User reviews

THE IRON MASK (United Artists, 1929), directed by Allan Dwan, based on "The Man in the Iron Mask" by Alexander Dumas, a sequel to Dumas's THE THREE MUSKETEERS (United Artists, 1921), both starring Douglas Fairbanks as D'Artagnan and Marguerite De La Motte as Constance, is a worthy farewell to Fairbanks making his final silent screen adventure.

Those familiar with the plot, which was remade several times on screen and television, including THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK (United Artists, 1939) with Louis Hayward, and/ or the most recent and satisfactory 1998 featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeremy Irons, will find the story here not much different, but only shorter in its basic format, as is with its title. The story begins with King Louis XIII of France (Rolfe Sedan) receiving the news of the birth of his son, the future heir to the throne. The only problem is that the heir also has a twin. Since there cannot be two heirs, this news must be kept in utmost secrecy and anyone involved must be put away forever. Constance Beaucieux (Marguerite De La Motte), D'Artagnan's (Douglas Fairbanks), beloved, who was the midwife during the birth, is immediately put away in the Convent of Martes by orders of Count De Rochefort (Ullrich Haupt). Unaware of the secret, D'Artagnan tries to rescue Constance from being held prisoner against her will, but arrives too late. She has been stabbed by Milady De Winter (Dorothy Revier) after discovering the secret mark on her shoulder, the brand of a common criminal. Before Constance dies in D'Artagnan's arms, she utters her final words to him, "the other one ..." The death of Constance leaves D'Artagnan feeling empty and bitter. D'Artagnan, who has been reunited with his colleagues, The Three Musketeers, later saves them from being executed by orders of the Cardinal Richelieu (Nigel De Brulier). After D'Artagnan rescues Richelieu from De Rochefort's men, the Musketeers are pardoned, but find they must part company once more when D'Artagnan is appointed as guardian to the newborn infant and sent to Spain while the actual heir to the throne remains in France. Some twenty years later, the evil twin brother (William Bakewell), a spoiled young man, eventually learns his true identity and of his twin brother holding the throne in France from the villainous De Rochefort. The evil twin plots to take over the throne by having his brother abducted, and banishing him by having him locked in a dungeon with his face sealed in an iron mask for all eternity, and being given food from the guards from under the door, and with strict orders for him not to ever have any visitors. While taking control of the throne, the evil twin meets with his mother, Queen Anne (Belle Bennett), who immediately realizes what's happening. It is then up to the D'Artagnan and his musketeers, now older men, to reunite and save the day.

Featured in the supporting cast are Stanley Sanford as Porthos; Leon Bary as Athos; Gino Corrado as Aramis; Vera Lewis as Madame Peronne and Gordon Thorpe playing the boy prince and his evil twin.

A satisfactory version that becomes a bit slow going at times due to a couple of flashbacks, but then picks up speed again with a memorable swashbuckling conclusion. THE IRON MASK was first introduced as part of the 12-week series on public television's THE SILENT YEARS (1975), hosted by Lillian Gish. Because this was Fairbanks' final silent adventure, released the final year of the silent era (1929), THE IRON MASK became the film chosen as the closing chapter to this series. Accompanied with an original piano score by William J. Perry, from the Paul Killiam collection, and running at the length of about 87 minutes, THE IRON MASK also consisted of color tinted scenes. Reportedly distributed theatrically with talking sequences, sound effects and an original musical score (which may still exist today), THE IRON MASK was later reissued in 1952 through Odyssey Pictures, eliminating the original title cards, replaced with narration by Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and accompanied by a new orchestral score. Available with the excellent Perry piano score on video cassette through Blackhawk Films in the 1980s, current video copies distributed in the 1990s present THE IRON MASK with its 1952 72 minute reissue format, the version which formerly aired on American Movie Classics from 1997-1998. Although the difference being the length and clearer picture quality, with the narration giving a better outlook and understanding to the storyline, silent film buffs would prefer to see THE IRON MASK restored to its original silent format. Thanks to KINO video, it's own copy has been restored with sound prologue with Doug Fairbanks himself as well as an orchestral score by Carl Davis. HO-LA! (***)

