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:

Aramis' statement, "I am a genius, not an engineer," is a pun in the original French ("Je suis un génie, pas un ingénieur").

Goofs:

Continuity: Despite supposedly spending six years wearing an iron mask and living in a dungeon, Philippe has manicured fingernails and an unblemished face.

Quotes:

Phillippe: You were the one in the mask.

Movie Connections:

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

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.