The Prisoner of the Iron Mask (1961)

A villain is poisoning a duke ;he imprisons his son ,wearing an iron mask,in a dungeon .

Director:

Francesco De Feo

Writers:

Silvio Amadio, Francesco De Feo

Stars:

Pietro Albani, Silvio Bagolini, Emma Baron

Cast

Credited cast:
Pietro Albani
Silvio Bagolini
Emma Baron
Andrea Bosic
Tiziana Casetti
Jany Clair
Francesco De Leone
Andrea Fantasia
Wandisa Guida	...	Christina
Joe Kamel
Michel Lemoine	...	Marco
Vanni Materassi
Piero Pastore
Mimmo Poli
Erminio Spalla

Storyline

The action takes place in 1703 and Colbert wants to buy the duchy of Pignerol ,unbeknowst to the old Duke .A sadistic villain ,a count,is slowly poisoning the lord ;besides he covets her daughter .The iron mask is here the duke's son , but the hangman's daughter takes pity on the unfortunate prisoner.The nasty traitor oppresses the poor ,but André and his men ,complete with priest ,do their Robin Hood act.

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Plot Keywords:

swordplay | iron mask | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

June 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Prisoner of the Iron Mask

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinematografica Associati (CI.AS.),Comptoir Français du Film Production (CFFP),Mida Film

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

French-Italian Polenta

Fanciful variation on one of the most famous secrets of French history. The action takes place in 1703 (that's what we are told when the film begins) and Colbert (God preserve him) wants to buy the duchy of Pignerol ,unbeknowst to the old Duke .A sadistic villain ,a count,is slowly poisoning the lord and covets her daughter and is looking forward to raking it.

Did the screenwriters open a history book?It's dubious:they would have learned that Colbert died in 1683(!),so he was not able to write a letter in 1703! Most of the historians do not think the famous prisoner was wearing an iron mask ;he was imprisoned for more than thirty years and with such a thing,he would have died of blood poisoning ;he probably would wear a (velvet) mask during his transfers and sometimes during the day.

Alexandre Dumas made him the Sun King's twin brother .That was also Voltaire's opinion.

Forget history ;the iron mask is here the duke's son ,and the title is thoroughly justified by the rather smart ending.As for the rest ,it's a cross between Robin Hood (André and his men ,complete with priest ;the villain who oppresses the poor ) and Dumas 's "La Tulipe Noire" (the unfortunate prisoner and the hangman's daughter who takes pity on him).There's the obligatory comic relief -here represented by a so called Bavarian, the interrupted wedding,and all the available clichés of the swashbuckler.But the cinematography is impeccable,the movie is not unpleasant ,the kind of stuff you forget just after watching it