Early silent swashbuckling with talking sequences , starred by a master swordsman , Douglas Fairbanks, defending the French king from a scheme involving substitution by a lookalike . This is an epic retelling about the durable Alexandre Dumas's novel and is set in 17th century French court . In St Germain , on fifth of September , 1638 , public excitement ran high in anticipation of an important event , there was born the royal heir . As twins brothers -the same actor playing a double role- , separated at birth, one become in Louis XIV of France and the other is banished . The latter returns and unjustly imprisons his brother , being forced to wear an iron mask that hides his identity . Both of whom are sons of the Queen mother Anna of Austria . Later on , the real king is jailed by his tyrannical brother in an isolated castle and is hidden his identity wearing the iron mask but his existence threatens the reigning . But there is a friendship that is born of God , it is not altered by time , nor affected by circumstance , it endures to the grave and beyond . Four musketeers whose friendship has become a legend to stir the hearts of men and shouting ¨One for all and all for one¨. Straightforward as well as gallant D'Artagnan and the three musketeers scheme a plan to free him clashing against a malicious Richelieu , the Louis XIV's favorite and his hoodlum Rochefort . As the kidnapped king is eventually rescued by the musketeers and takes place a royal vengeance .

It's an excellent rendition from the immortal novel with quite budget and spectacular action . The picture contains rousing scenes , intrigue , derring-do , exciting swordplay , romantic adventure , mayhem , a lot of fun and is pretty entertaining . It's a silent movie with two brief speeches by Douglas Fairbanks at the beginning and intermission . In this film, the Four Musketeers - Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan - all sleep together in one bed, with the French phrase 'Un Pour Tous, Tous Pour Un' , One For All, All For One, inscribed on the headboard. This entire production was under the supervision of Maurice Leloir , member of the Society of French Artists , illustrator of the Three Musketeers , the acknowledged authority on the period depicted . Marvelous casting with a magnificent Douglas Fairbanks as a valiant swashbuckler . Charming Douglas Fairbanks steals the show when he bounds and leaps , flies and run ; in addition he is the screenwriter of this rollicking adventure . Fairbanks executes athletic feats , moving sword-play and spectacular acrobatics similarly he demonstrated in other classics such as The Mark of Zorro (1920), Robin Hood (1922), Three musketeers , Don Q Son of Zorro , The gaucho , The iron mask , The Taming of the Shrew , Don Juan , Mr Robinson , among others . Douglas performed most of the stunts in his films himself. He was an excellent athlete and used his physical abilities to his best advantage. Douglas was king of Hollywood by that time and he formed his own production company ; during a Liberty Bond tour with Charles Chaplin he fell in love with Mary Pickford with whom he, Chaplin and Griffith had formed United Artists in 1919. Lush production design is well reflected on the luxurious interiors and exteriors . The motion picture was lavishly produced and well realized by Allan Dwan .The realization is fairly exciting , thanks largely to filmmaker Allan Dwan's fair play and achieving a masterly style by skillful lighting .

This classy story is subsequently remade several versions , for both TV and the big screen . Firstly this mute rendition (1929) , after that , ¨The man in the iron mask¨ by James Whale(1939) with Louis Hayward , Alan Hale and Joan Bennet , ¨The Fifth Musketeer¨(1979) by Ken Annakin with Beau Bridges , Rex Harrison , Silvia Kristel , Ursula Andress ; ¨Iron mask¨(1997) by William Richert with Timothy Bottoms , Edward Albert , James Gammon , Dana Barron , Meg Foster and finally ¨The man in the iron mask¨ (1998) , a big production by Randall Wallace with Leonardo DiCaprio , Gerard Depardieu , John Malkovich , Jeremy Irons . And TV adaptation of the classy ¨Iron mask¨ (1977) by Mike Newell with Richard Chamberlain , Jenny Agutter , Ian Holm , Ralph Richardson .

This has always been my favorite Douglas Fairbanks feature as well as one of my favorite silent films. It has everything. Comedy! Drama! Spectacle! Adventure! Pathos! And in this new restoration grand sweeping music from the John Williams of the silent film score, Carl Davis.

