The Man in the Iron Mask (1998/I)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Randall Wallace

Writers (WGA):

Alexandre Dumas père (novels)
Randall Wallace (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History

Tagline:

For the honor of a king. And the destiny of a country. All for one.

Plot:

The cruel King Louis XIV of France has a secret twin brother who he keeps imprisoned. Can the twin be substituted for the real king?

Plot Keywords:

Twins | Mask | Iron Mask | Musketeer | Twin Brother

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio	...	King Louis XIV / Philippe
Jeremy Irons	...	Aramis
John Malkovich	...	Athos
Gérard Depardieu	...	Porthos
Gabriel Byrne	...	D'Artagnan
Anne Parillaud	...	Queen Mother Anne
Judith Godrèche	...	Christine (as Judith Godreche)
Edward Atterton	...	Lt. Andre
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Raoul
Hugh Laurie	...	King's Advisor
David Lowe	...	King's Advisor
Brigitte Boucher	...	Madame Rotund
Matthew Jocelyn	...	Assassin
Karine Belly	...	Wench
Emmanuel Guttierez	...	King's Friend

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and some sensuality/nudity.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Peru:PT | Netherlands:MG6 | Iceland:12 | Spain:7 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Belgium:KT | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Ireland:12 | Mexico:B | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Castle, Vaux-le-Vicomte, Seine-et-Marne, France

Company:

United Artists Corporation

Trivia:

Alexandre Dumas père, the author of the book for which this is based, adapted his novel on a historical account of a mysterious prisoner in the Bastille who was forced to wear a leather mask for the two years between his imprisonment and subsequent death.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When D'artangnan is dealing with the angry peasants about the spoiled food, and the apples are thrown, the second apple that D'artangnan "stabs in the air" is visible on his sword before the slow-motion shot.

Quotes:

Athos: You want me to do the impossible and you want me to do it alone?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Little Thing Called Murder (2006) (TV)

A pleasant surprise!

When this film started playing in theaters in March 1998, I thought: this is going to be another overrated film that Leo Di Caprio is in...so I avoided going to see it. But I decided to rent it yesterday, since I was in the mood to watch a period film. Was I surprised! I really enjoyed watching this film. Although it did have a few flaws here and there, it is still a very worthwhile and enjoyable film. The costumes were nice, yes, but the sets were even better. The cinematography was outstanding. Who cares if it "was not true" to the Alexandre Dumas novel--film adaptions of famous novels never are true to the books. This film didn't do so well at the box office because it started playing in theaters at a time when all of the Titanic hype was still taking place. Perhaps The Man in the Iron Mask should've been released in the fall of 98--I bet more people would've gone to see it in theaters. If you haven't seen this film, rent it. It's both an enjoyable story and a visual wonder. See it at least twice!