~ The Three Musketeers: Milady, Not a Film Review. ~

*Disclaimer: I am not a film reviewer. I am just a person who saw a cool film and wants to talk about it.
Last weekend we went to our second movie of the French Film Festival, The Three Musketeers: Milady, follow-up to the hugely successful The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan. The action-adventure film, Milady, was released in 2023. Both films were co-produced by France, Germany, Spain, and Belgium, costing $78 million. The epic budget shows in every frame, from the awe-inspiring sets to the comprehensive period details to the most magnificent horses I’ve ever seen on screen (650 horses were used in the production). The cinematography is exquisite and pays homage to France in a way that makes you long to go there.
Having already been primed by Part One: D’Artagnan, there was an instant audience ready for Part Two, and Milady sold over 2 million tickets in France alone. The film received good reviews and subsequently took six nominations at the 2024 César Awards, (winning one for Best Production Design – and so it should have done).

Milady picks up where the first film left off, with D’Artagnan knocked unconscious after the abduction of his girlfriend, Constance. He wakes in a box being taken by wagon to be tortured by agents of Gaston, King Louis XIII’s younger brother. In the process of his escape, D’Artagnan stumbles across another prisoner, Milady de Winter. Curiously, it is never explained how this mysterious agent of the evil Cardinal Richelieu survived the fall off a precipice which removed her from the picture in Part One. There is no possible way anyone could have survived such a fall. Yet, here she is alive. How? We don’t know and apparently don’t need to know. It remains an irksome unanswered question in the background.

Of course, D’Artagnan, being the hero has to save her. Milady escapes with him, and being the hussy she is quickly attempts to seduce him, getting spurned for a second time. She takes off, and D’Artagnan gets recaptured by Gaston’s forces and has to escape again. Meanwhile another musketeer, Athos visits his family chateau to see his five-year-old son, Joseph. Athos tries to prepare his son for his possible death in the campaign against the Protestant forces, Joseph gets upset and asks his father to promise to return to him. Athos gives his word.
King Louis XIII launches a war against La Rochelle, a Protestant stronghold on the west coast of France. To this end, he sends D’Artagnan and the musketeers, his elite army unit, under the command of Captain Treville. The troops amass, surrounding La Rochelle. In the army camp, the incorrigible Milady de Winter makes yet another attempt at seducing our hero. But in the process of undressing, D’Artagnan finds a fleur-de-lis brand on her shoulder and realizes she is the same “dead” wife Athos has been mourning for years.
To break the siege, D’Artagnan and a small force of musketeers storm the castle during the night. But, as with every other twist and turn of this movie, skulduggery and doublecrossing are afoot. They find they have been betrayed.

When Milady is foiled in her attempt to assassinate the Duke of Buckingham, she is sentenced to hang. Of course, she wriggles her way out and despite the best efforts of D’Artagnan to kill her, she vanishes. In the end, the musketeers bring evidence that proves Gaston was plotting against the king. While the others celebrate, Athos leaves to fulfill his promise to his son. But Joseph has been taken from his bed. An earring has been left in Joseph’s place that belonged to Athos’s wife, Milady de Winter. And would you believe, that is the end of the movie?
The audience around us immediately started talking. We were asking each other, ‘Is that it? Or is there a 3rd movie?’ Unknown. But come on, any storyteller worth their salt knows you raise questions at the start, and by the end, you’re expected to resolve them. There are directors these days, however, who don’t feel constrained by such obligations.
I’m of two minds after watching Milady. Compared to the lush feast for the senses that was D’Artagnan, Milady was much more sinister fare. It was tense, often scary, and the Milady character was a constant thorn in everyone’s side. Whereas in the first film, the fighting and political intrigue were balanced by moments of humour between the musketeers and the sweetness of D’Artagnan’s romance with Constance. In Part Two, the humour was there at times which was great, but there were not enough beauty moments to counterbalance the tension.