For years this film was available in an abridged 1952 version with no intertitles and voiceover narration by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Or in an extremely worn out version from the Killiam Collection. Now Kino in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art and Britain's Photoplay Productions have given us this beautifully restored version of the original 1929 film complete with Fairbanks Sr's original spoken introduction and interlude. A fitting end to Doug's silent film career and to silent film itself as by the time this came out sound was here to stay and an art form that was born, developed and refined within the space of only 30 years, perished.

Of the many film adaptations of THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK, this one remains the most compelling. The DVD comes loaded with a number of bonus features including outtakes and a portion of the 1952 reissue. Needless to say an absolute must for the silent film or Douglas Fairbanks buff and an ideal introduction to the art of the silent film for those not familiar with it. Great for kids too...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

With his head encased in THE IRON MASK that hides his identity, the true king of France waits for the elderly D'Artagnan & the Three Musketeers to come to his rescue...

Douglas Fairbanks, silent cinema's greatest swashbuckling hero, bid farewell to the glory days of the silent screen with this joyous romp of a film. As a sequel to Fairbanks' earlier THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1921), it more than surpasses its predecessor in lavish production values, good acting & nonstop action.

Now 46, Fairbanks seems none the worse for wear and his muscular athleticism is still called upon to win the girl, beat the foe & thrill the audience. Fairbanks had a natural spontaneity & authentic joie de vivre, both in his private life and in his screen persona, which audiences of the 1920's found absolutely irresistible. He was unique - unforgettable - utterly irreplaceable.

Fairbanks is supported once again by a fine cast: lovely Marguerite De La Motte as the faithful Constance; Dorothy Revier as the treacherous Milady de Winter; William Bakewell in the dual role of the two princes; Lon Poff as the sinister Father Joseph. That's the excellent character actress Vera Lewis in the tiny role of the Royal Midwife.

The Three Musketeers themselves are rather more finely delineated than in the previous film. Léon Bary as Athos, Tiny Sandford as Porthos & Gino Corrado as Aramis all give good account of themselves throughout the flurry & turmoil of the lively plot.

Special mention must be made of British actor Nigel de Brulier, once again playing the rapacious Cardinal Richelieu. Even though the character disappears half way into the film, de Brulier still manages to invest the Churchman with more than just villainy. He helps the viewer to glimpse the real person behind the facade and to understand some of the reasons for his tyrannical behavior.

One of the versions in which this film is available has all the title cards removed & a rousing narrative read by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. substituted in their place.

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The opening credits state that the film's narrative was based on the story by Elton Thomas (a pseudonym for Fairbanks), which was in turn based on Alexander Dumas' ‘The Three Musketeers' & ‘Twenty Years After.' This is true, but all of the Man in the Iron Mask elements actually came from Dumas' novel ‘Ten Years Later; or, The Vicomte de Bragelonne,' (1848-50). Thus, the events in the latter half of THE IRON MASK take place 30 years after the events in THE THREE MUSKETEERS.

The first film is set in 1625; the second film starts in 1638. Since important plot elements are not handled in THE THREE MUSKETEERS - for instance, Milady's evil behavior towards Constance - they are somewhat incongruously left dangling for 13 years until the beginning of THE IRON MASK. And some of the most fascinating elements of the later books - such as the Musketeers' clash with Milady's malevolent son & the machinations of Richelieu's successor, the wily Cardinal Mazarin - are completely ignored altogether.

But this is a mere quibble and should not detract from the immense enjoyment of a very fine film. It might be helpful to note, in passing, a few historical dates which deal directly with the plot:

Louis XIV born September 15, 1638.

Cardinal Richelieu dies December 4, 1642.

Louis XIII dies May 14, 1643.

Louis XIV is crowned King in 1654, after attaining maturity.

