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The Man in the Iron Mask
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The self-serving King Louis XIV is all-powerful and fears no one except the man he condemned to wear an iron mask and imprisoned for life. Retired Musketeers vow to free the mysterious prisoner who may be France’s only hope for survival.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 6-MAR-2001
Media Type: DVD
- Amazon Sales Rank: #2987 in DVD
- Brand: DICAPRIO,LEONARDO
- Released on: 1998-08-12
- Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
- Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
- Original language: English, French
- Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
- Number of discs: 1
- Dimensions: .25 pounds
- Running time: 132 minutes
ENGARDE!
“All for one. One for all!” The familiar oath is heard again in this swashbuckler. Only this time our four heroes are older, as The Musketeers reunite for one last grand stand against injustice.
Aramis(Jeremy Irons),is now a devout priest and prays for the starving people of Paris, Porthos(Gerard Depardieu)is out of shape but still has the will to fight for right(Depardieu is also very much the comic relief in this film),Athos(John Malkovich), retired and has a son who has now gone into the service of the king, and the youngest D’Artagnan(Gabriel Bryne), still in service is now the Captain of the Musketeers, and very loyal to his King. And of course the coldhearted young King Louie XIV(Leonardo DiCaprio).
The King lets his people starve while he lavishes in luxeries. He uses people, especially women with no shred of decency or emotion. Even his mother Queen Anne(Anne Parillaud) is ashamed but still loves him. And Louie has a secret, one that may threaten his reign someday. It is the “Man In The Iron Mask” who he has had imprisoned.
Aramis ,Athos, and Porthos have set a plan into motion to restore decency to the throne. D’Artagnan on the other hand remains loyal to the king and carries with him a secret of his own. They don their old uniforms, and we see them in action once again. Will they be able to set free the man in the mask? Will D’Artagnan reunite with them?
The swordfights,scenery and costumes are all exquiste. The story will move you,there are some very poignant scenes as well as lots of action,adventure, romance and above all loyalties. Loyalties to each other, the King and to France.The actors work extraordinary well together and are impeccable in their roles.Director Randall Wallace really gives us a good look at this time and place in history, and a strong feeling for each character.
Fabulous DVD!(MGM) The widescreen presentation(standard on the other side if you prefer) really shows off the granduer of the palace grounds, and the surrounding scenery.The picture and colors clear and bright. The 5.1 Surround is outstanding in this action film. You can hear every clip clop of the horses on the stone, every clink of the swords, and every word of the dialouge clearly. The music is also well recieved and is effective. There are several features you may want to check out, there is audio commentary, a really informative look at how they chose and made the mask, and a booklet inside the case.You can also use the English, French or Spanish Subtitles if needed.
Check it out…..Laurie
Loved it . . .
I don’t know why I did not see the 1998 version of Man in the Iron Mask while it played in theaters. In a way I’m glad I didn’t see it then - I surely would have embarrassed myself, because it would not have occurred to me that I would need a half-box of Kleenex at the end! I finally watched the movie in my own living room when it came to HBO several years ago, but while I enjoyed the movie at the time, it did not leave me with the urgent desire to see it again. However, I did watch the movie again recently, and now for some unexplainable reason, I can’t seem to get enough of it. I have the DVD, and it is the movie I most often reach for on a quiet evening of lousy television.
Those who are expecting a faithful adaptation of the book will come away sorely disappointed, and if that is their measure of the movie, they will do best to avoid this one. However, those who love the characters, who don’t mind seeing new adaptations and interesting plot twists, and who love rich costumes and set designs will find this movie wonderfully entertaining. And that is what it is all about, isn’t it? Entertainment.
I have read many reviews regarding this movie, and am puzzled, even dismayed at times, by some of the criticisms levied at various aspects of it. Some people have complained about the dialogue in the movie, calling it “flowery”, but truthfully I loved the fact that Randall Wallace did not modernize it. So many new films and TV series are “dumbing down” the dialogue of period pieces to make them more compatible with today’s manner of speaking. I applaud Mr. Wallace for keeping the dialogue consistent with how it likely would have been spoken in the 17th century.
Still others complained of the unlikelihood of all four Musketeers surviving a volley of musketfire during the final charge. If they had been watching properly, they would have noticed that the young Musketeers were turning their faces away, closing their eyes as they pulled the triggers. And after the first few shots, powder smoke begins to fill the corridor, obscuring their vision. So the lack of accuracy in their volley is adequately explained on more than one count. Moreover, if the critics had been watching more closely, they would have noticed that there are woundings — D’Artagnan is hit in the shoulder, Athos in the thigh. The other two are also limping, and the script confirms that all four are wounded in the barrage.
