#richard lester

Welcome to Christopher Lee: A Sinister Centenary! Over the course of May, I will be counting down My Top 31 Favorite Performances by my favorite actor, the late, great Sir Christopher Lee, in honor of his 100^th Birthday. Although this fine actor left us a few years ago, his legacy endures, and this countdown is a tribute to said legacy!

It’s the final week of the countdown, guys and gals! Today’s Subject, My 7^th Favorite Christopher Lee Performance: Captain Rochefort, from Richard Lester’s Three Musketeers Trilogy.

There have been numerous adaptations of Alexandre Dumas’ classic swashbuckling novel “The Three Musketeers,” some more well-known or popular than others. For many cinemagoers, however, if there is a definitive version of the story in film form, it is most likely the trilogy of films directed by Richard Lester. Lester’s movies were actually produced by the same company behind the Christopher Reeve Superman films; in fact, Lester’s first two movies were actually an inspiration for some behind-the-scenes techniques in the first two Superman movies, and Lester was the man who directed Superman II AND Superman III.

Let’s get this straight…the team behind the classic Superman movies…working on a famous action-adventure classic…with CHRISTOPHER LEE as one of the main villains?! Honestly, is it any wonder these movies are considered the definitive takes on the Musketeer story?

The first two films (“The Three Musketeers” and “The Four Musketeers”) are basically a straightforward adaptation of the novel, each movie taking approximately one half of the original story – think along the lines of two-part features such as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” or “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.” The third film, “Return of the Musketeers,” is an original piece, evidently produced by popular demand. Throughout these three pictures, there are, fittingly three key villains who bedevil our heroes: the main antagonist of the first two movies is Cardinal Richelieu, played by Charlton Heston. Milady De Winter, a former lover of Athos and one of the first femme fatales of fiction, is the secondary antagonist of the first two films, and takes the lead as the main villain in “Return.” Throughout all these movies, Christopher Lee appears as a supporting rogue: he is the evil nobleman and soldier Rochefort, a scoundrel who follows the orders of both of the other baddies.

Despite being subservient to Richelieu and De Winter, Rochefort is by no means a minor character, nor a mere pawn. In fact, he has a rather substantial role, as he becomes the true nemesis of the main protagonist of the series, D’Artagnan. Throughout the series, they battle with each other, steel and wit matching constantly, and their story arc ends up being one of the most powerful and intense parts of the whole trilogy. In point of fact, the portrayal of Rochefort created by Lee and Lester has been highly influential: in the books, Rochefort is a somewhat more minor character, and also more sympathetic, as he ends up becoming a sort of friendly rival of D’Artagnan, rather than a true nemesis. Ever since these movies, however, Rochefort has become a much more prominent, as well as much more sinister, character: portrayals by actors such as Michael Wincott, Mads Mikkelsen, and Marc Warren often owe more to Lee’s version than the actual Dumas novel.

The Lester Trilogy is noteworthy for its sense of tone, and how it changes, especially between the first two movies. The first movie is largely a comedic adventure film, but with a slight edge; in the second film, however, the stakes are raised significantly, and while there are still funny moments, we learn more about the characters and see them go through tougher trials, leading to a darker tone. Think of it as being along the lines of “A New Hope” versus “Empire Strikes Back”: one is more cut-and-dry in its approach, more superficial, and with a slightly lighter tone, while the other really gets into the proverbial nitty-gritty of these characters and puts them through Hell and back by the time its over. (If only “Return” could in any way be likened to Star Wars’ own third pillar, but that’s another story.) Lee does a brilliant job balancing these elements as the nasty Rochefort: he is a menacing opponent for D’Artagnan and the rest, but there’s a certain grandiosity to him at times that gives him some humorous moments, especially in the first movie. He actually reminds me a little bit of Captain Hook; sort of part-fop, part-true threat. Actually, come to think of it, Christopher Lee would have made an amazing Captain Hook…as far as I’m aware, though, that never happened…oh, the lost opportunities of history…

Tomorrow, I present my choice for Number 6!

Geraldine Chaplin-Charlton Heston-Frank Finlay “Los cuatro mosqueteros” (The four musketeers) 1974, de Richard Lester.