The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) (DVD) (*)

Out of Stock

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
German ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
German ( Dolby Digital 5.1 )

Product Origin/Format:
Germany ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
90 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 1998 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
William Richert

Written By:
Alexandre Dumas père
William Richert

Actors:
Edward Albert ..... Athos
Dana Barron ..... Louise de la Vallière
Timothy Bottoms ..... Fouquet
Brigid Brannagh ..... Molly Pichon (as Brigid Brannah)
Fannie Brett ..... Henriette
Meg Foster ..... Queen Anne d'Autriche
James Gammon ..... The Commandant
Dennis Hayden ..... D'Artagnan
William Richert ..... Alexandre Dumas/Count Aramis
Nick Richert ..... King Louis XIV-Philippe
Rex Ryon ..... Porthos
Brenda James ..... Lucille
R.G. Armstrong ..... Moliere (as Daniel J. Coplan)
Dan Coplan ..... First Officer
Robert Tena

Synopsis:

A lad jousting with his tutor is kidnapped and carried to the Bastille where his head is locked in an iron mask. Jump ten years: Musketeers return from war in Morocco to find Paris starving while Louis XIV and his retinue idle at Duke Fouquet's estate. Louis is enamored with his host's virginal daughter, Valliere, herself in love with Athos. The queen mother calls the Jesuit Aramis to her deathbed to confess that Louis has a twin, 'a second born, he was first conceived, the oldest and true heir,' the man in the iron mask. Aramis secures his release and hides him while Porthos and Athos school him for his destiny. D'Artagnan remains loyal to Louis: love, schemes and politics entwine.

Oscar-nominated Randall Wallace (Braveheart) made his directorial debut with this adaptation of the 1848 classic by Alexandre Dumas (1802-70), featuring Leonardo DiCaprio in a dual role. Years have passed since the Three Musketeers, Aramis (Jeremy Irons), Athos (John Malkovich), and Porthos (Gerard Depardieu) fought together with their friend D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne). The arrogant, tyrannical King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio) desires the beautiful Christine (Judith Godreche), so he orders her suitor Raoul (Peter Sarsgaard), the son of Athos, off to face death at the front. He also sends Aramis to kill the leader of a Jesuit rebellion. Louis is unaware that his loyal protector and informant, D'Artagnan, is the secret lover of his mother, Queen Anne (Anne Parillaud). Louis' younger twin brother, Philippe (also DiCaprio) is the man in the iron mask, imprisoned for the past six years. Arthos and Porthos plan to free Philippe, abduct Louis and replace him by putting Philippe on the throne. French location scenes include the Chateau de Fontainbleau. Previous adaptations: Allan Dwan's The Iron Mask (1929) with Douglas Fairbanks, the 1939 James Whale version with Louis Hayward, Patricia Medina in Lady in the Iron Mask (1952), Henri Decoin's Le Masque de Fer (1962), Mike Newell's 1976 TV movie with Richard Chamberlain, and Ken Annakin's The Fifth Musketeer (1978, aka Behind the Iron Mask) with Beau Bridges, Lloyd Bridges, Sylvia Kristel, Ursula Andress, Cornel Wilde, Jose Ferrer, Rex Harrison, and Olivia de Havilland. A second film titled The Man in the Iron Mask was released in 1998, a low-budget effort from director William Richert.

Actor-director William Richert (Winter Kills), who directed the late River Phoenix in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988), originally planned this low-budget adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' 1848-50 classic adventure, as a vehicle for River Phoenix. Casting his son, Nick Richert, in the dual role of Philippe and King Louis XIV, he continued on with the project, despite the competition of the heavily promoted, more lavish MGM production scheduled for release almost the same month. The future King of France is kidnapped as a boy, put inside an iron mask, and imprisoned in the Bastille. Court intrigue then places his younger twin on the throne as Louis XIV. A decade later, the queen confesses on her deathbed, revealing the truth to Count Aramis (William Richert), who recruits the three Musketeers (Edward Albert, Dennis Hayden, Rex Ryon) in order to bring truth and justice to the situation. Filmed at the historic Mission Inn in Riverside, California.

This product was added to our catalog on Wednesday 08 March, 2006.

Customers who bought this product also purchased

The Petrov Affair (DVD)	Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel (DVD)	The Borgia (DVD)
The Beast Must Die (DVD)	Genghis Khan (DVD)	Mandela And De Klerk (DVD)