The widowed queen of France is dying, the young heir to the throne is in hiding, and the Duc de Lavalle is plotting to seize the throne by forcing the princess to marry him. The queen sends her messengers to Spain for aid, but each is intercepted and murdered by Lavalle's men. Knowing this, the queen realizes she has one hope left: her Musketeers of old. Alas, the Musketeers of yore are infirm or dead, but their children answer the call without hesitation: the son of D'Artagnan (Cornel Wilde), the son of Aramis (Dan O'Herlihy), the son of Porthos (Alan Hale, Jr.), and — not the son, for he is too young — the daughter of Athos, Claire (Maureen O'Hara).
At Sword's Point (1952) is reminiscent of the Republic serials if they were condensed into a feature-length film and lavished with Technicolor. Action is the batter of this particular cake recipe, divided into layers by tricks and traps, and sprinkled with equal amounts of drama and comedy. The pace is brisk with little time for reflection, and it does strain credibility to see almost no horse move at less than a full gallop, but the fight scenes are rich with surprises and beautifully executed stunts.
Although Wilde has top billing, O'Hara is clearly the stealer of every scene and the most natural swashbuckler. She, more than any other, leaves the viewer wanting to know more about her character and wishing to see her further adventures.
The writing and casting are uneven, but At Sword's Point is still a good showcase of the swashbuckling genre and worth watching if for no other reason than to see O'Hara perfectly embody the spirit of a true Musketeer.
(Incidentally, although she plays the daughter of Athos, I could easily imagine her as the daughter of D'Artagnan. That would have been great movie indeed.)
Writing: MediocreDirecting: Fair
Acting: Fair
Cinematography: Good
Stunts: Great
Swordplay: Good
Panache: Great
Overall Rating: Good
Swashbuckling Rank: Great
Written by: Walter Ferris, Joseph Hoffman, Aubrey Wisberg, and Jack Pollexfen
Directed by: Lewis Allen
Performed by: Cornel Wilde, Maureen O'Hara, Robert Douglas, Gladys Cooper, June Clayworth, Dan O'Herlihy, Alan Hale, Jr., et al.
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