This movie has the unique status of having been a sequel in novel form even before the movies started. Dumas père wrote The Man in the Iron Mask to exploit the success of The Three Musketeers, and no doubt Hollywood figured they might as well follow the novelist's example and produce another movie with Douglas Fairbanks as d'Artagnan. Here, as always, Fairbanks is the pre-eminent swashbuckler, leaping onto his horse from windows, climbing trees acrobatically, and swordfighting against great odds, even when the story line calls for him to have aged at least twenty years. The costumes and sets are lavish, and the structure of the silent film—in the version I saw provided with a competent voice-over narrator, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.—is almost coherent, though not entirely. It helps to know the story in advance. I would have preferred to see it in its original form, with intertitles.

This is without a doubt, the best version of Dumas' classic work on celluloid. Every time I see the ending, my eyes mist, especially as I realize we're seeing Fairbanks'last silent work, which makes it all the more touching. Allan Dwan was a master, and an unappreciated one. This is more than likely his finest work, and one that doesn't seem to get its proper due. It's a tale of camaraderie, love of country, and . . . well heck, it's doing the right thing. Today's cinematic 'heroes' just don't do that any more.

There are no fiery explosions, four-letter words, car crashes, etc., but the action is wonderful. The humor is magnificent, and the script id done well. If you want to show a silent film to someone who's never seen one, this is the one to show them. (Then, after they've loved it, show them a Lon Chaney or DeMille's KING OF KINGS.)

This movie goes from the birth of the man and the iron mask and beyond.

Horrible soundtrack that doesn't match what's going on halfnthe time with whatbis going on in the scene.

And and about 3/4 into the film the sound is mixed with a full radio station in the background.

It would be a decent movie if the music went halfway with it.

In Kevin Brownlow and David Gill's extraordinary 1980 documentary about the silent era "Hollywood" the final sequence of "The Iron Mask" is described as Fairbanks' farewell to the silent film. And it is.

Generally this is an inferior film to the amazing 1921 "Three Musketeers". Allan Dwan is not the visual stylist that Fred Niblo is, and so "The Iron Mask" becomes much more of a straightforward action film. But as such it is splendid. I think we tend to forget what a good actor Fairbanks was. His emotional journey here is quite powerful as he faces the death of his lady and of his friends - and he ages convincingly as well.

Most of the cast is different to the "Three Musketeers" but Margueritte de la Motte returns as Constance and the unforgettable Nigel de Brulier again plays Richilieu with extreme venom.

Fairbanks has an athletic field day as well. There seem to be a number of versions of this film around. The one I saw ran 95 minutes and had tinted sequences. I've seen some advertised as having talking sequences, and others with narration by Douglas Fairbanks Jr - the one i saw had neither of these.

It was probably the last large scale silent feature made in Hollywood. And that is what gives those gorgeous last minutes such power. The silent era was truly the golden years of Hollywood and Fairbanks was its king - in this film he sadly abdicates.

Seven stars. My twelve year-old son and I both LOVE Douglass Fairbanks. I showed him Zorro when he was about four, and he's been hooked ever since. But this one was a bit of a let-down. I guess Fairbanks was finally starting to get too old to pull off the sort of stunts that litter films like Zorro, The Three Musketeers, The Black Pirate, and Thief of Bagdad. There are the occasional nuggets, and the film is still chock full of bravura action sequences. But it's a film about the inevitable consequence of aging, even if it's done up in Hollywood gloss. This film was made at the cusp of the arrival of talkies, and features intro and entr'acte sequences with Fairbanks, as D'Artagnan, talking to the audience. That provided a fun opportunity for me to discuss the limitations of early sound technology with my son, and about why big spectacle films stayed silent longer than small-scene dramas. Anyway. The film is a combo of the Dumas novels Twenty Years After and The Man in the Iron Mask, using both to put a more upbeat spin on the later novel. It has excellent production values, and a solid cast. The acting is first-rate silent film acting -- everything HAS to be big to work, and it is. The stunts are well-done, if not breath taking. It works best if seen as a sort of coda to the stuff Fairbanks had been doing so brilliantly for the previous dozen years or so. 8 November 2021.

Musketeer par excellence Douglas Fairbanks (as D'Artagnan) is back, in this extraordinary sequel to his "The Three Musketeers" (1921). After some years, Mr. Fairbanks' main job becomes protecting the French King's good son. Unbeknownst to most everyone (except the movie audience), the Prince and heir to the throne, William Bakewell (as Prince Louis XIV), has an evil twin brother; the identical twosome were separated-at-birth, in order to assure one King ascended to the throne, without incident. However, "good" Prince Bakewell is abducted, and locked up in "The Iron Mask"; then, "bad" Prince Bakewell takes his place. Fairbanks and his musketeer pals must set things right.

