La fille de d'Artagnan

Plot synopsis:
In the autumn of 1654, an escaped slave is given refuge at a convent in southern France. His pursuers break into the convent, and after wounding the mother superior, they close in on their prey. One feisty novitiate, Eloise (Sophie Marceau)—the daughter of the renowned swordsman D'Artagnan (Philippe Noiret) of the famed Three Musketeers—stands up to the intruders, but is shoved aside as they ride off after the frightened slave who escaped from the evil Duke Crassac de Merindol. Eloise finds a blood-stained piece of paper (a simple laundry list) that the slave used to stop a bleeding wound, and believes it holds some secret code. When the mother superior dies, Eloise swears a sacred oath to avenge her. Dressed in men's clothes, Eloise sets out for Paris to elicit the help of her father in tracking down the murderers.
At a roadside tavern, Eloise gets into a sword fight and is helped by a young poet, Quentin la Misère (Nils Tavernier), who writes her a brief love poem, "Dance, butterfly, dance". Attracted to Eloise, he accompanies her to Paris where she is reunited with her famous father, whom she hasn't seen since childhood. When she shows him the blood-stained paper she believes holds the key to a secret plot, he tells her it looks like a laundry list with blood on it. Later, D'Artagnan visits the grave of his former Musketeer, Athos, and longs for the days when the Musketeers were together, defending their King. Meanwhile, Eloise heads to the royal court, where she meets Cardinal Mazarin (Gigi Proietti) who is teaching the youthful King Louis XIV (Stéphane Legros) the subtleties of deceitful diplomacy. When Eloise learns that Mazarin is plotting against the King and plans to kill Quentin, she rushes off. Mazarin, who believes she has evidence of his conspiracies, orders the one-eyed man to follow her. The King's men track her down through the narrow streets of Paris, where her father comes to her rescue, and the two defeat several men in a daring sword fight.
With Eloise and Quentin in tow, D'Artagnan reunites with two of his former musketeers—Porthos and Aramis—whom he enlists to help thwart an as yet unidentified conspiracy against the King. Convinced the list contains a secret code, the pedantic Aramis helps decipher the list, using advanced linguistic and Biblical knowledge. Meanwhile, the Duke of Crassac (Claude Rich)—a slave trader and smuggler—is indeed plotting against the King, planning to poison him at the upcoming coronation, blame Mazarin, and when the King's younger brother is installed, step in as the powerful King's protector. Crassac's mistress, Eglantine de Rochefort—the "woman in red" who witnessed the convent murder—tasks him to kill all involved in the convent incident and leave no witnesses.
D'Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis, Eloise, and Quentin ride to the convent, where they hope to learn more about the conspiracy. Eloise finds the body of a dead nun before encountering Eglantine in the process of destroying all evidence of her existence from the convent's records. Eloise is captured by Eglantine's accomplice and taken to Crassac's castle dock where she joins the nuns who are being sold and shipped to the Americas as slaves. When Crassac arrives and spots Eloise, he decides to take her for himself back to his castle. When D'Artagnan and his companions arrive, the aging musketeers slowly scale the castle walls, helped by the one-eyed man, who turns out to be the fourth Musketeer, Athos, thought to have died years before. The Musketeers ride to the nuns' rescue, killing scores of smugglers and freeing the sisters. After the fight, the musketeers ride off to Paris, where the King is preparing for his coronation.
In Paris, D'Artagnan enters the palace and warns the young King about the plot against his life. Meanwhile, Crassac and his followers gather and plan the next day's coronation murder. While Crassac shares his delusional plans to marry Eloise, she suddenly appears—freed by the jealous Eglantine—and in the ensuing sword fight, just as Eloise is about to be killed by three of Crassac's men, D'Artagnan and his men come to her rescue. During the ensuing battle, Eloise chases after the fleeing Crassac and engages him in an extended sword fight that leads them to the roof of the palace. Just as Crassac is about to kill Eloise, D'Artagnan arrives and runs the evil Duke through with a sword, ending the threat to his daughter and to his King. Afterwards, D'Artagnan tells his daughter how proud he is of her and the two embrace.

