The Man in the Iron Mask

Plot synopsis:
France is under the reign of the militaristic King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is bankrupting the country with his unpopular wars. When starving peasants in Paris start rioting for food, he responds by ordering his chief adviser Pierre to send them rotten food - although he later orders Pierre executed for this and all rioters killed. Meanwhile, the king continues to wallow in hedonistic luxury and seduce a parade of women. The legendary Three Musketeers have retired from their posts: Aramis (Jeremy Irons) is now a priest of the Jesuits; Porthos (Gérard Depardieu) is a frequent visitor to Parisian brothels; Athos (John Malkovich) has a son named Raoul (Peter Sarsgaard) who has just returned from the war and signifies his application to join the musketeers, like his father who once served with pride and honor. Meanwhile, Athos gives Raoul his wife's ring, saying that the only lady worthy to wear it is the one that Raoul loves. The lucky girl he loves is Christine Bellefort (Judith Godrèche) whom he intends to propose for marriage. At a festival, the two lovers are greeted by an older D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne), who is still in the service of the King as Captain of the Musketeers, striving to retain the esprit de corps of the old days. D'Artagnan wishes Raoul and Christine luck, but just before Raoul can propose, the king's eyes fall on Christine. He arranges for Raoul to be returned to combat, where he is killed by the Dutch cannons while leading ground troops in an attack en-masse. The news of his son's death reaches Athos, who, in a fit of rage, proceeds to the king's palace to seek vengeance. He injures two musketeers before D'Artagnan overpowers him on the Palace grounds. This puts a severe strain on Athos's friendship with D'Artagnan, who he now sees as a traitor for siding with his son's killer.In the wake of Raoul's death, Louis invites Christine to the palace where she sleeps with him, grateful for the medical assistance his doctors have given to her mother and sister. When Louis orders Aramis to find and execute the secret leader of the Jesuit order, Aramis sets in motion a plot to overthrow the king with the help of his old comrades, for this secret leader is none other than Aramis himself. Only Athos and Porthos agree to the plan; D'Artagnan refuses to betray his oath of honor and allegiance to the king. The three former Musketeers sneak into an island prison and arrange the escape of a mysterious prisoner: a man in an iron mask. They replace him with a corpse in a matching iron mask and, pretending it is plague ridden, burn it so the guards will not know the face behind the iron mask. They take the young man to a safe house in the countryside and unmask him: he is Philippe (Leonardo DiCaprio), the identical twin of King Louis. While he is identical to his brother, Philippe is compassionate and gentle. Aramis reveals that Philippe was sent away by his father, King Louis XIII, to save France from dynastic warfare. Later, when Louis discovered Philippe's existence, he was too superstitious to have his own brother murdered; so instead, he devised a way to keep him hidden: the iron mask. Aramis, at time still serving as a musketeer and clad in black uniform, the only thing Philippe remembers, was the one who took him away to prison, an act which has haunted him ever since.Meanwhile, King Louis succeeds in seducing Christine completely, claiming that he ordered Raoul to be placed far from the battlefront. Christine receives a letter from Raoul, predicting his death and saying that he forgives her for becoming the king's mistress. Whilst in bed with Louis, Christine admits that she still loves Raoul and that she is not in love with him. Enraged, Louis forsakes Christine.Athos, Porthos, and Aramis teach Philippe how to act like royalty, so he may replace Louis as king. Together they abduct Louis during a fancy dancing ball. Before his absence is revealed, Philippe takes his place. However, Philippe's good nature gives him away when he helps one of the dancing ladies up from the floor after she falls over and spares Christine's life when she storms in and openly accuses him of murdering Raoul (having learned this from a letter sent by Louis' General), promising to make amends for wronging her. D'Artagnan realizes something is amiss, orders all palace musketeers to be on full alert, and personally escorts Philippe to the underground dock. They arrive just as Athos, Porthos, and Aramis are about to sail for the Bastille with Louis. The men collectively decide to make a trade for the brothers' lives; however, Philippe is re-captured in the ensuing chaos of their escape.Afterwards, D'Artagnan