Line #12 Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/_515.jpg]]
2
3	''The Three Musketeers'' (1973) and ''The Four Musketeers'' (1974) are a two-part film adaptation of the novel ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' by Creator/AlexandreDumas.
4
5	Directed by Creator/RichardLester from a screenplay by Creator/GeorgeMacDonaldFraser with a soundtrack by Music/MichelLegrand (replaced by Lalo Schifrin on ''The Four Musketeers''), they star Creator/MichaelYork as D'Artagnan, Creator/OliverReed, Creator/RichardChamberlain, and Frank Finlay as the three Musketeers, Creator/GeorgesWilson as Tréville, Creator/CharltonHeston, Creator/FayeDunaway, and Creator/ChristopherLee as the villains and Creator/RaquelWelch as the LoveInterest.
6
7	The director, the screenwriter and much of the cast reunited again for ''The Return of the Musketeers'' in 1989, which is loosely based on the {{sequel}} novel ''Twenty Years After''.
8	----
9	!!These films provide examples of:
10	* ActionizedAdaptation: The films add several action scenes, such as our heroes rescuing the Duke of Buckingham from assassination, D'Artagnan fighting guards before the ball, a fight between Constance and Milady, Athos, Porthos and Aramis rescuing Rochefort from being ShotAtDawn, D'Artagnan and Rochefort dueling on a frozen lake and a final battle with Rochefort and his men at a covenant, culminating in a DuelToTheDeath between D'Artagnan and Rochefort.
11	* AdaptationalComicRelief: Porthos is a lot more bumbling and comical than he was in the book. Constance is also much clumsier.
12	* AdaptationalConsent: In the book, D'Artagnan commits [[BedTrick Rape By Deception]] on Milady. This was changed so their encounter is consensual.
13	* AdaptationalDumbass:
14	** This version of D'Artagnan is a naive country bumpkin without a hint of noble blood in him.
15	** Constance was constantly described in the original novel as "intelligent", whereas in this movie, she is played primarily for comic effect as somewhat clumsy and accident-prone, and slightly less intelligent, though still fiercely loyal to the Queen.
16	* AdaptationalJerkass: The Executioner of Lille in the book, made a point to throw the money he received in the river to show he was acting to avenge his own debt against Milady. The film has him keep the money and demand extra for rowing across the river, since the film cut his history with Milady.
17	* AdaptationalNiceGuy: D'Artagnan is way more noble and likeable than his book counterpart.
18	* AdaptationalVillainy: Rochefort, who’s heavily involved with Milady’s schemes and a party to the murder of Constance. In the book he had no involvement with any of it.
19	* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: Milady and Rochefort are said to be lovers. There was no mention of this in the book. It's one of the places where Rochefort inherits the plot points of the AdaptedOut Comte de Wardes.
20	* AdaptedOut:
21	** With the exception of Planchet, none of the musketeers' servants appear in the film.
22	** The Comte de Wardes does not appear, and his most important plot points are given to Rochefort instead.
23	** Lord Winter, who in the book tries Milady for the death of his brother, is also omitted.
24	** The Executioner of Lille’s grudge against Milady is not mentioned.
25	* TheAlcoholic: Athos is frequently seen with a bottle in hand. And he's played by Creator/OliverReed.
26	* AndThatLittleGirlWasMe: Athos, when he tells d'Artagnan the story of the Comte de la Fere. d'Artagnan figures out that Athos was the Comte, and near the end of the film Athos admits it. It plays out much the same in the original novel.
27	* {{Angrish}}: Porthos's initial reaction to his hat being destroyed.
28	* AntiVillain: Richelieu. The heroes support Richelieu's goal (the integrity and greatness of France), they just can't stomach his methods (exposing the Queen's adultery, having Buckingham assassinated to prevent an English invasion).
29	* ArtImitatesArt: The second film references the famous painting "Cardinal Richelieu at the Siege of La Rochelle" by Henri-Paul Motte. Creator/CharltonHeston is costumed in full armour like the painting.
30	* AudibleSharpness: The first film opens with it.
31	* BadHabits: [[spoiler:Milady dresses up as a nun to get into the convent where Constance is hiding, and murders her.]]