Tags: action

Review:
The spirit of Dumas is alive and well as D'Artagnan and his three legendary companions regroup and once again go forth in defense of the Crown in `Revenge of the Musketeers,' directed by Bertrand Tavernier.
This time around, however, it's D'Artagnan's daughter, Eloise (Sophie Marceau), who sounds the alarm after witnessing a cold-blooded murder at the convent she has called home these many years, having been raised there while her father was off on one adventure after another in service to the King.
What she doesn't know is that D'Artagnan (Philippe Noiret) has recently withdrawn from the service of the King, and not by his own choosing.
It seems that the King-to-be is something of an upstart, the fact of which D'Artagnan conveyed to him personally-- in no uncertain terms-- after which the now former Musketeer retired to private life to give lessons in the art of swordsmanship.
To successfully present yet another episode of `The Three Musketeers,' it must have that certain sense of bold carelessness born of confidence and larger-than-life adventure, and Tavernier's film has it.
And, as in the best of the `Musketeer' movies, it's laced with subtle humor and intrigue.
Tavernier sets a pace that is at times inconsistent, but he provides enough action and fun that it can be easily overlooked; it may threaten to stall occasionally, but never actually does.
Philippe Noiret cuts a striking figure as the aging D'Artagnan, who though slowed somewhat by the years, is still one of the best swords around.
He successfully embodies that spirit and sense of `legend' that makes his D'Artagnan believable, and delivers it all with the confidence befitting his character.
The highlight of the film, however, is the lovely Marceau, who as Eloise proves that she can cross swords with the best of them.
Her technique with a blade may be a bit awkward at times, but it gives credibility to the character; a young woman raised in a convent-- even the daughter of a famed Musketeer-- wouldn't necessarily be a master swordsman.
And Marceau gives a lively performance as Eloise, diving into the action with a reckless abandon that makes her endearing, as well as fun to watch.
But what really puts this character across-- and again, the entire film, for that matter-- is that unabashed spirit of adventure, which Marceau manifests in Eloise.
The supporting cast includes Claude Rich (Crassac), Sami Frey (Aramis), Jean-Luc Bideau (Athos), Raoul Billerey (Porthos), Charlotte Kady (Eglantine de Rochefort), Nils Tavernier (Quentin), Luigi Proietti (Mazarin) and Jean-Paul Roussillon (Planchet).
Proving that even Musketeers beyond their prime can be engaging, especially when combined with a spirited beauty like Marceau, `Revenge of the Musketeers' is a welcome cinematic chapter in the saga Dumas began so many years ago.
A civilized historical romance from Tavernier, Noiret, and Marceau..
I saw it because I have loved every Tavernier film I have seen.
The film begins with an escaped African slave and a mysterious raid on the convent in which Eloise, the daughter of D'Artagnan, has been raised.
Sophie Marceau is luminous, whimsical and feisty as Eloise.
Over-scheduled Americans may fret at the pacing, but just allow yourself to be a little French--enjoy the tale, the lack of American style violence and the delightful performances, music, and sets.
Only based on Alexander Dumas' musketeer tales, not taken from them, this movie still manages to capture the sense of fun and adventure that marked his novels.The four older actors playing the retired musketeers who are drawn back into the fray by D'Artagnan's daughter, Eloise, will be unfamiliar to most American viewers, but all of them have that same kind of slightly naughty French humor that so many Americans love in Gérard Depardieu (whose Porthos from the "Man in the Iron Mask" would have fit in perfectly here).And Sophie Marceau will charm the pants off of you - although her pants are about the only clothing item she manages to hang onto here.
A fun French comedy/adventure flick which resurrects the "Three Musketeers" and creates a beautiful daughter, Eloise, (Marceau) for an aging, portly D'Artagnan.
The plot is a tad convoluted with subtitles which use some archaic English and nonstop dialogue making the story a bit of a challenge for non-French speakers to keep up with.
