| The Fifth Musketeer | |
|---|---|
 Promotional film poster | |
| Directed by | Ken Annakin |
| Written by | David Ambrose George Bruce |
| Based on | novelThe Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later byAlexandre Dumas, père |
| Produced by | Ted Richmond |
| Starring | Beau Bridges Sylvia Kristel Ursula Andress Cornel Wilde Ian McShane Lloyd Bridges Alan Hale Jr. Helmut Dantine Olivia de Havilland José Ferrer Rex Harrison |
| Cinematography | Jack Cardiff |
| Edited by | Malcolm Cooke |
| Music by | Riz Ortolani |
Production companies | Sascha-Wien Films Ted Richmond Productions |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 min (US) 116 min (UK) |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7 million[1] |
The Fifth Musketeer is a 1979 German-Austrianfilm adaptation of the last section of the 1847–1850 novelThe Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later byAlexandre Dumas, père, which is itself based on the French legend of theMan in the Iron Mask. It was released in Europe with the alternative titleBehind the Iron Mask.
It was directed byKen Annakin, and starsBeau Bridges as the twins (Louis XIV and Philippe of Gascony),Sylvia Kristel asMaria Theresa,Ursula Andress asLouise de La Vallière,Cornel Wilde asCharles d'Artagnan,Ian McShane asNicolas Fouquet,Rex Harrison asJean-Baptiste Colbert (Philippe's tutor), andLloyd Bridges,José Ferrer andAlan Hale Jr. as the Three Musketeers.Olivia de Havilland made her final theatrical film role in a cameo appearance as the Queen MotherAnne of Austria.
At the center of the action is Philippe of Gascony, the unjustly imprisoned and exiled twin brother of the French KingLouis XIV. In order to hide his face from others, an iron mask was put over his head, which he cannot remove himself. The agingCharles D'Artagnan and his musketeer friends try to right this injustice and free the mysterious prisoner, because only he has a legitimate claim to the throne of France. These events lead to numerous confusions and intrigues at court.
Filming took place in September 1976 under the titleBehind the Iron Mask to avoid confusion with a TV movie adaptation ofAlexandre Dumas'The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later calledThe Man in the Iron Mask.[2][3]
The film was shot in and aroundVienna, Austria at locations includingSchönbrunn Palace,Auersperg Palace,Votive Church,Liechtenstein Castle andKreuzenstein Castle.[1]Sylvia Kristel's lines were reportedly dubbed in by another actress.[4] She was paid $300,000.[5]
The cinematographer wasJack Cardiff.
In what may have been an instance ofstunt casting,Alan Hale Jr. played the same character,Porthos, that his lookalike father,Alan Hale Sr., did in the 1939 filmThe Man in the Iron Mask. Hale Jr. also played Porthos inLady in the Iron Mask (1952) and Porthos Jr. inAt Sword's Point (1952).
This film was rated PG on release.
The film was not released for a number of years. It was felt this was due in part in the financial failure of another movie made by the Austrian production company, Sascha-Wien Films,A Little Night Music. It was also due to the fact that another adaptation,The Man in the Iron Mask, had recently aired on television.[6]
Eventually the film's title was changed toThe Fifth Musketeer, although the final movie had no affiliation with the hitRichard Lester filmsThe Three Musketeers andThe Four Musketeers other than their all being based on Dumas stories: the title was chosen to capitalize on the recent success of those films and inform audiences that it was the same characters involved in the plot.[1][4]
Vincent Canby ofThe New York Times wrote, "ThoughThe Fifth Musketeer is loaded with intrigue, duels, large scale swordplay, heavy costumes and heavier décor, it is singularly without style or even excitement. In the center of it, Mr.Bridges the younger seems bewildered in the manner of someone unsure of his real identity."[7]
Dale Pollock ofVariety stated that the film "adds nothing new to the genre, deriving its inspiration totally from the 1939 United Artists release written byGeorge Bruce, who is credited here along with Dumas", adding that directorKen Annakin "stiflesThe 5th Musketeer with ornate production values, deadly earnest swordplay and dialog as moth-eaten as the peasant costumes. The result? Yawnsville."[8]
Gene Siskel of theChicago Tribune gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and called it "one of those big, one-star-from-every-country productions. Such films invariably are badly directed... Director Ken Annakin is obliged to give every one of his stars a decent amount of screen time, and the result is a film that moves in fits and starts."[9]
Kevin Thomas of theLos Angeles Times wrote, "There are some nice moments along the way from a largely nostalgic cast and some reasonably sumptuous settings, with the Schoenbrunn Palace standing in forVersailles. However, since Ken Annakin's direction andDavid Ambrose's script are uninspired,The Fifth Musketeer tends to be plodding."[10]
Rick Groen ofThe Globe and Mail asked, "How does a movie this bad ever get made? ... actors recite their lines in a dull monotone and the direction is absolutely wooden; the reaction shots are so studied that one can almost hear the director counting out. Indeed, everyone's timing is way off, as if the whole picture were made in someQuaalude-induced stupor."[11]
In his 2001 autobiography,So You Wanna Be A Director?, Annakin agreed with the criticisms of the film, feeling he had not done a good job with the actors (in particularUrsula Andress and Kristel), as well as not translating the script to screen effectively.[12]