When Richard Lester was filming The Three Musketeers, he discovered the result was too long for a single film. So he decided to split it up into two films (this film, The Four Musketeers, would be the second half). But the actors had been contracted to do one film, not two, so they sued and won -- but did not receive as much money in compensation as they would have had they been paid separately for each film. At any rate, because the films were made concurrently, this sequel continues the saga in the same off-beat spirit of the first installment and is another fine piece of entertainment. If at all possible, see this film letterboxed or on the big screen; even though the aspect ratio is not especially wide, the pan-n-scan job is horrific, the frame often focusing on dirt while the action is cropped.