Nonetheless, the 2+ hour run is full of swashbuckling adventures, funny antics, comedic dialogue, and the beautiful European countryside with misty moors, autumn forests, castles and all those things we love about Euro-period films..
Though I am not a fan of French Cinema in general, I am a huge fan of Sophie Marceau.
In "Fille de d'Dartagnan" (which was released on video under the hideous title "Revenge of the Musketeers")the beautiful Sophie plays Eloise, the daughter of the legendary Gascon d'Artagnan, who leaves the convent in which she was raised to foil a plot to assassinate the young King Louis XIV.
This film is a fun,lighthearted swashbuckler, very much in the tradition of Dumas's original stories.
That little quibble aside, I recommend this film for fans of action movies and it's a must for Marceau fans everywhere.
Recent "Musketeers" films have been falling flat.
I am now very pleased to say that "Revenge of the Musketeers" (U.S. video title) is a solid production, featuring an excellent European cast and fine direction.Set in the twilight years of the musketeers, the plot focuses on Eloise d'Artagnan (Marceau) and her struggle against perceived plots and conspiracies.
I was especially pleased to note that Eloise, who was raised in a convent and had no martial training, did not suddenly gain the magnificent fighting prowess of her father.
Merely seeing a competent Musketeer film done in the French language alone is a treat..
La fille de D'Artagnan is a lot of fun for the first sixty minutes or so, then the lack of any great imagination in the plot construction starts to be apparent.
There seems to be a coded message in a letter stolen from a convent that occupies the minds and energies of many of the characters to the detriment of telling the story.Philippe Noiret is great, but the part is so easy for him.
If you want a really fine film about pre-Revolutionary France, try Que la fête commence, which has Noiret in one of his best roles..
This film started very promising: great actors like the wizened Philippe Noiret and the charming Sophie Marceau, an experienced director like Tavernier, and an interesting storyline: the daughter of D'Artagnan breathes some of the old spirit back into her aged heroes.
First, it doesn't explain the characters' motivation as much as necessary (that goes especially for "supposed dead" Athos, the irresolute would-be politician King Louis and also the young "poet", who falls in love with Sophie before he's even seen her from less than 10 yards distance - I guess he was just introduced because she needed help in the tavern brawl).
Well, one isn't quite as dead as he seems, but I have to leave a little surprise for you at the end!So, what you get is two hours of good entertainment if you like this kind of adventure movie, but don't expect something as brilliant as Richard Lester's classic "The Three Musketeers" from 1973..
When the titular daughter, Eloise(the stunning Marceau, who takes over her father's arc, and is equally big on honor, justice, and defending the innocent), gets a hint of a conspiracy, she leaves the convent her and her mother were at(...if you aren't safe there, then where?), goes to Paris, has her first suitor(Tavernier, a poet who is not exactly skilled with a weapon; he is the comic relief, and in spite of that, he is seldom annoying, they walk the line of that well), and asks the elder D'Artagnan(Noiret, who recognizes himself as a youth in her...
This clearly loves the novels(with many references to them, and not all overt or direct) and wanted to add a new chapter to the overall narrative, that of the next generation, and it succeeds in delivering that and making it compelling.
My enjoyment of the early scenes in this movie was ruined by the fact that I was expecting an action flick.
But there are many joking references to Dumas' original story about the Musketeers, and the physical humor transcends culture, as does the archetype of the romantic poet who's hopeless in a fight.
Every character in the movie is in some way incompetent, which provides the bulk of the humor.
The humor and the plot are both driven by these characters who get better and better as the movie goes on.This movie isn't perfect, however.
My biggest issue with the film is that I can't figure out how D'Artagnan could have aged so much faster than his fellow musketeers.
"Merde" is translated as "turds," and phrases like "'Od's bodkins!" and "Zounds!" run rampant.Still, the movie was thoroughly enjoyable, Sophie Marceau is captivating as well as funny, and this film made for a fun evening.
Some fun with a slice of history (Tavernier is no fool, specially talking about history, Lyonnaise cuisine and music (do you remember the beautiful, poignant and above five stars 'Round midnight...yes, I like most of Bertrand Tavernier's films).