32	* BattleAmongstTheFlames: A battle between the title characters and the Cardinal's men partially occurs in a burning building after a lantern is knocked into a pile of straw.
33	* BedmateReveal: ''The Four Musketeers'' has D'Artagnan waking up in bed with Milady. And then he spots something she doesn't want him to see and she comes after him with a [[AwesomeButImpractical glass dagger filled with acid]].
34	* BittersweetEnding: Like the book. The Musketeers avenge themselves on Milady and Rochefort, but Constance is dead.
35	* BloodIsSquickerInWater: In ''The Four Musketeers'', Milady nearly steps into a bath that has been turned pinkish-red by Rochefort's blood.
36	* BloodstainedGlassWindows: D'Artagnan and Rochefort have their epic final duel in a church.
37	%% * BookDumb: D'Artagnan apparently never learned to read as he has to have a fellow
38	%% * ButtMonkey: Porthos. Planchet as well.
39	* TheCavalry: D'Artagnan has been separated from the other three Musketeers through attacks by the Cardinal's agents. As he's trying to return the diamonds to the Queen, he's accosted by several sets of Cardinal's guards. Finally, when he's outmatched by three of them, he's rescued twice: first by his servant Planchet in a polar bear costume, and then by the rest of the Musketeers whom Planchet lets in through a gate.
40	* ClickHello: Athos pulls this on Milady when she tries to escape.
41	-->'''Athos:''' You won't need a horse on the journey you're taking, Madame. I warned you, did I not?
42	* ClothingCombat: During a fight in a laundry, Athos loses his sword and picks up a piece of wet clothing to use as a weapon.
43	* CombatHaircomb: While fighting Constance Bonacieux over the diamond-studded necklace, Milady pulls a ornamental hairpin out of her hair and uses it as a weapon.
44	* CombatPragmatist: Sword fights include sucker punching, groin kicking, blinding with cloaks or laundry, bashing with convenient chairs, and ''reversing the sword to beat the bad guy with the grip''.
45	* CoolSword:
46	** D'Artagnan is given a sword with a spring-activated knife blade in the hilt by the Duke of Buckingham.
47	** Parodied with the Musketeer sword D'Artagnan gets from his dad at the very start of the first film. Rather than serving as a cherished heirloom weapon, it's snapped six inches above the hilt the first time D'Artagnan tries to use it in combat.
48	* CrashIntoHello: How D'Artagnan meets the musketeers, as in the book. He accidentally rams into Athos' injured shoulder while chasing after Rochefort and gets caught in Porthos' cloak.
49	* CuteClumsyGirl: If it can be tripped over, knocked over, or dropped, Constance would do it. At one point, d'Artagnan hears the crash of a large potted plant falling off a balcony, looks and sees a lady standing on the balcony, and says with satisfaction, "That ''has'' to be Constance." It is.
50	%% * TheDandy: Aramis.
51	%% * DarkActionGirl: Justine de Winter.
52	* DecompositeCharacter:
53	** In the book, D'Artagnan intercepts and has a duel with Comte de Wardes. In the film, he fights Rochefort (who is his cousin in the book).
54	** In the book, it is Rochefort who tells the friends to surrender their swords and see the cardinal. Seeing as he's ''hors de combat'' in the film at this point, Jussac fills this role.
55	* DeconstructorFleet: The films manage to land as an affectionate homage to classic swashbuckling movies from UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood, even while they viciously subvert tons of the genre's tropes.
56	* DeliberateValuesDissonance: D'Artagnan treats his servant [[ButtMonkey Planchet]] (played by frequent Lester collaborator Creator/RoyKinnear) like dirt. This is PlayedForLaughs.
57	-->'''Sailor:''' This pass is only for one person!\
58	'''D'Artagnan:''' I ''am'' only one person. ''That'' is a servant.
59	* DesignatedGirlFight: Constance and Milady in the climax of the first film. They use {{Improvised Weapon}}s like a lit candlestick and a tiara.
60	* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: In the book, Milady poisons Constance and she exchanges words with D'Artagnan as she dies. In the film, Milady strangles her.
