At Swords Point
     
Director: Lewis Allen
Year: 1952
Rating: 6.5
A rousing old fashioned swashbuckling tale of derring-do and bold hearts. Produced by RKO with a solid budget and in splendid sparkling color. They must have thought that the tale of the Three Musketeers had been played out in film but not their children! So, basically a Three Musketeers film but without the Musketeers. The history of the story isn't exactly accurate but I expect RKO knew that American audiences would not know that back then. Now we have the Internet. At any rate, Cardinal Richelieu has finally died and created a power vacuum. The King has already passed away leaving a young boy (Louis XIV) to be the King when he reaches age. In the meantime, the Queen is in charge. But the Duc de Lavalle (Robert Douglas) wants to ascend to power by marrying the King's older sister (Nancy Gates) and his men are everywhere to make sure this happens. After that, to kill the young boy. Dastardly.

 

Queen Anne turns to her old friends - the Musketeers - but they have either died or are in the Old Musketeer Retirement Home - but the sons of D'Artagnan (Cornel Wilde), Aramis (Dan O'Herlihy), Porthos (Alan Hale Jr) are ready to spring to duty and save the Monarchy. Co-incidentally, Alan Hale's father Alan Hale played Porthos in the 1939 The Man in the Iron Mask. So, what about Athos, you might ask. No son? Not of age. But he has a lovely red-headed daughter who is a master fencer. The delightful Maureen O'Hara as an action heroine. She fences and kills with the best of them. She looks like she knows what she is doing. I can't think off the top of my head if she had action roles in any other film.

 
They all gather and toast to One for All and All for One. At first the three sons don't realize that O'Hara is a female. I would have thought the lipstick gave it away. When they do, they of course try and romance her. From the word go, they start killing the Duc's guards. Queen Anne asks them to get the Princess to Spain and then later to protect the King. Lots of action, some terrific sword fighting and good stunts. Wilde is fine and shows some athleticism - running across three horses to knock someone out - but little charisma. O'Hara steals the show with her action scenes, a few put your head back and laugh moments and as always, she looks stunning in Technicolor.