I’m not a big movie guy. I’d rather read the book. The movies hardly ever get it right. I’m one of those geeks who was dismayed with The Lord of the Rings movies. I was discouraged by the treatment of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. I was disgusted by the treatment of Prince Caspian.
Nevertheless, there are a few movies I enjoy. Hoosiers, The Princess Bride (in spite of the fact that it diverges fairly widely from the book), and Clue, among others. My wife and I watched one of our favorite movies the other night – The Three Musketeers, starring Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Oliver Platte, and Tim Curry. It’s a great combination of action, adventure, witticisms, and comedy……
Porthos — “Little pimple: Meet me behind the Luxemborg at 1:00 and bring a long wooden box.”
Porthos: “Rochefort. Isn’t that a smelly kind of cheese?”
Porthos: [disguised as an executioner at D'Artagnon's execution] “This axe was a gift to me, from the Czarina of Tokyo.
Ok. It’s obvious that my favorite character is Porthos.
But it’s the speech at the end by King Louis that really gets me every time. As he prepares to swear D’Artagnan into the Musketeers, he makes this fantastic statement.
“This world is an uncertain realm, filled with danger. Honor undermined by the pursuit of power, freedom sacrificed when the weak are oppressed by the strong. But there are those who oppose these powerful forces, who dedicate their lives to truth, honor, and freedom. These men are known as Musketeers. Rise, D’Artagnan, and join them.”
There’s a part of me that thinks that instead of “Musketeers”, that last sentence should substitute the word “Christians”. Whenever I watch the movie, I’m inspired to be full of more Honor, to be more Just, to pursue Freedom and to proclaim Truth.
What movie inspires you to be a better Christ-follower?