is stunned to learn that Philippe is Louis' brother and pleads with Louis to spare his life. Louis at first refuses, but Philippe bluffs that he is more terrified of the iron mask than death itself, begging to be executed rather than sent back to prison. Louis orders him placed in the Bastille and once again in the mask. In the aftermath, Christine is found to have hanged herself from her bedroom window.Athos, Porthos, and Aramis brush off their old musketeer uniforms, becoming The Three Musketeers again and, with D'Artagnan's help, break into the Bastille prison and escape with Philippe. Louis, however, has prepared an ambush. Fortunately, the narrowness of the corridor and the guards' respect for D'Artagnan, their captain, prevents them from overwhelming the four Musketeers with their numbers, although the five men eventually end up trapped against a barred door at the end of the corridor with no way out. Determined to save his friends, Philippe offers to give himself up in exchange for their lives. D'Artagnan refuses, revealing to everyone's astonishment, that he is actually the twins' father, having had an affair with Queen Anne, and that it was out of fatherly devotion that he served Louis, not loyalty. D'Artagnan adds that he feels the pride as a father for the first time upon learning that Philippe is also his son.The four Musketeers and Philippe make a final charge at Louis' front line. Their "magnificent valor" stuns the soldiers into immobility, angering Louis and forcing him to repeatedly shout orders to fire. He lays his hands on one of the soldiers' muskets and it goes off, setting off the rest, with many of the men shutting their eyes or looking away out of reluctance. The smoke clears to reveal the five men still standing; all the shots, barring a few flesh wounds, missed.An enraged Louis lunges toward Philippe and tries to stab him. D'Artagnan jumps between them and is fatally wounded when Louis stabs him in the back. Philippe knocks Louis down and begins to strangle him, but D'Artagnan, with his dying breaths, reminds Philippe that Louis is his brother. Philippe's mask is removed so that D'Artagnan can see his face one last time. Saying the musketeer call, D'Artagnan dies as Philippe comments that D'Artagnan was the one wearing the mask all along. Closing his eyes, Philippe embraces his father one time only as he starts to mourn over his death. D'Artagnan's right-hand man, Lieutenant Andre, is furious at Louis for killing D'Artagnan and upon finding out Philippe was brother to Louis and of royal blood, orders his men to close the door and swears them to secrecy. By the time another battalion breaks in, the three Musketeers and Lieutenant Andre have made Louis and Philippe swap clothes and locked Louis in the iron mask. Philippe introduces Athos, Porthos, and Aramis as his royal council and truest friends. Posing as the king, Philippe orders the guards to take Louis and lock him away. The Musketeers give their respect and kneel before Philippe, honoring him as their true King.Philippe, Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and Queen Anne attend D'Artagnan's funeral, in which The Three Musketeers are finally redeemed. After the funeral, Philippe asks Athos to love him like a son and Athos accepts, kissing Philippe's hand. Afterwards, The Three Musketeers walk away through the long line of proud saluting musketeers under the helm of Lieutenant Andre as new captain, while the elite group chants their battle cry "One for All, All for One". Louis (whom Philippe granted royal pardon being his brother) now lives in a country house, where he is often visited by his mother. Thereafter, France was reformed under Philippe (under the alias of Louis XIV) who gave his people food, prosperity, and peace. He is remembered as the greatest ruler in the history of his nation.

Tags: violence, action, boring, flashback

Review:
I never saw this movie in the theaters (it seemed like another Leo-mania "no REAL talent" type of film), but I remember a friend recommending it to me one night about 5 years back.
I almost had to ask myself if this was the SAME actor playing Phillipe!The plot was good (eh...might have been predictable, but still...great), the cinematagraphy was awesome, the music was moving, the sword fighting/action was cool!
The Man in the Iron Mask, fresh off the massive success of Titanic, we got the next movie starring huge heart throb Leonardo DiCaprio along with some of Hollywood's strongest male leads.
Including a couple of my favorite actors John Malkovich and Jeremy Irons, so this was a movie I was looking forward to seeing, not to mention I was 13 at the time of this release and was totally in love with Leonardo DiCaprio, oh yes, good times.
