The Three Musketeers – Henri Diamant-Berger

Henri Diamant-Berger was only twenty-five years old when he directed the film. Most of the shooting took place on location, at the châteaux of Azay-le-Rideau and Chenonceau as well as in the dungeon of Vincennes. The production was supported by the French National Monuments authority.

In 1920 Diamant-Berger offered both the director’s role and the lead part to Douglas Fairbanks, who declined. Fairbanks did not want to film too far from Hollywood and was not convinced by the film’s episodic format.

The film had a budget of 2.5 million francs, provided by Pathé-Consortium-Cinéma. Large period sets were built in the Vincennes studios and 3,800 costumes were gathered. These costumes, made of thick velvet, were not in colour but featured different shades of black, gray and white so that they would stand out better on screen.

The film was a considerable success upon its release in France, Great Britain, Italy and Germany. The following year Diamant-Berger released the sequel Twenty Years After, and in 1932 a sound version of the original film.