This has got to be one of the best French films I have ever seen, the subtitles were pretty easy to read and the cast was supurb.
A definite must see for anyone who liked Braveheart or Zorro.The entire cast brought out the adventure and the comedy of the film - Great Swordplay, especially the classical beauty Sophie Marceau.
This film deserves plenty of awards, the media should be buzzing about "Revenge of the Musketeers"..
In this case, you have the daughter of d'Artagnan (the 4th Musketeer) taking on baddies with the help of her estranged father.
If you want to portray a strong woman, make it a contemporary movie--don't make our history something it isn't!
The lead, for part of the movie, ran around in men's clothes and looked EXACTLY LIKE A WOMAN DRESSED AS A MAN!
Sophie Marceau is just too beautiful and shapely for this and it seems to assume the audience is too stupid to realize this!
I must say that what moved me to watch the movie was its amazing humor.
S. Marceau, notable, but d'Artagnan, unique...
It is the first time that i really think: "i want that movie".
D'ARTAGNAN'S DAUGHTER (Bertrand Tavernier &, uncredited, Riccardo Freda, 1994) ***.
Frankly, I find it very hard to believe that a major Euro-Cult exponent, the legendarily irascible 85-year old Italian film-maker Riccardo Freda, came out of 13 years of retirement to make this belated French swashbuckler with such art-house favourites as Sophie Marceau, Philippe Noiret, Claude Rich, Sami Frey and Luigi Proietti, got himself fired from the project (as so often happened in the past, often to the benefit of his cinematographer Mario Bava) and distinguished director Tavernier stepped in to complete the picture; the more likely scenario is that it was avowed Freda champion Tavernier's idea to dust off (and update) an old script from the elderly director's glory days of the "Peplum" subgenre - already filmed by him as the obscure and elusive THE SON OF D'ARTAGNAN (1950), co-starring the ubiquitous Gianna Maria Canale, his then-current muse/companion - now that swordplay was once again en vogue on screen in France – presumably following the worldwide success of the Oscar-nominated 1990 Gerard Depardieu version of CYRANO DE BERGERAC!
Having said that, Richard Lester had himself resurrected his long- dormant Alexandre Dumas diptych from the mid-1970s for one final (and, ultimately, fatal) fling with 1989's middling THE RETURN OF THE MUSKETEERS – in which Noiret (here as D'Artagnan) had played Cardinal Mazarin i.e. Proietti's role in the movie under review!
In retrospect, Marceau may have been right in complaining that, notwithstanding the film's title, her part should have been bigger: she still gets to shed her clothes and wield the sword on various occasions and her characterization here must have decided Mel Gibson to cast her in his own epic BRAVEHEART (1995) and she did get her own later period vehicle in MARQUISE (1997; which I am not familiar with) in which she romances Louis XIV (who is still a royal teenage brat in this one!).
Instead, Tavernier's movie chooses to focus on the tattered relationship between the reassembled Four Musketeers: even the supposedly dead Athos turns up as the one-eyed henchman of Mazarin!
Marceau gets her own romantic foil in a rebellious poet (played by Tavernier's own actor son, Nils), as does bumbling villain Crassac (a delightful, Cesar-nominated turn from Rich) in his unscrupulous accomplice Eglantine De Rochefort (Charlotte Klady).
For the longest time, we follow the two factions on the separate trails of 'Double McGuffins': the musketeers' clue turns out to be nothing but a laundry list, in spite of Bishop Aramis (Frey) extracting Biblical references from the message, obtained from a fugitive black slave in the very opening sequence, the initials of which when combined together spell "Crassac"!; Mazarin's clue, then, was nothing but Tavernier's on-the- spot poem to Marceau during their first meeting in a tavern!
