Quentin Tarantino discusses
The Three Musketeers and more

"I think The Three Musketeers is one of the single greatest epics made in the 70s. I have to admit, I have never been the greatest Richard Lester fan. I like some of his movies. Juggernaut in particular. But I don't really care for Petulia. I don't really get A Hard Day's Night. Alright!, I'm not a Beatles fan to begin with.

But this movie is absolutely amazing. I can't even imagine another epic that juggles so many different things. The film works (The Three Musketeers) beautifully as an adventure film. It works as a satire of adventure films. It also works as a satire of the time that the movie takes place in. There's a lot of wicked black comedy going on throughout the movie. The action in this movie is about as good as it gets. This movie has a fantastic all-star cast.

But what rarely happens when you see an epic with an all-star cast is it's a movie where these actors are doing some of the best work they've ever done. I don't think Michael York has ever been more charming than as D'Artagnan in this film. Charlton Heston is so great as Cardinal Richelieu. Christopher Lee, who has made over three hundred movies, is so amazing. Second only to Dracula is his performance in this film. It's one of Faye Dunaway's best performances. Far and away Raquel Welch's finest hour. She's really funny in the movie.

But to save the best for last you have to talk about Oliver Reed. Oliver Reed is just fucking GOD in this movie. Oliver Reed owns the film. In fact, I even heard a really great story from Robert Rodriguez [who spoke with] William Hobbs, the fight choreographer for The Three and Four Musketeers. The fight choreography in this film is so fantastic. Every actor in the film, every one of The Three Musketeers, has their own singular fighting style that works with that character and that actor. When you watch Michael York's acrobatic comedy routine in this film it's going to remind you of Jackie Chan. Oliver Reed has no finesse as a fighter in this film. He's like a bull. A bull sword-fighting. During the fight training Oliver Reed threw himself into the fighting so much he made all the other Musketeers work twice as hard. They knew if they didn't, Oliver Reed was going to own the movie completely. He was that good. You've never seen sword fights the way Oliver Reed fights them in this movie. He's like half beating you up at the same time as he's sword-fighting. This movie also has just a teeny tiny touch of a Shaw brothers Kung Fu flavor to it. The sword fighting is fetishized exactly the way martial arts are fetishized in Kung Fu films."

Working with Reed on...

The Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday

Lee Marvin: (upon seeing Reed for the first time)"I was expecting to meet up with this actor who was supposed to be Britain's hellraiser and what do I see but this tailor's dummy in a pinstripe suit looking more like a fucking banker."

Oliver!

Michael York: "He was this huge bruiser of a guy, but he had this wonderful quiet delivery, this soft whisper. The contrast was so dazzling that you listened to every word. He compelled attention."

Jack Wild: "As kids we were all terrified of him because he was this giant of a man and the only times we ever saw him was when he was in costume and made up for the part."

Oswald Morris, cinematographer on Oliver!: "Oliver [Reed] had a reputation for being a bit of a tyrant. But, of course, Carol Reed was his uncle and he was as good as gold, he didn't misbehave at all."

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