Three Musketeers and Changes

Summer exploded in my face a bit, but we finally chugged through The Three Musketeers. The time did, however, give me an opportunity to re-evaluate the state of the blog. While I enjoy the freedom of an open reading blog, more focus could enhance the quality and direction of the site. So, I am going to revert to the original purpose of the blog (minus the grading issues). Starting next week, the blog will focus on materials aimed at or useful to tweens, the age group between 8 and 13.

Most tweens have returned to school. While recommended reading will wait (probably until the first full week of September), I would like to conduct an experiment. The Internet provides a growing number of students with resources. A developing resource comes through online question and answer pages. Next week, we will ask a simple question: What is a qat? and judge AskColorado, Yahoo! Answers, Answers.com, and AskKids according to the following criteria:

1. Accuracy (+1)
2. Direction to further information (other sites, books, etc.) (+1 per resource)
3. Speed of response (+1 if given within 24 hours)

Points will be taken away for:

1. Inaccuracy (-1)
2. Joke, troll, or unrelated responses (-1 per response)
3. Direction to Wikipedia (-1)

My reasons for downgrading Wikipedia directions are threefold. Wikipedia is not an official source, so most school assignments will not accept it. Furthermore, anyone can change a Wikipedia page, for good or for "lolz," so accuracy is not guaranteed. Also, once Wikipedia revealed that tsunamis are caused by yo mama. I really should have taken a screenshot of that. Anyway, it killed my faith in Wikipedia, so I will not consider it an acceptable resource.

Anyway, onward!

The Three Musketeers (1993)

The Three Musketeers produced by Disney (1993).

Plot: While the movie makes a reasonable attempt to follow the very good plot by Dumas, it varies. Milady de Winter is a more pitiable victim of the system than evil seductress. Porthos is a world-traveling pirate. The Cardinal remains the antagonist, but slips into deliberate megalomania. Also, the Louis looks like a girl, but he and his older wife love and trust each other anyway. The resulting movie is questionable.

Genre: Action, Three Musketeers, Movie

Reading Level: Rated PG

Similar Titles: Zorro, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Count of Monte Cristo

Personal Thoughts: The movie is one of those that did overwhelmingly good in the theater but, years later, makes viewers question why they liked it. Once the hype dies down, the merits of the movie have the opportunity to come into focus and, unfortunately, this movie's merits are questionable. To be fair, the cast choice seems mostly reasonable and the music is inspiring. However, the changes from the novel do not add to the story, like a good movie manages. Instead, they trivialize it.

Two particular character changes especially shatter the dimentions offered by a more conventional following of the novel: Milady de Winter and King Louis. The choice to cast King Louis as a feminine man is desquiting. Granted, in the novel he proves he acts more like a boy than a proper king, but why make him so effiminate? It just distracts from the plot and makes the audience cringe instead of feeling sorry for the kid. The second, and more damaging change comes from the change in Milady de Winter. While making a sympathetic villainess is typical for the 90's, it does not serve the movie well. In the novel, de Winter is evil, and really, really good at it. Like the best villains, such as Voldemort, Cruela De Vil, The Joker, and Moriarty, she is a complete pleasure to hate. Readers observe her with morbid fascination as she schemes, succeeds, and succumbs throughout the novel. Yet, in the movie, she flops, figuratively and literally. While she plans on performing infamous acts, the audience is told, rather than shown, what she is capable of. When her history with Athos is revealed, she becomes overly sympathetic. She then promptly jumps off a cliff. So besides making Athos out to be a jerk, her overall influence in the movie is poor. As a result, the villain torch passes to the Cardinal, who proves to be an unlikeable and only moderately convincing antagonist.

Movies can and, occasionally, should vary from the source material. However, when variety comes merely for the sake of change rather than enhancing the audience's experience, it makes the plot, characters, and themes of the movie fall flat (no pun intended).

Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers

Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers produced by Disney.


Plot: Despite their enthusiasm, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy do not seem like "musketeer material." Mickey is short (so is Donald, but the fact is never addressed, so pretend the two are really different size-wise), Donald is a chicken (in the metaphorical sense), and Goofy is...himself. However, following a an attempted assassination (death by anvil), Princess Minnie demands Captain Pete to supply her with musketeer bodyguards. Pete, the mastermind behind the the attempt, immediately promotes the three friends, knowing they will not have the means of stopping him. Yet, the three friends may prove more capable than even they assumed.

Genre: Three Musketeers, Animation

Reading Level: Unrated, but considering the main characters, I would assume it would have received a "G" rating.

Similar Titles: Tinker Bell, Phineas and Ferb, Kim Possible

Personal Thoughts: One of many renditions of Dumas' tale with absolutely nothing to do with the original source. The movie did not even have the right number of musketeers (toward the end of the novel, D'Artagnan enters the musketeers, so there should be four, not three, in any proper retelling).