Jeremy and John together with Leonardo had great chemistry and made The Man in the Iron Mask a really good watchable movie.France is under the reign of King Louis XIV, who is bankrupting the country with his unpopular wars.
While he looks indistinguishable from his brother, Philippe is compassionate and gentle and the plan is to replace Louis with Philippe.While I've expressed my love for John and Jeremy, the true talent comes out in Gabriel Byrne's performance as well as Leonardo DiCaprio.
While the movie could have had a little better direction, in some ways this felt more like a made for TV film at times, just with the big names.
Without ever attaining indisputable literary merit, Alexandre Dumas, succeeded in gaining a great reputation first as a dramatist and then as a historical novelist, especially for such works as 'The Count of Monte Cristo,' and 'The Three Musketeers.' He was among the first, along with Honoré de Balzac and Eugène Sue, who fully presented a rich, detailed picture of life in early 19th century - France, creating characters of formidable individuality and willpower...'The Man in the Iron Mask' takes place in 1662, where a spoiled young king rules in decadent luxury while his subjects are starving in the streets...
This mysterious young man has been thrown into loneliness and pain in a dungeon for six years, forced to wear an affixed iron mask so no-one can notice how much he looks like the king...In a risky maneuver to save France, the 'Three Musketeers' break the title character out of prison, teach him to behave exactly like the king, and then set off to make the 'switch' in a masquerade ball...As their plan unfolds, they must confront their friend, the great D'Artagan, one-time "fourth Musketeer," now head of the king's bodyguards, who has sworn an oath to protect the king with his life...DiCaprio plays two characters so distinctly and effectively that you absolutely hate one and love the other...He is King Louis, a non-caring leader who lets his subjects starve and riot in the streets of Paris...
In one moment, Jeremy Irons (an Oscar winner for 1990's "Reversal of Fortune"), dignifies the true mission of a Musketeer when he states: 'When we were young men, and we saw injustice, we fought it!'Gabriel Byrne is the faithful D'Artagnan who carries a mysterious secret with him...
Anne Parillaud is the twins' mother, Anne d'Autriche, torn between her passion and her maternal love toward a son completely far from the path of compassion and honor...Judith Godrèche is the damsel in distress, the beautiful Christine torn between being faithful to her dead love and helping out her poor family by basically selling her body to a lusting king...The film's authenticity and visual presentation are as glorious in the decadent luxury surrounding the King of France as grotesque in the terrible place occupied by the man in the iron mask...Randall Wallace (Oscar-nominated for "Braveheart's" script) brings the great palace of Versailles to life with elegance and finesse...
The musketeers were incredibly well-cast, Irons making up for my original hostility for Aramis and Malkovich, Depardieu, and Byrne giving me greater reason to respect these four men of chivalry and honour.
It has a star-studded cast, and all of them did an excellent acting job (DiCaprio, Byrne, Malkovich, Depardieu and Irons).
Leonardo DiCaprio is "The Man in the Iron Mask" and also King Louis XIV in this re-telling of the famous Dumas story.
He is surrounded in a sumptuous production by a stellar cast that includes Gabriel Byrne, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu and Jeremy Irons.
When the poverty and the uprisings become too much, Aramis (Irons), who knows of Phillipe's existence, breaks him out of prison with the help of Porthos (Depardieu) and Athos (Malkovich) with the idea of having him replace Louis at an upcoming masquerade ball.
Here the emphasis is on the old Musketeers, which works well - Porthos who feels his age and misses the old lusts, the grieving Athos and Aramis, given an impossible job by Louis, which means that Louis must go; and, of course, D'Artagnan, fiercely loyal to his King and insisting that he can be molded into a great ruler, despite evidence to the contrary.
The acting is fabulous - there really isn't a standout among the four men as they are all so good.Leonardo DiCaprio creates two completely different characters with Louis and Philippe and does an excellent job.
This 1998 movie provides everything a swashbuckling cape-and-sword flick should - legendary heroes, a cruel villain, noble sentiments, touches of love and sex, some slapstick, picturesque scenery, sumptuous interiors and of course dashing swordplay (the last perhaps a little limited by the maturity of some of the principals).It has also some reasonably intelligent dialogue, provided by writer/producer/director, Randall Wallace, and spoken in part by two of the finest voices in the business - Jeremy Irons (Athos) and John Malkovich (Aramis).
