The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

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

Director:

Randall Wallace

Writers:

Alexandre Dumas (novels), Randall Wallace (screenplay)

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	King Louis / Phillippe
Jeremy Irons	...	Aramis
John Malkovich	...	Athos
Gérard Depardieu	...	Porthos (as Gerard Depardieu)
Gabriel Byrne	...	D'Artagnan
Anne Parillaud	...	Queen Anne
Judith Godrèche	...	Christine (as Judith Godreche)
Edward Atterton	...	Lieutenant 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

Storyline

Paris is starving, but the King of France is more interested in money and bedding women. When a young soldier dies for the sake of a shag, Aramis, Athos and Porthos band together with a plan to replace the king. Unknown to many, there is a 2nd king, a twin, hidden at birth, then imprisoned for 6 years behind an iron mask. All that remains now is D'Artagnan, will he stand against his long time friends, or do what is best for his country?

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Plot Keywords:

17th century | france | twin | musketeer | three musketeers | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Judith Godrèche had worked previously in other period dramas set in the french court: Beaumarchais the Scoundrel (1996) and Ridicule (1996).

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Goofs

When the King is leaving his mistress before Christine, he is seen leaving the room and closing his robe. When we see him again after leaving the room, he is closing his robe again.

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Quotes

Louis: You think my affairs are empty...
D'Artagnan: I think that it is possible for one man to love one woman all his life and be the better for it, yes.

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Alternate Versions

When Philippe is in prison and Aramis comes disguised as a hugely fat friar to hear his confession and offer mass, Philippe kneels down and makes the sign of the cross. When the movie was released on VHS, Philippe's making the sign of the cross was left out.

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Connections

Featured in Myth and the Musketeers (2010)

User Reviews

you can watch this over and over again

The only problem with this movie that the plot is a bit implausible, but nevertheless, everything was great. I must say that I've seen this movie more times than any movie in the world and i still say it's great. It has a star-studded cast, and all of them did an excellent acting job (DiCaprio, Byrne, Malkovich, Depardieu and Irons). This is a perfect ensemble cast, it's as if the roles were written for the actors. The acting was just well done. The events are exciting and sometimes heart-wrenching, the music is great, and the dialogue is truly, truly exceptional. Trust me, after watching this movie at least 18 times, I've realized that the dialogue is just superb. I very much recommend the movie, however, the story is very, very far from the original book by Alexander Dumas.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

France USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

13 March 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Man in the Iron Mask

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,271,450, 15 March 1998

Gross USA:

$56,968,902

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$182,968,902

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

DTS DTS-Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1