The Man in the Iron Mask (1939 film)
| The Man in the Iron Mask | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | James Whale |
| Produced by | Edward Small |
| Screenplay by | George Bruce |
| Based on |
The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later 1848-50 by Alexandre Dumas |
| Starring |
Louis Hayward Joan Bennett Warren William Joseph Schildkraut |
| Music by | Lucien Moraweck |
| Cinematography | Robert H. Planck |
| Edited by | Grant Whytock |
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Production
company |
Edward Small Productions
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| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes 113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million |
The Man in the Iron Mask is a 1939 American film very loosely adapted from the last section of the novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père, which is itself based on the French legend of the Man in the Iron Mask.
The film is notable for being Peter Cushing's screen debut. It was also notable for being the source of several subsequent remakes. The film was directed by James Whale and stars Louis Hayward as royal twins, Joan Bennett as Princess Maria Theresa, Warren William as d'Artagnan, and Joseph Schildkraut as Nicolas Fouquet.
In 1638, King Louis XIII of France is delighted when his wife bears him a son, Louis, the heir to the throne. However, a few minutes later, a second son is born. Colbert (Walter Kingsford), the king's trusted adviser, persuades the king to secretly send the second child, Philippe, away to Gascony to be raised by his majesty's dear friend, d'Artagnan (Warren William), in order to avert a possible civil war later. Fouquet (Joseph Schildkraut), a mere cardinal's messenger at the time, finds out about the twin and uses this to advance his career. Twenty years later, he is the Minister of Finance under Louis XIV. The king is hated by the commoners for levying oppressive taxes and for executioning them for not paying them.
Fouquet sends soldiers to force d'Artagnan and his people to pay the taxes, though the old king had exempted him and his village from them. They are driven off, but return in much greater numbers and, with great difficulty, capture d'Artagnan, the three musketeers and Philippe. Louis is about to order their executions when Colbert tells him about Philippe's uncanny resemblance to him. As Louis is aware of an assassination attempt to take place that day (but not where or when), he makes Philippe impersonate him in exchange for his friends' lives. Philippe not only survives the ambush, he shows mercy to his would-be killers and is cheered by the people. Princess Maria Theresa (Joan Bennett), whom Louis is to wed to seal an alliance with Spain, finds this new Louis much more attractive than the real one. However, when she discovers that Louis is having an affair with Mademoiselle de la Valliere (Marion Martin), she returns to Spain.
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Wikipedia