61	* DisabledInTheAdaptation: This was the first adaptation to give Rochefort an eyepatch.
62	* DividedForAdaptation: Planned and shot as a single film before the decision was made to split it into two, resulting in some legal wrangling over how many films' worth of payment the actors were due. Creator/CharltonHeston was allegedly the only cast member who didn't feel cheated by the double shoot -- he felt fully compensated as the part of Richelieu was not much bigger than a cameo (though far more important).
63	* TheDoorSlamsYou: The Duke of Buckingham slams open a secret door, hitting Planchet who's standing behind it.
64	%% * TheDragon: Rochefort to Richelieu.
65	* DressHitsFloor: Milady disrobes in this fashion, stepping out of the daintiest of boudoir slippers as well. The camera slowly pans upward from her feet as she moves to dip her toes in the bath, only to find it full of bloody water from Rochefort letting his wounded hand drip into it.
66	* DrowningMySorrows: Athos gets drunk to forget about his betrayal by Milady De Winter.
67	* DrowningPit: In ''The Return of the Musketeers'', four of the Duke of Beaufort's supporters are chained to benches in a pit of water up to their neck and forced to operate a pump that will keep the water at that level as long as all four never stop pumping. This is treated as a Funny Background Event.
68	%% * DrunkenMaster: Athos.
69	* DualWielding: Many characters fight with both sword and dagger.
70	* DuelToTheDeath: D'Artagnan vs. Rochefort.
71	* EliteMooks: The Cardinal's Guard. Although the novel depicts them as more or less equal to the king's musketeers in training and prestige—and in the first fight sequence the musketeers hesitate before taking them on at 1-2 odds—by the final fight sequences, the heroes are dispatching them by the dozen.
72	* ExactEavesdropping: Zig-zagged. One of the [[PunchClockVillain Cardinal's spies]] is seen reporting on a panicked conversation he heard Constance and the Queen having about how to retrieve the diamonds and about the need to send a messenger. But the flashback accompanied by his voiceover then has the two of them suddenly make shushing sounds when they realize there is a spy. The spy himself continues his report to give Richelieu a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech [[MoodWhiplash by pretending that they'd kept talking]], and that it was something he'd overheard them saying.
73	-->'''Spy:''' That devil has spies everywhere. That evil man, dirty, filthy, evil, nasty, dirty, that evil man calling himself a priest... ''[Richelieu glares]'' [[BlatantLies is what it says here]].
74	* EyepatchOfPower: Creator/ChristopherLee started a trend for movie Rocheforts by sporting one. Michael Wincott and Creator/MadsMikkelsen had one in the [[Film/TheThreeMusketeers1993 1993]] and [[Film/TheThreeMusketeers2011 2011]] versions, and Creator/TimRoth had one in [[Film/TheMusketeer 2001]] though his character wasn't Rochefort, but an {{Expy}} of Wincott's (and the actual Rochefort was a separate character). Marc Warren acquires one in the penultimate episode of his season of [[Series/TheMusketeers the BBC series]].
75	* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: Before Rochefort is to be executed by firing squad, a man is trying to put a blindfold on him, but can't figure out how to work around the eye patch. He dryly says, "perhaps I could just close one eye".
76	* FailedDramaticExit: D'Artagnan leaps out of a window in pursuit of Rochefort...only to land on a raising platform and have to climb back in and go down the stairs anyway.
77	* {{Fanfare}}: One is to be played for the King of France. One of the Musketeers needs a distraction, so he tries to play the fanfare and fails badly. However, the other musicians think it's time and play the fanfare correctly.
78	* {{Flynning}}: {{Averted}}: Not only was the swordplay highly realistic (with moves like grabbing the opponent's blade, and hitting them with one's cloak), but all the stars were trained swordsmen. Creator/ChristopherLee admitted in an interview that he had to remind Creator/OliverReed during one of their fights that he wasn't really trying to kill him. It didn't help that the swords they used weren't foils.
79	* ForgedMessage: In ''The Four Musketeers'', Milady sends d'Artagnan a case of poisoned wine along with a letter supposedly from Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Luckily d'Artagnan decides to find them first before drinking the wine.
