movie's screenplay is credited along with the Dumas novel as source material. Furthermore, in Les fils des mousquetaires (1952), a Hollywood-concocted sequel to Dumas' novel "The Three Musketeers", Hale played the son of Porthos, while this movie's D'Artagnan, Cornel Wilde, had the role of D'Artagnan's son.
Cornel Wilde, veteran fencer and actor in this movie, commented on the action scenes and noted: "Actually, they represent some of the most exciting scenes in which I have ever appeared."
The movie marked Alan Hale, Jr.'s third and final portrayal of Porthos in a movie after inheriting the role from his father, Alan Hale, who had originated the merry character in L'homme au masque de fer (1939). Hale, Jr. played Porthos, Jr. in Les fils des mousquetaires (1952), and then portrayed Porthos for the second time in Lady in the Iron Mask (1952).
In an effort to realistically capture the opulence and grandeur of eighteenth century French court life, producers Heinz Lazek and Ted Richmond were fortunate to gain access to many of the most picturesque castles, palaces, and verdent forests in and around Vienna, Austria, where the entire production was filmed.
During filming, Sylvia Kristel and Ian McShane began a tumultuous love affair, which lasted for almost five years.