SPOILERS I saw this movie back in the early 1980's and loved it and just I recently watched the DVD. This adaptation closely followed the book. Wonderful performances by all particularly the actors playing Athos,Porthos,Aramis,D'Artagnan,Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter. This version and the two sequels that followed rivaled the Richard Lester Musketeer Trilogy of the !970's and 1980's. Whenever I watch a film I check to see if the film remains to the original novel and this passed the test with flying colors. This movie had wonderful music and I really felt for the Athos character. I think this portrayal of Athos was the closest portrayal yet to the character. A goodhearted nobleman betrayed,ruined and driven to drink by a deceiving woman he had married who he thought was a perfect beauty,perfect angel only to discover she was a branded criminal,thief,con-artist liar,seductress and mistress of a defrocked priest who later but not intentionally re-enters his life as spy courtesan assassin Milady de Winter.This portrayal of Athos rivals the portrayals of actors Oliver Reed and Van Heflin as Athos in the 1973 and 1948 films. D'Artagnan may have been too old for the role but what a great performance! This film version's Milady de Winter really showed the deceiving and deadly character of Milady. That Milady could hold her own against the Musketeers and she really was their worst enemy. She didn't tremble in fear of the Musketeers.She stood up to them.Defeated Aramis and Porthos and shot D'Artagnan during the chase scene.This Milady was very athletic jumping out of window and onto a horse. Something no other Milady in any other version had done!The performance rivaled Faye Dunaway's and Emmanuelle Beart's Milady in the most recent adaptation. At times the character shows a soft beauty who as the picture progresses becomes more and more of a hardened calloused character. I love this film and I recommend it and the two sequels that followed. My favorite scene is the chase scene towards the end of the film reminds me in many ways of the chase scene in the Richard Lester's Four Musketeers but I like this one much better! Anyone who wants to see other faithful full adaptations from the beginning of the story to the end please see 1948,1961,1974,1999 and the 2005 versions.
