Musketeers of the Sea

This is an overlong and fairly routine, but surprisingly enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek swashbuckler. I was interested in the film, firstly, due to an intriguing still from it found in an old British periodical of my father's called "The Movie" – but also because of its eccentric cast.

Pier Angeli appears in the dual role of a novice and her twin (kidnapped as a child and brought up as a buccaneer!), Channing Pollock – the magician whose greatest claim to cinematic fame was to be the title role in Georges Franju's splendid 1963 version of JUDEX – is the dashing musketeer hero (banished by the French king for daring to woo his personal concubine!), Aldo Ray – fitted with an unbecoming wig – is an unlikely presence in this type of film and relegated besides to provider of the rather excessive comedy relief (as one half of a pair of lovable scoundrels), while Robert Alda contributes some effective sleek villainy (assisted by a bumbling Raymond Bussieres).

The colorful scenery is further enlivened by numerous intrigues and action sequences, all set to a Carlo Rustichelli score…but the film, ultimately, emerges as nothing particularly special.