The Return of the Musketeers (1989)

[James Luckard]

KL just announced this for December 8:

Originally Posted by Kino Lorber Insider

Coming December 8th!

The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
• Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Critic Peter Tonguette
• Image Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Optional English Subtitles

Director Richard Lester (Juggernaut) reassembled his original cast of swashbucklers from 1973’s The Three Musketeers and 1974’s The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge for 1989’s The Return of the Musketeers, a sumptuous, action-packed adventure. Twenty years ago, D’Artagnan (Michael York, The Island of Dr. Moreau), Athos (Oliver Reed, The Hunting Party), Porthos (Frank Finlay, Robbery) and Aramis (Richard Chamberlain, The Thorn Birds) executed the beautiful but lethal seductress Milady de Winter. Now, Milady’s ravishing daughter Justine (Kim Cattrall, Sex and the City) has vowed revenge. Meanwhile, Athos’s adopted son Raoul (C. Thomas Howell, The Hitcher) has grown to manhood and when he and Justine meet, swords and sparks fly. Can the four musketeers stay one step ahead of Justine while they race to foil a cunning political plot? For dazzling swordplay, lavish costumes, dangerous romance, breathless excitement, and a generous dose of comedy, The Return of the Musketeers is all for fun and fun for all! The stellar cast includes Christopher Lee (The Oblong Box), Geraldine Chaplin (Doctor Zhivago), Roy Kinnear (The Bed Sitting Room), Philippe Noiret (Coup de Torchon), Billy Connolly (Absolution), Aldo Sambrell (Navajo Joe) and Jean-Pierre Cassel (Army of Shadows) as Cyrano de Bergerac.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...ostcount=46522

I'm a Richard Lester completist and was considering ordering the German disc, so I'm glad to see this coming from KL's Universal deal!

[drush9999]

I have the German disc which is semi decent, but would hope for a better transfer.

Now if someone could release The Three/Four Musketeers with a decent transfer

[Michael24]

I hadn't even known of this sequel until just earlier this year. Kino mentioned on Facebook that the two previous films are with another label and that they actually sat on this for a year, hoping those would be released, but finally had to put it out.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Michael24

I hadn't even known of this sequel until just earlier this year. Kino mentioned on Facebook that the two previous films are with another label and that they actually sat on this for a year, hoping those would be released, but finally had to put it out.

It's a fun follow-up to the 70s films but also kind of sad because Roy Kinnear was killed during filming when he fell off a horse so learning of that before seeing the film always tainted it a bit for me, and I think that Richard Lester retired from directing because of that too.

[LeeFanatic007]

Looking forward to this, I still had a VHS of this film as it never had a DVD release in the USA. I'm a Christopher Lee completist so this will be another addition to the collection.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by LeeFanatic007

Looking forward to this, I still had a VHS of this film as it never had a DVD release in the USA. I'm a Christopher Lee completist so this will be another addition to the collection.

It got a US DVD in 2016, I have it.

https://www.amazon.com/Return-Musket...dp/B01LTHYN64/

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

It's a fun follow-up to the 70s films but also kind of sad because Roy Kinnear was killed during filming when he fell off a horse so learning of that before seeing the film always tainted it a bit for me, and I think that Richard Lester retired from directing because of that too.

He did, sadly. The only thing he returned to direct was a concert doc for his friend Paul McCartney. Steven Soderbergh wrote an excellent book about Lester, in which he interviews Lester at length and they touch on this:

https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Away-...dp/0571190251/

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by drush9999

I have the German disc which is semi decent, but would hope for a better transfer.

Now if someone could release The Three/Four Musketeers with a decent transfer

I believe people have said Criterion has the original films. The UK BD I have looks decent to me, but it could definitely be improved.

[MagellanvsHimself]

Originally Posted by drush9999

I have the German disc which is semi decent, but would hope for a better transfer.

