Dumas's novel has appealed to filmmakers of the world ever since the beginning of commercial cinema. In this country alone, there have been many different films based on Dumas's masterpiece. Some versions remain reasonably faithful to the novel, while other versions use some of Dumas's general plot outlines, or the characters, or the era, and then stray variously from the novel itself.
One of the early films which was based on The Three Musketeers starred Douglas Fairbanks, probably the most famous "swashbuckling" actor of the silent film industry. In fact, this movie almost singlehandedly set the tone for the Douglas Fairbanks-style of acting which has, in one way or another, influenced later productions and acting styles for similar movies. That is, Fairbanks was filmed swinging from chandeliers, brandishing swords, perilously crossing deep, craggy ravines, fighting against insurmountable odds, and performing other improbable feats of bravado and bravery. The film is 186 minutes long, an extremely long movie for a silent film; usually silent films lasted 60 to 90 minutes.
Another film version of The Three Musketeers was released in 1933. This cinematic treatment of the novel contained sound, but was a rather brief, truncated version of the story. The director terribly miscast a youthful John Wayne as one of the musketeers.
The 1935 version of the novel starred Walter Abel, an actor known for his dignity and reserve; not surprisingly, he made d'Artagnan one of the most boring swordsmen ever. Not recommended.
The 1939 Three Musketeers film starring the Ritz Brothers — Al, Jimmy, and Harry — used Dumas's title as a vehicle for the rich comic talents of the three zany brothers. Very little attention was given to Dumas's plot; Don Ameche was cast as d'Artagnan, but he failed to make the role memorable. The movie should be seen only for the antics of the three Ritz Brothers as the three irrepressible musketeers.