80	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Athos (phlegmatic), Porthos (choleric), Aramis (melancholic), d'Artagnan (sanguine).
81	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: The film becomes ''much'' funnier when you watch the facial expressions of the random extras reacting to King Louis' latest bit of loony behavior.
82	* GenderFlip: Milday's son Mordaunt is replaced by a daughter named Justine.
83	* GiveMeASword: During the duel in the flaming side-building of the convent from which the heroes are attempting to rescue Constance. Porthos just yells "Sword! Sword!", but Aramis does comply.
84	* GorgeousPeriodDress: Milady's and Queen Anne's are particularly beautiful. ''The Four Musketeers'' received an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design.
85	* GracefulLoser: Richelieu accepts that his scheme of blackmailing the Queen was foiled and calmly walks away from it. [[SoreLoser Milady is not as graceful, vowing revenge on D'Artagnan.]]
86	* GrievousBottleyHarm: During the siege of the Bastion, Planchet hits an attacker over the head with a wine bottle.
87	* GroinAttack: Several:
88	** Milady knees D'artagnan in the groin following his BedTrick.
89	** Constance knees her jailer in the groin before trying, and failing, to escape. She does this to another jailer, who turns out to be Aramis in disguise.
90	* HatDamage: During the first encounter with the Cardinal's guards, Porthos' hat gets sliced in half while he isn't wearing it, leading to a scene in which Porthos, jubilant at the Musketeers' victory, puts his hat on, it falls off to either side of his head, and he throws a tantrum and takes four times the cost of the hat out of the guards' purses as a fine.
91	* HeroicBSOD: D'Artagnan has one after he finds [[spoiler: that Constance has been murdered]]
92	* HighDiveEscape: Justine de Winter in ''The Return of the Musketeers'' dives out of the castle window into a lake and is last seen swimming away. Raoul starts to follow her but is stopped by D'Artagnan.
93	-->'''D'Artagnan:''' Do you really want to go after her, boy? Because - by God - I don't!
94	* HighHeelFaceTurn: Milady's maid seems to be privy to her criminal scheming, but provides assistance and information to D'Artagnan after having sex with him.
95	* HollywoodDarkness: The lantern-light duel between D'Artagnan and Rochefort.
96	* HumanChess: Featuring animal wearing costumes as pieces.
97	* HypocriticalHumor: When the other Musketeers hear that D'Artagnan is sleeping with both Constance and Milady, Porthos chides him that he knows any of his own current mistresses would be upset if they heard about him doing something like that.
98	* IGaveMyWord: D'Artagnan is facing Cardinal Richelieu who is about to hang him for a variety of illegal acts which destroyed the Cardinal's plan. D'Artagnan hands Richelieu the ''carte blanche'' ("By my order and for the good of the state, the bearer has done what has been done —signed Richelieu") he'd stolen from Milady, Richelieu accepts it, says "Be careful what you write, and be careful whom you give it to" before tearing it and crumpling it up (causing D'Artagnan and the audience a moment of concern), then follows this trope straight by honoring the document he himself wrote and offering him an officer's commission in the Musketeers for his audacity.
99	* ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder: Milady's executioner demands extra pay for taking her in a boat, saying that he's a headsman, not a sailor.
100	* IdealizedSex: {{Averted}}. D'Artagnan and Constance Bonacieux have a bit of implied trouble getting into position (they're just off-camera at the time).
101	* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: None of the firing squad manages to hit Rochefort.
102	* InflationaryDialogue: Porthos ransacks his enemy's purse after his hat gets ruined in a fight:
103	-->'''Porthos:''' God's blood!! Look at that...! Ruined by you and your, your street-corner ruffians! By God, you'll pay for it! ''[rifles the purse of a fallen Guardsman]'' Ten pistoles it cost me! ''[reconsiders on seeing the contents of the purse]'' No -- twenty! Twenty pistoles! And twenty more, as a fine to teach you manners! Hah!
104	* InterestingSituationDuel: D'Artagnan and Rochefort duel on a frozen pond, with all sorts of slippery fun.