However, the movie itself is actually pretty good. It may even be amazing, considering the direct-to-video status. The animation is very well done, the jokes are funny, the songs are memorable, and the plot is a classic Disney animation slapstick. A definite recommendation for animation fans.

 

The Three Musketeers

Dumas, Alexander. The Three Musketeers. New York : Dodd, Mead, 1941.


Plot: Young D'Artagnan's initial attempts to begin a career a musketeer start...poorly. An unknown assailant steals his letter of recommendation and the youngster inadvertently challenges three established musketeers to a duel. However, the courage and manners offered by the young man impress the three, who are, in fact, close friends. They become more impressed when he joins them against the meddling officers of the Cardinal. While D'Artagnan establishes himself as a forth member of the former trio, his actions gain the attention of several important people, setting off a chain of events leading to the Queen of France herself.

Genre: Three Musketeers, Historical Fiction, Action

Reading Level: I read this for the first time when I was in Middle School. However, when I read it more recently, the scenarios and historical references made much more sense. So, while younger readers can read the book, more experienced users will gain more from the story.

Similar Titles: The Man in the Iron Mask, The Scarlett Pimpernel, Zorro

Personal Thoughts: As previously mentioned, I gained more from the novel as an adult. However, I still liked it as a pre-teen, even if some of the allusions, situations, and history were beyond my complete comprehension at the time.

Recently, I discovered the novel is actually the first of a trilogy written by Dumas. While none of the other two really gained fame in the modern age, the sequel to the series, The Man in the Iron Mask, spawned nearly as many renditions as its predecessor.

Treasure Island and The Three Musketeers

So the week of Treasure Island ends. My ninja-loving self will begin to focus on next week's theme, The Three Musketeers...which is actually about four musketeers...who seldom use muskets...

This next week may shatter some major assumptions in several films.

Maybe an Allosaurus ate the missing musketeer?

Treasure Planet

 
Treasure Planet produced by Disney.

Plot: A sci-fi version of the classic swashbuckling tale. Instead of sailing to the island of treasure, the crew take a ship-rocket hybrid. The captain is a cat-woman, the first mate is a talking rock, Ben Gunn is a robot, and a certain cook is a cyborg with an unexpected heart.

Genre: Science Fiction, Treasure Island, Animation, Movies

Reading Level: Rated G

Similar Titles: Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Titan A.E.

Personal Thoughts: The movie received mixed reviews. Much of the "original" aspects of the re-telling are gimmicky, such as a spaceship-sailing ship. Also, most of the characters fit into ridged stereotypes. For example, the captain is the tough chick, the doctor is the goofy scholar, and Jim is the troubled teen. The characters fail to surprise or captivate the audience, since they are largely mirrors of other films.

Still, the movie does provide value, especially from a film history perspective. Treasure Planet represents one of the last attempts to mingle science fiction, computer graphics, and traditional animation. Similar titles, such as Titan A.E., tried similar techniques. While the methods proved unpopular, they do reveal a brief, but meaningful, period of experimentation in animation history, when studios tried to combine old animation with new technology while keeping both aspects distinct, rather than interdependent.

Muppet Treasure Island

 Muppet Treasure Island produced by Disney.

Plot: The classic tale of treasure-seekers as told by the muppets. While the main plot follows the original story fairly accurately, the movie takes an appropriate comedic twist. Which is to be expected when the captain is a frog puppet.

Genre: Movies, Treasure Island, Humor

Reading Level: Rated G

Similar Title: The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan

Personal Thoughts: The movie combines classic muppet humor, songs, and situations with a work of literature. Generally, it received favorable reviews, although some protest the "childish" version of a classic novel.

Treasure Island

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island. New York : Scribner, 1981.


Plot: Jim Hawkins unintentionally becomes heir to a legendary treasure map when a sea-going stranger dies unexpectedly. He, with the local doctor and squire, set off to find the wealth. While the company eagerly seeks the treasure, they find themselves on board the Hispanola with a motley crew of questionable seamen, a strict captain, and a cheerful cook known as Long John Silver. The boat's occupants have their own agenda, though, and the island housing the treasure is not quite as deserted as initially thought.

Genre: Treasure Island, Adventure, Coming of Age, Historical Fiction

Reading Level: Ages 9-12; although some readers may be discouraged by the technical and old fashioned writing.

Similar Titles: Tales of Zorro, The Angel's Command, The Guns of Tortuga

Personal Thoughts: My ninja-loving bias will have to be suppressed this week.

Anyway, many consider this book to be the epitome of children's adventure literature. Due to the age and popularity of the novel, the belief seems justified. However, many modern books, such as Hatchet, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, also capture adventure, but in a more accessible manner. The story requires several chapters describing the setting of the novel, and the action waits until nearly a third of the book. I would recommend the title to active readers. However, reluctant readers will most likely find lengthy set-up of the novel discouraging or boring. Another title may offer a more satisfying experience for newer readers.