The Man in the Iron Mask (1977) (TV)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Mike Newell

Writers:

William Bast (screenplay)
Alexandre Dumas père (novel)

Release Date:

17 January 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Plot:

The story of Louis XIV of France and his attempts to keep his identical twin brother Philippe imprisoned away from sight and knowledge of the public...

Plot Keywords:

Musketeer | Foreign Language Adaptation | Swashbuckler | Iron Mask | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Richard Chamberlain	...	King Louis XIV / Philippe
Patrick McGoohan	...	Fouquet
Louis Jourdan	...	D'Artagnan
Jenny Agutter	...	Louise de la Vallière
Ian Holm	...	Duval
Ralph Richardson	...	Colbert de Voliere
Vivien Merchant	...	Queen Maria Theresa
Brenda Bruce	...	Queen Anne of Austria
Esmond Knight	...	Armand
Godfrey Quigley	...	Baisemeaux
Emrys James	...	Percerin
Denis Lawson	...	Claude
Ann Zelda	...	Henriette (as Anne Zelda)
Hugh Fraser	...	Montfleury
Stacy Davis	...	Blacksmith

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Iceland:L | Germany:12

Company:

ITC Entertainment

Trivia:

First film of Denis Lawson.

Goofs:

Continuity: Position of the sentry in the background while Philippe is talking on the wharf.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Man in the Iron Mask (1985) (TV)

Wonderful but what happened to this film?

This and The Count of Monte Cristo were both made for television in the late 1970s and starred the talented Richard Chamberlain. Yet, because they were originally made for TV, they seem to have vanished and I haven't seen either on TV since the early 1980s (though I did copy them to now worn out videotapes). It's a real shame, as they were first-rate and every bit as good as any Hollywood production--maybe better.

The Man in the Iron Mask was the better of the two stories, but both are about as good Alexander Dumas stories as you can find. This is due to the overall package--exceptional music, acting, writing and pacing. I simply don't know how you could have made them much better.