105	* InternalHomage: The first film opens with a closeup of a sword slowly being withdrawn from a scabbard, leading into the opening duel between D'Artagnan and his father. The third film opens with a closeup of a sword slowly being withdrawn from a scabbard, but this time it's revealed to have a fork on the end of it, as Planchet uses it to surreptitiously skewer food off plates belonging to the patrons seated below his perch in the rafters.
106	* IronicEcho: Porthos saves Aramis by throwing his sword at an attacker...the very move Aramis mocked him for earlier.
107	-->'''Aramis:''' Only Porthos could invent a new way to disarm himself.
108	* ItsPersonal: D'Artagnan engages in DuelToTheDeath with Rochefort [[spoiler:because he thinks he killed Constance]].
109	* KarmaHoudini: The spy in Queen Anne's court who betrays Constance's hiding place in the second movie is never found out or punished.
110	* KickedUpstairs: The Cardinal's parting blow when he realizes he can't punish D'Artagnan is to make him an officer and promote him above his companions, effectively breaking up the team.
111	* TheKingslayer: In ''Return'', King Charles I of England is to be executed, so Queen Anne of Austria sends d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Raoul to rescue him. They attempt a rescue by knocking out the executioner, but Justine de Winter takes his place and beheads Charles.
112	* TheKlutz: Constance, a far cry from how she's portrayed in the book.
113	* LandInTheSaddle: Athos does this prior to the climax.
114	%% * LargeHam: "YOU have deCIEVED ME!"
115	* LittlePeopleAreSurreal: In one scene, the King of France is eating hors d'oeuvres off plates balanced on the heads of dwarf servants. This is mainly to emphasize the decadence of his court, and is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_dwarf Truth In Television]].
116	* MarkOfShame: The fleur de lis brand on Milady's shoulder which marks her as a criminal. When her husband the Comte de la Fere discovered it he was horrified and renounced her. Milady immediately tries to kill D'Artagnan when he sees it.
117	* MasterForger: The Duke of Buckingham, having met The Three Musketeers while on a secret mission in France, discovers that two large jewels are missing from his collarpiece. These were taken by the guileful Countess de Winter on Richelieu's orders as evidence of Buckingham's affair with the Queen. The Duke visits a decrepit-looking fellow called O'Reilly (a dual role for Frank Finlay, who also plays Porthos) who happens to have a talent for making copies, and hires him thusly:
118	-->'''Buckingham:''' ''[showing the diamond studs]'' O'Reilly -- put a price on these: each one, their worth.\
119	'''O'Reilly:''' Oh, umm...not English. Not English, no. I'd say...ah...five hundred pounds.\
120	'''Buckingham:''' How long to make two of them?\
121	'''O'Reilly:''' Oh, ah, um, oooh...a week?\
122	'''Buckingham:''' I'll pay you five thousand pounds each if they're finished the day after tomorrow!\
123	'''O'Reilly:''' Done!
124	* MeaningfulRename: Athos tells his former wife that the Comte de la Fère (his real name) is dead; he uses anecdotes from his past by claiming that they happened to a friend of his.
125	* MeanBoss: Milady slaps her maid for supposedly sleeping on duty, and later repeatedly hits her for taking too long to help Milady get out of a locked room.
126	* MookLieutenant: A senior officer of the cardinal’s guard, Jussac, often appears to interfere with the musketeers plans.
127	* NPlusOneSequelTitle: ''The Four Musketeers''.
128	* NarratorAllAlong: At the very end, it's revealed that Porthos was the narrator all along.
129	* NeverLearnedToRead: When the Duke of Buckingham asks D'Artagnan if he has read the Queen's letter, D'Artagnan admits that he cannot read. When he is sent some wine and a note in the sequel he gets around this by pretending the handwriting is so bad he cannot make it out and asks the quartermaster to try (this is different from the books where D'Artagnan is quite literate, even if he does hate Latin).
130	* NoodleImplements: One scene shows a group of torturers preparing to torture Monsieur Bonacieux in the Bastille, with the usual rack and branding irons and such, with an incongruous shot near the end of a fist-sized potato being removed from the same brazier that's heating up the branding irons and placed in a copper bowl near the end. Either a roasted potato is crucial in some nefarious torture, or one of the torturers is feeling peckish and getting a head start on lunch. Given his exasperated look, Richelieu is probably leaning towards the latter explanation.