Even so, fencing instructor D'Artagnan and his aging buddies still manage to stumble on the real plot on the young king's life during his coronation.Recently, it seems like I always get to make a reference to my unwatched pile in my reviews: this one is, obviously, no exception since I own several tenuously "Musketeers"-related films I have yet to catch up with: A MODERN MUSKETEER (1917; with Douglas Fairbanks), BARDELYS THE MAGNIFICENT (1926; with John Gilbert); CARDINAL RICHELIEU (1935; with George Arliss), THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1935; with Walter Abel), UNDER THE RED ROBE (1937; with Conrad Veidt), an unsubtitled Spanish-language copy of THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1942; with Cantinflas), Roberto Rossellini's THE TAKING OF POWER BY LOUIS XIV (1966), the uncut International version of THE FIFTH MUSKETEER (1979; with Cornel Wilde as D'Artagnan) and THE MUSKETEER (2001; with Catherine Deneuve).
This is the best French movie I have ever seen.
Sophie Marceau is perfect as the daughter of D'Artangan and she prows that she is one of the leading actresses in France.
The director has perfectly combined humor, action, adventure and love in a way that not many is capable of - I just hope that Hollywood don't make a movie of their own from the script - they usually destroys them - like their remake of "Nikita".So  a BRAVO!
I'm not complaining but it's obvious that with international sex kitten Marceau on hand for the lead role in an established 'franchise' like "The 3 Musketeers"  Tavernier decided to just have silly fun here, and that's too bad because this film is clever and could've been great with a little more effort.
Of course, if Tavernier had gone all out and made the true oddball masterpiece he's proven himself capable of with films as diverse as "Capitaine Conan", "L.627" and "The Clockmaker," Miramax/Disney would've probably never picked the film up for video distribution and renamed it "Revenge of the Musketeers" (D'Artagnan's Daughter sounds a little too sissified for the swashbucker demographic don't you think?).
Marceau is good in the lead role and spectacular in the swordfighting scenes but it's obvious she wasn't asked to push herself too hard to act authentic beyond the athleticism required to shoot the action scenes.
Philip Noiret is his always fabulous self and without him the film would've been a total bore; his brilliant portrayal of the old but far from over the hill D'Artagnan picks the film up whenever the audience gets tired of staring at Marceau, but it's not enough to keep it from dragging on.
Overall, it looks like Tavernier was trying for something in the vicinity of Philip De Broca's classic 1960s adventure films "Cartouche" and "That Man from Rio" but except for a few scenes here and there, comes up short of their comic book poetry..
I was hoping that Bertrand Travenier, Sophie Marceau and (writer)Jean Cosmos would deliver a "unique" Musketeers film, but I was disappointed.
Besides, d'Artagnan's daughter does not have mush screen time after her father and his chums enter the picture.
It seems to be a patriotic attempt to remake Lester's Three Musketeers as a French film.
The actors are good, and Sophie Marceau is lovely, but Tavernier has no clue how to make an action film.
The story rambles incoherently, the pacing is awful, even the action scenes lack tension, and the jokes fall flat.
For a good film with Sophie Marceau, see Police..
Just to get a little balance here:The film is a lot of fun, certainly, and worth watching, but it has its problems.
The winks towards modern issues and modern cultural references are hilarious to start with, but by the end of the film you do get a bit tired of them, and wonder whether a *little* bit more interest in making characters' attitudes credible in the 17th century wouldn't, finally, have improved the film.
Another point - would it not have been possible to let Sophie Marceau definitively win just *one* of her battles?
I feel that the film-maker in his heart of hearts agrees with D'Artagnan when he suggests she should go back to making jam.
For what it's worth the plot has Sophie Marceau - raised in a convent lo these many years - witnessing the brutal murder of the Mother Superior and vowing revenge which will naturally involve finding her father, D'Artagnan, now an ex-musketeer, and teaming up with the original three (Athos, Porthos, Aramis) and overthrowing a plot to assassinate the new King.
Although Tavernier wisely portrays Eloise as something less than an accomplished fencer he cancels this out to some extent by having her leap onto a horse as if she'd been riding all her life when she has, of course, been raised in a convent.
Scott - Philippe Noiret as D'Artagnan and Sophie Marceau as his daughter.