As a musketeer came D’Artagnan (Philippe Noiret) too much fame at a young age. His role as a father was far less glorious, however, as he gave his illegitimate daughter Eloïse to a convent, where nuns were to take care of her in his stead. They had their troubles with the tomboy, who over the years became a strong-willed woman (Sophie Marceau) grew up. So when the convent is attacked and she comes across a piece of paper that she is convinced is a sign of a conspiracy, she doesn’t hesitate for long. She sets out to find her father and his old companions Porthos (Raoul Billerey), Aramis (Sami Frey) and Athos (Jean-Luc Bideau) to persuade a new adventure. But they don’t really want to do that…
A classic with a difference
Sure, really gone The Three Musketeers von Alexandre Dumas never. The novel, published in 1844, eventually enjoyed increasing popularity in both films and series. Nonetheless, the 1990s saw a notable revival with several star-studded films. There was the version of the same name from 1993, which didn’t turn out to be the over-blockbuster we had hoped for, but thanks to the hit All for Love is still in the ear. 1998 came The Man in the Iron Mask, which was quite loosely inspired by the third part of Dumas’ trilogy of novels. French production went even further D’Artagnan’s daughterwhich told a whole new story, turning to the next generation.
The response was rather subdued, comparable to the above English-language films. It was enough for two nominations at France’s most important film award César, one for the music, the other for Claude Rich, who embodied the scheming Duke of Crassac. Overall, however, the reviews weren’t great. This might also have something to do with the fact that it never really becomes clear what exactly the film was supposed to be. So will D’Artagnan’s daughter for example, although described in several places as an adventure comedy. But that’s not quite the case. In some places it gets rather strange, especially with regard to the conspiracy. With the deliberately humorous classic The Three Musketeers from 1973 has little to do with it, it is not consistent enough.
A little feminism
Instead, most of the time is spent with the director and co-writer Bertrand Tavernier (The passenger ticket, In the Electric Mist – Mord in Louisiana) quite seriously. He tried a mixture of classic cloak-and-dagger film and smaller socially relevant topics. Of course, there was also criticism of the church as an institution in the case of Dumas in the form of the corrupt Cardinal Richelieu. Here, among other things, the machinations in the monasteries are denounced. In addition, the subject of slavery is addressed. And of course has D’Artagnan’s daughter also a stronger feminist orientation, when a woman not only successfully fights against men, but is also the only one who is willing to solve a conspiracy.
This is not particularly sophisticated. In general, the screenplay doesn’t have that much to offer, neither in terms of the story nor the characters. If it had actually been humorous and exaggerated, it wouldn’t have been so bad. But that’s how it is D’Artagnan’s daughter a bit boring, especially with a running time of around two hours. After all, the action scenes are impressive. There is actual fighting here instead of just pretending. Since the visuals are also quite decent, you can watch the female version of the classic if you’re in the mood for such a film. In the mass of adaptations of the indestructible novel, this one doesn’t particularly stand out.
OT: “D’Artagnan’s Daughter”
IT: „Revenge of the Musketeers“
Land: France
Year: 1994
Director: Bertrand Tavernier
Script: Bertrand Tavernier, Jean Cosmos, Michel Léviant
Music: Philippe Sarde
Camera: Patrick Blossier
Occupation: Sophie Marceau, Philippe Noiret, Sami Frey, Jean-Luc Bideau, Raoul Billerey, Nils Tavernier, Claude Rich, Charlotte Kady
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