131	* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Just try to spot a French accent. Go on.
132	* NothingPersonal: When asked if it isn't awful to have so many enemies, Richelieu replies "I have no enemies. ''France'' has enemies." (Evidently a real quote by the historical Richelieu, which Heston pushed to have included in the film.)
133	* PayingForTheActionScene: {{Subverted}}. Temporarily embarrassed for funds and very much in need of food and drink, the Musketeers and D'Artagnan's servant Planchet cause chaos in an inn with a long, furious and faked fight...which is a pretext for numerous tricks to purloin said food and drink for later consumption at their leisure.
134	* PowderTrail: One is used to destroy the Musketeers' ship in ''The Return of the Musketeers''.
135	* PreAsskickingOneLiner: Rochefort snarls one on spotting D'Artagnan prior to their final duel:
136	-->'''Rochefort:''' Be advised, Gascon. ''Turn and run!''
137	* PullingTheRugOut: PlayedForLaughs. Near the end of the first movie, D'Artagnan confronts several guards inside the palace. He grabs the rug they're standing on and tries to pull it out from under them, but only succeeds in ripping off the fringe of the rug. As the guards are not actually involved in the current fight, they don't pursue him and just wonder aloud why a random guy tore their carpet and ran off.
138	%% * PuppetKing: Louis.
139	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: The first sign the Duke of Buckingham is a good guy is that he treats D'Artagnan's attempt to pick a fight with him as an innocent mistake... at least after D'Artagnan apologizes.
140	* ReedSnorkel: D'Artagnan try this in a horse trough. Jussac gets frustrated that he's 'lost' d'Artagnan and kicks the tap off the trough...causing it to empty and leave d'Artagnan exposed.
141	* TheRestShallPass: D'Artagnan and the three musketeers are on a mission for the queen. Along the way they're attacked by various groups sent by Cardinal Richelieu. In one encounter, while fighting a {{Mook}}, Athos orders d'Artagnan to keep going while he stays and keeps the opponent busy.
142	* {{Retcon}}: Rochefort was explicitly killed off in the second film with Richelieu stating as much, but is revealed to have survived in ''The Return of the Musketeers'' since he did in the original books.
143	* RevengeIsSweet: D'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers have cornered TheDragon Milady deWinter, and have sent her off by boat with an executioner. At the boat launch, all four swordsmen declare "I forgive you," which at that point is purely perfunctory. Milady glowers at them as she's being rowed away to her doom.
144	* RoyalRapier: As with most adaptations, both the Musketeers and the Cardinal's Guard use them.
145	* SameLanguageDub:
146	** Creator/JeanPierreCassel's (Louis XIII) voice is overdubbed by Creator/RichardBriers.
147	** In ''The Three Musketeers'', Creator/GeorgesWilson (de Tréville, the commander of the musketeers) was dubbed by Creator/MichaelHordern.
148	** In ''The Return of the Musketeers'', Eusebio Lázaro, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Creator/PhilippeNoiret were all dubbed by British actors.
149	* SexyDiscretionShot: The film uses a textbook 'candle dissolves to a much-shorter candle' shot to indicate d'Artagnan has successfully convinced Madame Bonacieux "why, that's the best place for you, bed ..."
150	%% * ShirtlessScene: D'Artagnan has several of these.
151	* ShotAtDawn: The Musketeers rescue Rochefort from a rebel firing squad in La Rochelle, complete with a bit of BlackComedy when the executioner is confused about how to blindfold a man with an eyepatch.
152	* ShotInTheAss: Aramis shoots a man in the ass during the siege of the bastion.
153	* StalkerShrine: The Duke of Buckingham keeps a painting of Queen Anne in a secret room surrounded by hundreds of candles. Possibly a subversion - since they're in love with each other, it comes across as romantic rather than stalkerish.
154	* StockScream: The Wilhelm Scream is heard during the scenes at the nunnery, as a man falls from the burning building.
