A MODERN MUSKETEER (1917) – This 68-minute film was released on December 30th, 1917, when Douglas Fairbanks was known for his comedies rather than for his later success as cinema’s first swashbuckling superstar.
A Modern Musketeer gave the world the first glimpse of what Fairbanks could do if let loose in sword-swinging tales of derring-do. The opening 5 minutes and 36 seconds of the movie consist of a flashback depiction of D’Artagnan in the 1620s taking on an entire tavern full of rival swordsmen competing to return a fair maiden’s dropped handkerchief.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that that opening segment provides almost as many thrills and spectacular stunts as the entirety of Doug’s 1921 serious turn as D’Artagnan in his silent Three Musketeers film. However, it would not be until 1920’s Mark of Zorro that Fairbanks would get to start his long series of costume swashbucklers.
When the initial 5:36 is over, the movie resumes in 1917 Kansas, where Ned Thacker (Fairbanks), an energetic dynamo of a man, is obsessed with seeking out adventure and protecting women like his fictional idol D’Artagnan. He even runs an organization called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Women. Continue reading
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