What of our missing heroine? At the end of Part 1 Constance had been abducted, D’Artagnan spends Part 2 searching for her, but when he does find her briefly at the end of this film it’s not a happy ending. The whole audience held its breath, like no, you’ve got to be kidding. We waited the whole movie for this? I guess in the 18th century when Dumas was writing, there was no need for happy endings. The lady sitting to my left said at the end, that she had watched both films hoping to understand the story yet was still at a loss. I found it the same way. A convoluted web for the mind it was. I walked away feeling my distaste for tragedies firmly reinforced. Yet, that aside, the production values still trumped everything. The sheer majesty of the sets and costumes was incredible and tended to linger in the mind’s eye long after the credits rolled. Does cinematic grandeur make up for endless fighting, strife, doublecrossing, and unremitting tragedy? Your choice. As for me, I remain undecided.
Happy moviegoing, everyone!

Talk to you later.
Keep creating!
Yvette Carol

“Constance is not portrayed as a passive woman and her relationship with D’Artagnan is filled with respect and consent.” ~ Francois Civil

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~ The Three Musketeers, D’Artagnan, Not a Film Review. ~

*Disclaimer: I am not a film reviewer. I am just a person who saw a cool film and wants to talk about it.
I was going to put another blog post out this week, but I went to a movie last night that is worth talking about. A dear friend had invited me to the opening night of the French Film Festival, The Three Musketeers, D’Artagnan. Last night, there was a thunderstorm, torrential rain, hail, and wind warnings but we went anyway. We’d already bought the tickets and besides we both wanted to see the movie and admitted we shared a yen for the name D’Artagnan! Neither of us had seen any of the newer versions released over the years, having only seen the version released in 1973.

This sumptuous interpretation of Alexandre Dumas’s book, The Three Musketeers is an epic adventure set in 1627. A young man travels to court in Paris, intent on joining the Guard for King Louis XIII, the musketeers. D’Artagnan (a character based on Charles de Batz-Castelmore D’Artagnan) stumbles into having to duel the three most powerful Musketeers of the Guard – Athos, Porthos, and Aramis – at which point they are attacked and fight as a quartet to survive. As the four become subsequently drawn into the web of palace and political intrigue, D’Artagnan is accepted as a cadet with the three inseparables or musketeers. They get caught in palace intrigues between King Louis XIII and the Queen, Anne of Austria. Villainy is afoot with strings being pulled on all sides by the opposing factions of the Protestants and the Catholics. And in the underhanded machinations of the Cardinal, who is in cahoots with the darkly dangerous Milady de Winter.
The story is multilevel with Athos being sentenced to death, and the Queen’s reputation (and possibly neck) on the line. In their heroic efforts to save the King and Queen from separate threats, D’Artagnan and the musketeers get to fight with derring-do and save the day. It was called “swashbuckler fiction” back in 1844 when the novel was released, and I’m not sure that the genre has survived to this day, but if not, they should bring it back. Everything I loved most about this film when I saw it as a young impressionable girl was present in this most recent version. It has that swashbuckling spirit, the chivalric type of warriors, a heroic saga in all its historical glory. The costumes are gorgeous, the hats with beautiful long feathers, and the men look statuesque in sweeping overcoats. I remember the sword fights and there is something of nostalgia for a simpler time in these movies, too. The men, even when they’re womanisers are respectful of women.

I was surprised by the gritty realism in the 2021 version. Only the palace was clean. Every other place was dark and dirty as they would have been. The musketeer’s costumes, while fabuloso were also old and worn-looking, as if they had seen full lives. The settings felt authentic and lived in.
The cinematography was excellent. The camera angles being low and close to whoever we were following, gave an immediacy to every frame that had me jumping more times than I would in a horror movie. I got many jump scares from The Three Musketeers, D’Artagnan, because the camera keeps us near the characters and I felt I was right there with them. It was visceral cinema. Other times, we were treated to panoramic outdoor scenes and grand interior spaces of churches and palaces.
What a cool film. The brainchild of director Martin Bourboulon and producer Dimitri Rassam didn’t fail to touch on all the things we fans love most about The Three Musketeers. The fight scenes were insane, fast, and believable, even hard to watch at times but put you in the moment. The cast trained with Olympic épée champion Yannick Borel to get the swordwork right, and François Civil, who played D’Artagnan, did 90% of his stunts. Early in the story, the three musketeers chorus their battle cry, “All for One and One for All” – yay! – they wear their plumed hats and swirling overcoats with style. It’s got it all.