155	* SwordFight: Takes pride in giving fiction's most famous swashbucklers decidedly non-[[{{Flynning}} Flynn]] moves. Examples include sucker punching, groin kicking, blinding with cloaks or laundry, bashing with convenient chairs, and ''reversing the sword to beat the bad guy with the grip''.
156	* TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: D'Artagnan receives a case of wine along with a note that indicates it's from his fellow musketeers. Before he can drink any of it, an enemy {{mook}} drinks some and dies...it was poisoned wine sent by Milady to kill him.
157	* TelephonePolearm: Planchett helps D'Artagnan out in a duel by hitting Rochefort with a tree.
158	* ThatManIsDead: When Athos confronts Milady:
159	-->'''Milady:''' The Comte de la Fere!\
160	'''Athos:''' No, Milady. The Comte de la Fere is dead. You killed me years ago... out riding on a summer's day. It's burned no deeper into you than it is into me.
161	* ThemeMusicAbandonment: Although the first two films were produced simultaneously and are two halves of the same story, have completely different scores written by two different composers. The sequel thus lacks the first movie's very distinctive main themes.
162	* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: During D'artagnan and Rochefort's duel, Porthos is about to step in, but Aramis stops him, suggesting this trope without saying a word.
163	* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks:
164	** DoubleSubverted -- Porthos invents a move involving throwing his sword at the enemy in the same motion as drawing it. Aramis, unimpressed, asks Porthos to perform this move on him and easily parries the thrown blade, pointing out that Porthos is unarmed now. Later however, Porthos uses this move anyway, and it does work as intended. This leaves him in a bit of a pickle when enemy reinforcements arrive before he can recover it...
165	** This gets a CallBack in ''The Return of the Musketeers'' when a wounded Porthos throws his sword at Justine during the final battle. He misses, but does distract her at a crucial moment, allowing D'Artagnan and Raoul to turn the tide of the battle.
166	%% * TooImportantToWalk: Carriages are shown often.
167	* TruerToTheText: The first two movies, despite some combining, cutting and killing off of characters and a generous dose of slapstick, is extremely close to the source material than most other versions. The third is, as stated, a loose adaptation. That said, they do turn Rochefort into TheDragon in order to have a dramatic final sword fight since Milady, the real villain of the book, is a woman who's more of a schemer and manipulator.
168	* TwoPartTrilogy: {{Inverted}}: ''The Three Musketeers'' and ''The Four Musketeers'' were produced simultaneously. Over a decade later they were followed by ''The Return of the Musketeers''.
169	* UnderestimatingBadassery: Buckingham believes Milady operates entirely on sexual seduction, so assigns a Puritan follower to guard her. She proves just as adept at manipulation through exploiting religion, and not only gets him to release her but to carry out the assassination she was captured failing at.
170	* UnnecessaryCombatRoll: D'Artagnan's father teaches him the move. It does not work in actual combat.
171	%% * TheVamp: Milady de Winter.
172	* VariantChess: Animal pieces.
173	* VerbalBackspace:
174	-->'''Cardinal Richelieu:''' Do you know your accuser? Who brought you here?\
175	'''M. Bonacieux:''' ''[pointing at Rochefort]'' That! That is the man!\
176	'''Cardinal Richelieu:''' Take him away!\
177	'''M. Bonacieux:''' That is not the man! It was another man altogether!
178	* VictoriasSecretCompartment: Constance gets her hands on a key which she triumphantly dropped into her cleavage--having forgotten that her friends needed that key to unlock the chains and '''rescue''' her. And then, it being a very small key, it slipped further down, and she couldn't dig it out. Eventually she tries jumping up and down in hopes that it would fly out.
179	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The last we see of Kitty, she's being abused by Milady after D'Artagnan escapes. In the book, he has her transfered in order to escape Milady's vengeance.
180	* WrittenInAbsence: Creator/RichardChamberlain quit ''The Return of the Musketeers'' because he was angry at the producers lack of reaction over the death of Creator/RoyKinnear. This is why Chamberlain's role is so brief in the final film.

Context Film / TheThreeMusketeers1973