With its superb acting, brilliant pace, and stunning photography, this is the one Douglas Fairbanks film you must see, if you only see one. "The Iron Mask" is among the best films in the swashbuckler and silent film genres. It's also (probably) Fairbanks' best performance as an actor. His quintessential performance, and film, might have been overlooked for "Academy Award" consideration due to Fairbanks being, at the time, President of the Academy. It was also apparent, to Fairbanks and others, that the popularity of talking pictures would soon silence the older style, despite the artful late 1920s silent film productions.

"The Iron Mask" featured a spoken word introduction (with Fairbanks in fine voice); currently, it is the rarer version. As the Fairbanks' introductory words invite viewers into the "shadows of the past", of a different "age", it's worth seeking out the original introduction. Another version featured Douglas Fairbanks Jr.'s narration, replacing intertitles; this version is interesting, to a point. Note, eventually, the "narration" version becomes distracting and obvious.

Fairbanks, with director Allan Dwan and photographer Henry Sharp, came up with an ending so memorable it's been said to symbolize the approaching end of its star's career, and the end of silent films in general. They could hardly have had a more suitable ending. For Douglas Fairbanks and company, "The Iron Mask" was a perfect fit.

********** The Iron Mask (2/21/29) Allan Dwan ~ Douglas Fairbanks, William Bakewell, Nigel de Brulier, Léon Bary

Douglas Fairbanks picks up where he left off with the "Three Musketeers" (1921) in this altogether better sequel that focusses on the succession to Louis XIII's France. When a son is born to Queen Anne (Belle Bennett), the entire nation celebrates. Only a few in the Kingdom know, however, that there is a twin... For the safety of the realm, the second born is whisked away to Spain on the instructions of Cardinal Richelieu (Nigel de Brulier) but not before the roguishly scarred "Rochefort" (Ullrich Haupt) discovers the truth. Some years later - after all but their mother are dead, he kidnaps the youngster from his Spanish hideaway and secretly substitutes this altogether different King on the throne of France, whilst consigning the real King to an hideous masked confinement in prison. Miraculously, the prisoner manages to get a message to his loyal Captain D'Artagnan (by this time a slightly more portly Fairbanks) and the race is on to rescue and restore him. Unlike any other cinema adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' story that I recall, this story starts off with the good king before the bad one, rather than just starting of with the bad one - and that helps to get the story off at a cracking pace. De Brulier's Richelieu is much better than with his previous iteration here; constantly sparring with those pesky - if somewhat more aged - musketeers, and with the aid of the conspiring "Milady de Winter" (Dorothy Revier) there are a couple of decent sub-plots that help keep the action coming thick and fast. The photography sets that pace well, with plenty of shoot-outs, sword fencing, explosions and intrigue to keep the pot boiling. Again, sparing inter-titles assist with dialogue but don't intrude in what is essentially a super boy's-own adventure. Definitely worth a watch, and in my view the best adaptation of "the Man in the Iron Mask" yet made.

Tastes differ so some may consider my review heretic, but there you go. The film itself may be very good, but I found the music accompanying it very, very annoying and utterly unfitting for a silent film. Many I have watched, some in theatres with live music, usually played on a piano, accompanying it. Generally speaking, piano and/or string music isn't exactly my cup of tea when it comes to listening to music, but it is very suitable when it comes to highlighting and/or building up the tensions, emotions and feelings happening in film scenes.

Unfortunately, the copy of "The Iron Mask" I had to endure was accompanied by jazz, which I generally don't like at all as it makes me kind of nervous, because of its disturbance and pretentiousness. Here it absolutely failed to highlight the scenes, but rather distracted from the pictures shown. Never before have I watched a film containing music so unfitting to what was shown. A real pity.

Forget all other versions of this film...including the Leonardo DeCaprio version. This is a Fantastic look back at the Golden Age of Films ! I am actually watching it right now: the version which has the Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. narration.

Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and truly a 'Cast of Thousands' run through this exciting, wonderful motion picture giving true meaning to the word 'motion' ! The cast is perfect: the heroes, the villains, the beautiful damsels, the sets, the townspeople...all interwoven into a true classic and a superb follow-up to "The Three Musketeers". Dumas himself would be proud.

Like "The Bride of Frankenstein", this sequel almost surpasses the original and for film buffs and historians this is truly a 'must see' film.

Perhaps, in this age of 'short attention spans', maybe some younger viewers won't be able to stick with this film. Silent, Black & White, some over-acting involved. BUT, if you fasten your seat belts, grab a big bowl of popcorn and a large soda or two, and, maybe a "Three Musketeers" Candy Bar for a special tie-in treat, you will laugh, you will cry, you will be impressed. AND, you will take a wonderful trip back in time to the Golden Age of Hollywood...and you WILL ENJOY !!

Let me begin by stating that I am reviewing the 1952 re-release version with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr's narration (written, I might add, by Richard Llewellyn of "How Green Was My Valley" fame). Fairbanks the younger's delivery of Llewellyn's words is shear poetry! I know this version has been cut and usually I prefer films as they were originally intended, but in this case I'll make an exception since DFJ's narration really makes the film for me. (Still, it would be nice to see how the original "talkie" bits sounded in the elder Fairbank's voice. I might have to catch the restored original too.) Aside from the joy of listening to DFJ's beautiful voice bring his father's work to life for me, I must say I really enjoyed the picture itself. I've seen both the 1939 version with Louis Hayward and the 1977 version with Richard Chamberlain, and while both of those are very good, this one might be the best of the three. Thanks to Fairbanks, Sr. of course it probably has the best action sequences, but the over all acting is also quite wonderful. I must say I was especially impressed with William Blakewell in the duel role of the twins, Nigel De Brulier as Richelieu, and Ullrich Haupt as the villain De Rochefort. This was Fairbanks' final silent film, and his acting here is at its best. He makes a perfect D'Artagnan! The sets and costumes are also magnificent here! Fairbanks pretty much wrote the script too--even though he disguised that fact somewhat by using his middle names in the credits. The credits read story by Elton Thomas; Fairbanks' full birth name was Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman. Maybe he figured that having his name in the credits as both star and producer was enough. And although the storyline varies in many important ways in the Haywood version 10 years later, in other ways it follows Fairbanks' ending quite closely. (It's been years since I saw the 1977 version, but I think its plot is not as close. I do remember it had some marvelous acting in it, but considering it starred Richard Chamberlain, Sir Ralph Richardson, Louis Jourdan, and Patrick McGoohan, how could it not?) Anyway back to the 1929 version--I've seen more than my share of Three Musketeers films and this is one of the best!

This was a silent film. However, a running narration was added. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. did the voice-over. His father played D'Artagnan in the film. According to 'Movie and Video Guide 1994' by Leonard Maltin, the version with the narration was a 1940 reissue. Maltin also says that the film had some talkie sequences. So far only the opening scene had actors speaking on camera.

I am currently watching it (17 June 2012) on Rock Valley College's public access channel. I have seen three different versions of this story. Each has its own variations of the storyline. I like this one, maybe because I am partial to silent films. The story depends on action more than inane chatter.

This is an entertaining version of the legend, familiar from the Dumas novels and numerous movies, of the Musketeers and "The Iron Mask". D'Artagnan is a very good role for Douglas Fairbanks, and as always he makes his character human, likable, and energetic. The story-telling is straightforward, but it has plenty of action and moves at a good pace. The version that has the added narration by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. also works well. The narrative is well-written and lively, and nicely complements the action on-screen.

The old-fashioned style of filming works pretty well for this kind of story, Fairbanks is in his element, and he gets good support from the rest of the cast as well. This is a fun feature for anyone who likes silent films.