There was a real atmosphere and ambiance in this lovely French movie. Everything from the lighting to the music, the weather, to the time of day was thought about.
Can you imagine, that over this astounding cinematic experience was a full-scale thunderstorm raging outside? We could hear pounding rain, lashing wind, and thunder above the movie! (That was a first). Beside me, twice during the showing, water poured in from the roof, hitting the carpeted stairs. It had this odd effect of adding to the drama of the experience. What a big night!
I liked a lot about this movie, including that D’Artagnan was a gentleman. The noble type, a man of honour. When offered the fruits of the temptress Milady de Winter, he politely declines and is careful, and slow in his pursuit of the elphin Constance, with whom he slowly falls in love. The scene of him pacing in his room, rehearsing how to say good morning to her, was too adorable for words. D’Artagnan is mighty easy on the eyes, which doesn’t hurt either. The movie opens with him trying to save a high-born lady from being kidnapped – the screen version of “Saving the Cat” – so we love our protagonist from the outset. And what is there not to love? I had never had the pleasure of seeing François Civil on screen before. It was refreshing not to know the lead actor.

Civil fought to get the role. He grew his hair and put it in a ponytail, trimmed his mustache, and “impersonated D’Artagnan” to win the part. He even lied that he knew the book well when he had only put his hands on a copy a few days before the audition and had to speed-read it to catch up. “He had the panache and boldness that was necessary to play the character,” Rassam later said. The actors were of the highest calibre and class, and the cast gave their all in this movie.

Sub-titled films are not the easiest to watch. At first, I found it hard to focus between the images on the screen and the subtitles at the bottom, but then I got used to it and didn’t notice. The lilting French language added another layer of beauty and authenticity that added so much richness.
We were loving the ride when it suddenly ended with the words, “To be continued…” A collective groan went up from the audience. My friend and I looked at one another, surely not? I hadn’t seen those words in years. But there it was. They were unashamedly leaving us on a cliffhanger – obliged to return to see more. Part two of the franchise, The Three Musketeers: Milady, which was released in 2023, added to the excellent stats the films have accrued, becoming the third highest-grossing film in France that year. Milady will be showing as part of the French Film Festival next month. I hope we get a chance to discover what happens next.
Happy moviegoing, everyone!

Talk to you later.
Keep creating!
Yvette Carol

“All for one and one for all! The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan stands as a gallant reinterpretation of the source material”. ~ Review on Rotten Tomatoes

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~ Wicked Little Letters, not a film review ~

I’m not qualified to write film reviews which is why I don’t write them – this is the first – but Wicked Little Letters is a film that, once seen, you feel compelled to talk about. A water cooler talk for days, kind of film. It was honestly so good. It is the sort of British movie that kicks your front door down, headbutts you, and says, Yeah, this is how it is and whatcha gonna do about it?
Last week I went out with friends on a girl’s night to see a movie. I learned the name of the film as we climbed the stairs – Wicked Little Letters. The 2023 British black comedy written by Jonny Sweet, surprised us by turning into a mystery film. Directed by Thea Sharrock, the film stars Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Joanna Scanlan, Gemma Jones, Malachi Kirby, Lolly Adefope, Eileen Atkins, and Timothy Spall.

The first message on the screen told us the movie was based on a true story. The film opens – your classic British period piece – set in the seaside village of Littlehampton. In the 1920s, life was simple and tough, man. The stage is set for a typical, conservative small village, with working-class folks living cheek-by-jowl under strict rules of conduct, toiling daily to make ends meet.

We are saturated in cozy English old-timey-ness.