Now if someone could release The Three/Four Musketeers with a decent transfer

I asked Kino if they planned to release the other films. They advised that they've been sitting on RETURN OF....for over a year, waiting for the label that currently has the rights to THREE and FOUR MUSKETEERS to release them. My guess is that its probably SHOUT. I dont see Criterion or Arrow doing these.

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Universal owns US rights, though it premiered on video. I suspect KL's upcoming release will be the HD master that was used on the Vault Series DVD-R and on US streaming outlets.

The German Blu was licenced from MGM (who owns international rights through distributor Vision International, which later ended up with Epic Pictures and the pre-1996 Polygram catalog MGM would obtain in 1999), but features same Universal HD transfer (sans Universal logo).

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by MagellanvsHimself

I asked Kino if they planned to release the other films. They advised that they've been sitting on RETURN OF....for over a year, waiting for the label that currently has the rights to THREE and FOUR MUSKETEERS to release them. My guess is that its probably SHOUT. I dont see Criterion or Arrow doing these.

The original films are Studio Canal, has Shout ever released any of their titles? I know Criterion is doing them again now.

[Jim Pez]

This is great but when are we going to get the 1973 movie on Blu-ray?

[iaragorn1]

I noticed that The Three Musketeers was on Vudu (I think, might be wrong) but not The Four Musketeers. This seems odd. I wonder how it looks, the Optimum may not be terrible but it certainly needs a new scan.

I think the 3/4 Musketeers would be perfect for Criterion (I would settle for whomever) would be ideal because there isn't another film version of the classic book that IMHO is even as close to being as good as this classic combination and it's a disaster that they aren't more widely known for...

cast
script
sets
action
humor
shooting location
fight scenes choreography

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Jim Pez

This is great but when are we going to get the 1973 movie on Blu-ray?

There's a Region A-friendly BD set of both original films from the UK, available from Amazon US for under $20:

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Muskete...dp/B005GJTLCS/

It has no special features, sadly, so I held onto my ancient DVD set for those.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by iaragorn1

I noticed that The Three Musketeers was on Vudu (I think, might be wrong) but not The Four Musketeers. This seems odd. I wonder how it looks, the Optimum may not be terrible but it certainly needs a new scan.

I think the 3/4 Musketeers would be perfect for Criterion (I would settle for whomever) would be ideal because there isn't another film version of the classic book that IMHO is even as close to being as good as this classic combination and it's a disaster that they aren't more widely known for...

cast
script
sets
action
humor
shooting location
fight scenes choreography

The original films were big hits when they came out, but I suspect they're less known today because they aren't the property of a major studio, and haven't had endless, well-publicized home video reissues.

[drush9999]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

The original films were big hits when they came out, but I suspect they're less known today because they aren't the property of a major studio, and haven't had endless, well-publicized home video reissues.

Here in the UK they are perennial weekend afternoon movies on TV. So still reasonably well known.

[DukeTogo84]

Just watched this today and it looked good. Now, since apparently Criterion has the first two, I really hope they release them soon.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Just watched this today and it looked good. Now, since apparently Criterion has the first two, I really hope they release them soon.

Somebody definitely has the first two, but I don't think it's ever been definitively stated whether it's Criterion or Shout or some other mystery label.

My BD of this one should be here on Tuesday from Amazon.

[stratford]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Just watched this today and it looked good. Now, since apparently Criterion has the first two, I really hope they release them soon.

DukeTogo84 As you've just watched return of the musketeers, what did you think, any thing such as edge enhancement? The interest is that here in UK we have a German Blu-ray with English audio. Thank you Stratford

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by stratford

DukeTogo84 As you've just watched return of the musketeers, what did you think, any thing such as edge enhancement? The interest is that here in UK we have a German Blu-ray with English audio. Thank you Stratford

I didn't notice much or any edge enhancement, but I've never had the greatest eye for it to be begin with. The film looked pretty film like, and while not the most impressive, still looked good overall. It for sure didn't have the level of edge enhancement in comparison a few other Universal catalogue titles. Overall, I thought it looked fine.