One of the best versions of The Man in the Iron Mask and one of Douglas Fairbanks' best films too. Details-wise, The Iron Mask might deviate from the book but the spirit of the story still remains, and in a much better way than most of the versions that followed it. It does feel rushed at times, and William Bakewell does do much better as the good twin than the evil twin, as the good twin he is sincere but as the evil twin he does over-egg the pudding too much. The sets and costumes are beautiful with the attention to detail authentic, while the photography is equally effective like the shadowy effects in the prison scenes that are most atmospheric. Carl Davis' score fits the action very well and sounds sweeping in an appropriate way. The film is written in a snappy way, the story is as fun, energetic, exciting and tense as the story of The Man in the Iron Mask is, the ending is genuinely moving(and not just mildly, this is emotional stuff) and the action is rousing and leaves you at the edge of your seat biting your nails and cheering for the heroes. Douglas Fairbanks is an as ever lively presence, with stunts and athletic moves that are the envy of anybody regardless of their age, but brings also pathos to his performance as well. In support, everybody is very good but Nigel De Brulier is broadly venomous, Margarite De LaMotte will leave you really identifying with Constance and rooting for her and Ulrich Haupt is a sinister Rochefort but with somewhat a charm of his own. All in all, well worth looking out for, Fairbanks' touted farewell to silent swash-bucklers is an excellent film. 9/10 Bethany Cox

A really great movie made in a time when the movie industry tried to make great movies, not the visceral garbage that they produce today. The actors & film aspire to lift up people to be more honorable, honest people who try to reach up to be of good character, not get sucked down into the swill of selfishness & self-centeredness. Brief synopsis: There are many twists and turns to keep your attention... The king of France had twin boys, one to rule France. To avoid future turmoil the second twin was to be killed but was secreted away to live, not knowing his heritage. Plots inside of plots the second twin displaces the first as ruler. The swashbuckling Fairbanks, as D'Artagnan, leads the other three Musketeers with devotion to duty at all costs in a struggle to overcome evil & return the rightful king to the throne. Enjoy!

(this review is based on the Kino Video dvd of the 1929 silent film - not the reissued version with a narration by Jr)

this is an typically exuberant Douglas Fairbanks silent - silent except for a couple oratory excerpts by him - the first at the beginning - the second at the transition to part 2 of the story - this movie marks Fairbanks own transition to sound - but he would make only a handful before retiring - shortly before succumbing to a heart attack

this movie is visually lavish - and masterfully directed by the now undeservedly little-known Allan Dwan - who flits effortlessly between the court scheming - the massive sword fighting - and the bit of romance - and comedy

10 years later - the 1939 "The Man in the Iron Mask" used at least one scene from this 1929 film - the crowd scene at the beginning where the King shows his son to the crowd - and used the same actor Nigel De Brulier to play Cardinal Richelieu - this time with his voice

little needs to be said of the storyline - liberties were taken - but the spirit of the story remains - Fairbanks' stunts were swift and graceful - despite being in his mid-40s - that physical vigor and the makeup and lighting made the 20 year age difference between him and his Constance - played by Marguerite De La Motte - seem less

like many of Fairbanks Sr silent films - they can make a good introduction to silent films for those who are uncertain about the experience.

Eighty-five years after it was made, The Iron Mask retains its luster, its magnetism, and it's delightful storytelling. Despite its veering from the plot of Dumas' great novel, The Iron Mask is a highly entertaining adventure in its own right. Of course, with Douglas Fairbanks as the D'Artagnan character, the film has an advantage right out of the gate. It has less over-the-top action than in earlier Fairbanks swashbucklers, and Fairbanks's acrobatics are more subdued than in his earlier actioners. But at age 46 he could still bound and leap and climb and buckle a swash better than the best men half his age, better, in fact, than almost any man of any age. And what an actor! Just his smile could make his audience joyful. His tenderness, his sincerity, and his depth were irresistible convincing, capturing every emotion he wished to convey. Although this was his last silent film, it contained a brief sound introduction to Part 1 and another to Part 2, both with shots of Fairbanks narrating in a stirring, proud voice. A few elements of the film are dated, most notably the shots of the evil royal twin, who emoted in the hammiest sense. Little items like that do not detract from the appeal of The Iron Mask. This was the first time I'd watched it. I will watch it again.