As for the complaints that the four leads have four different accents, I did not find them distracting or annoying, as some have claimed. I expected it, since this is an International Cast, and with an International Cast, you get International accents.
And speaking of the cast, I must say that in all the Musketeers movies I’ve seen, this is the strongest cast ever. The primary performers, Jeremy Irons, Gabriel Byrne, Gerard Depardieu, and John Malkovich, all turn in exquisite performances, and Leonardo DiCaprio is, in my opinion, convincing as Louis and Philippe, even though he is upstaged by the other four. Anne Parilloud is simply lovely as the Queen Mother, and the moments she shares with Byrne’s D’Artagnan are some of the best in the film. The love scene between them, as brief as it was, is as beautiful as any I’ve ever seen (this coming from someone who is not a true fan of romance! I was left wanting more!). The music is brilliant and sets the mood perfectly for each scene. The wardrobe is exceptional, especially the black uniforms of the old musketeers.
Particularly nice touches in this movie are the attention to detail: The roses left for the queen speaks as decisively of D’Artagnan’s love for her as words ever could (And yes, I really liked the plot twist involving the twins’ paternity); Philippe dragging his masked head back and forth over the grating in frustration while in prison; the unmasking of Philippe in a dark blacksmith’s forge, his hair wrapped around his neck where, as it grew, it was unable to escape the confines of the mask; Lieutenant Andre’s devotion to D’Artagnan throughout the film and the way he looks away when the king orders the volley, unable to watch his captain cut down; the rich, fancy costumes contrast the torn, sweat-stained clothing where appropriate.
The movie is not without its faults, though. The first scene involving Porthos and Aramis, for example, contains some crude language regarding parts of both the male and female anatomy and Porthos’s flatulence, both of which seemed out of place, and actually got the film off to a shaky start. The first time I watched it, I almost turned it off at this point. I also could have lived quite happily without ever having seen the bulls-eye glimpses of Porthos’ naked rear end. While I’m sure some of Depardieu’s fans loved it, the scene did nothing to advance the plot, in my opinion. There is hardly an actor or actress out there these days that has not done a nude, but quite frankly, some things are just better left to the imagination. I’m smiling as I write this, but truly, the scene was unnecessary. Thankfully, there is a “skip” button on my DVD player! And yes, I do use it.
Those few faults are forgivable when surrounded by so many other details that are so elegantly done. For me, it was a very pleasing movie experience, one I enjoy over and over again. Kudos to everyone involved. Now, if I can just convince Randall Wallace to release a director’s cut version . . . .
Surprisingly great movie!
Ok, to start, I just want to say that I am in no way a Three Musketeer fan. I wouldn’t even look their way usually…but a friend of mine insisted that we watch this movie. Grunting, and with only Encino Man as another option, I agreed on this flick. The movie started innocently enough, and to tell most the truth, I didn’t even give it a chance. Normally if you go into something with just the thought of “this is going to [stink]“, it most likely will. This was not the case for me when I was watching it though…
STORY/PLOT: The plot, characters, scenery, and fighting is all top-notch from what I saw. Every person I saw drew me to like them, and I found myself cheering for the original Three (Four) Musketeers even until the end. You’ll be surprised how little bad-knowledge you need on the trio (quartet) to really enjoy this film. And although the main point is focused on something other than the Musketeers, they still manage to play a major role in the movie.
DVD QUALITY/EXTRAS: The video is really crisp and I noticed no real distortion in the movie. Sound was also very nice (as all DVDs should be) and I wouldn’t hesitate to rate the audio up with such others as Braveheart and Gladiator. Since it was my friend’s, I really didn’t get a look at ALL of the contents of the disc, but from what I could tell, it was a moderate DVD. The extras are the usual for this type of film, and don’t offer anything spectacular or independent from other DVDs…so don’t buy this DVD for content.
OTHER: The only problem I have with this movie is everyone seems to hate it. I can only guess that a lot of guys go to see it and get turned off by Leonardo DiCaprio’s major role as king in the movie. I’m not big on Leonardo DiCaprio either, but I feel that he deserves a chance in this one. [SPOILER] He manages to play two roles, and I feel since they were opposite personalities he pulled the role off perfectly as two completely different people. [END OF SPOILER]
FIN~: To wrap things up, if you are used to cool swashbuckling scenes, as well as some great story-telling, I reccomend this movie to most. The only people that should steer clear of this movie are: people that totally hate Leonardo Dicaprio movies, people that don’t like French stories, and people that need lots of non-stop action. For you out there who like exquisite scenery, romance, and all of the other things I’ve listed…then this movie is for you.