Then in the middle of the pastoral feeling, an obscene letter arrives at Edith Swan’s house, like a filthy bomb going off in a clean chicken house. The explosive ripples continue outward. Edith’s parents are exquisitely drawn, Victoria her mother is frail, freaking out over the letters, and her uptight father, Edward, explosive. The devoutly religious family appears respectable on the outside, but indoors, they live on a razor’s edge – Father Edward is an abuser ruling his home with an iron fist. The worst example of an out-of-control narcissist, Edward, is backed up in his tyrannical control of his family by the social mores of the time. The way Olivia Coleman portrays the mental debilitation of a daughter being severely disciplined psychologically, and emotionally abused by her overbearing father is sometimes hard to watch and yet ultimately uproarously hilarious and uplifting.

Into the chaos of the letters and the police being brought on board, Edith’s neighbour Rose blasts onto the screen dropping the f-bomb every five minutes and rips us out of our comfy seats propelling us at speed into the unknown. I was most discomfited by her character. I’ve never heard so much swearing in a movie as this one and most of it comes from Rose. The daughter of travelers tells us that she grew up stealing things for a living with her father. She is unashamedly who she is – something very much frowned upon at this time in history.
It turns out an unlikely friendship had developed between the two neighbours, the subservient, pious Edith Swan, and the foul-mouthed, alcohol-swilling Rose Gooding. But after the saccharine, holier-than-thou Edith starts receiving obscene letters, the finger of blame gets pointed at her chainsmoking neighbour, Rose. Some crazy court scenes ensue. I loved all the facial close-ups in this movie.
Rose is a rough-as-guts, rowdy, young solo mother who is hard to like, however, her honesty, bravery, and fierce love for her equally foul-mouthed daughter, Nancy – the scene-stealing Alisha Weir – win us over by attrition. Toward the end of the movie, we are on Rose’s side, completely.

The characters were engaging. The emotion felt real. Coleman as Edith was luminous even when she was being obnoxious. Jessie Buckley as Rose was an honest arsehole – a woman who doesn’t give a sh.t about the rules or the establishment (a free thinker), which makes her the target of a lot of judgment and therefore punishment. Set against the backdrop of the burgeoning suffragette movements, it is at heart a mystery movie – while also managing to be about equal rights – and a darned funny one at that.
Some critics felt the plot wasn’t strong enough, however I disagree. There was a full story arc that came back around and answered all the questions. We were taken on a lovely ride of not knowing and fascination, where we started to ask quite early on, huh? What was going on? Something didn’t seem quite right. Our senses tingled. We were intrigued.

The story unfolds with a curious crew of women pulling together to solve the case and free an innocent woman, in the process uncovering the surprise revelation of the actual culprit. The true story that stunned 1920s England is still astonishing today, though it got mixed reviews including this from reporter Robbie Collin, “this British chocolate-box period comedy thinks that excessive swearing works as a substitute for a good plot – but it really doesn’t.”

Okay. At first, I was affronted by the foul language too, but then it began to fit the tone of the story and become an integral part of the characters, including defining the radical change in Edith’s character as the movie goes on. Then it is foul language that caps off the ending in the funniest way possible that kept us laughing after the credits rolled.
The entire theatre of women filed out of the cinema, cackling with laughter and chattering in animated groups. Talk about a lively atmosphere. The film transported us into other people’s shoes and then delivered us home, slightly altered, looking at the world in a slightly different way. And that is the function of art. So, mission accomplished, Wicked Little Letters. A small-budget movie – afflicted with wall-to-wall cursing – about the insidious results of familial abuse, and yet I was left feeling transformed. It was so funny we came out with our cheeks sore from laughing. Quite the feat.
I highly recommend this quirky film. Have you seen any great movies worth talking about, lately?

Talk to you later.
Keep reading!
Yvette Carol
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Thanks largely to a strong cast that leans into the story’s humorous side, Wicked Little Letters is a diverting comedy even if the mystery at its core isn’t particularly clever. ~ Rotten Tomatoes

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