Gerard Depardieu (Porthos) and Gabriel Byrne (D'Artangnan) are the other two of the original 3 + 1 Musketeers.The villainy of the young King Louis 14 is provided by Leonardo DiCaprio, who may be too wishy-washy for some tastes, though he certainly has the veneer of elegance needed for the part.
One niggle I have is, that it would have been better if he had been instructed to pronounce Athos either with a short a or a long a (preferably the former) and not alternate between the two.The plot, like the Dumas novel on which it is based, has no less, and no more, credibility than is appropriate for this type of film - for anyone interested in the real events and rumours surrounding the Man in the Iron Mask, I recommend this website - http://www.royalty.nu/legends/IronMask.html One aspect of the film I find amusing is that in this version of a quintessentially French story, the only French actor in the quartet of heroes, Gerard Depardieu, plays the part of a uncouth, lecherous buffoon; while an Englishman, an American and an Irishman provide the grace, heartfelt speeches and depth of character.
I can only hope that the French members of the cast, including Gerard Depardieu, didn't realize just how bad their dialogue was.My personal favorite was Byrne's statement to Queen Anne (Anne Parillaud): "I know that to love you is a crime against France, but not to love you is crime against my heart." I literally rolled off my chair laughing.
This absurd remake reveals Mr. Wallace is not only a multi-talent-less director, writer, and producer, but he is also someone with an uncanny knack for transforming mature but nonetheless top talents  Gerard Depardieu, Gabriel Byrne, Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich in this case  into automaton-like hacks.
In all honestly, the clearest assessment of Mr. Wallace's version of the Man in the Iron Mask is best summarized early on in the film by the loud and resounding flatulence hilariously delivered by Mr. Depardieu's character.
He doesn't put enough heart in the action and doesn't inspire strong performances from some of the greatest actors working today.Instead of wasting time on this boring remake, rent "The Three Musketeers" from 1973.
The twin had been unjustly imprisoned and put in an iron mask for years.The film has an interesting cast of international actors: DiCaprio and John Malkovich from the United States; Jermey Irons from Britain; Gerald DePardieu, Anne Parillaud and Judith Godreche, all from France and Cabriel Byrne from Ireland.Malkovich, as usual, plays the most interesting character.
Parillaud plays Louis' mother and she's too young-looking for that role.This is a fairly long movie and doesn't have an overabundance of action but doesn't need to, to keep one's attention.
Without it being the best movie I have ever seen, I actually liked this film.
Instead I got a fun film, with flaws, but it was enjoyable enough.Starting with the many good things, the cinematography is superb, as is the lavish scenery and costumes.
Gabriel Byrne is surprisingly good as D'Artagnan(much more suited to the part than Chris O'Donnell-the worst D'Artagnan, though I actually liked the movie- was).
Leonardo DiCaprio was somewhat uneven in his performance but he was good on the whole, personally I felt he was better as Phillippe in alternative to Louis, he never quite convinced me playing an arrogant king whereas he succeeded with Phillippe because of that spontaneous boyish charm he has.However, the film is a little too long and the pacing is also uneven, I felt the film dragged in the middle and then it felt a tad rushed at the end.
After the three musketeers Disney movie, a horrible new version of the classic Dumas story, I was hesitant to go see this movie, starring Leonardo, but with a great supporting cast.
The picture is a new version of Alexandre Dumas novel and is set in 17th century French court , where two twins , one evil monarch , Louis XIV (DiCaprio) of France , and the other , Phillippe , (DiCaprio in a dual role) is imprisoned in the Bastilla as an incarcerated inmate , number 6943800 , that hides his identity wearing an iron mask .
The King falls for a beautiful girl (Judith Godreche) and while Athos (Peter Sarsgaard) leads to the summit of the dreary musketeers , thus : the brave Dartagnan (Gabriel Byrne) ; the responsible father Athos (John Malkovich) ; the joker (though with flatulence) Portos(Gerard Depardieu) and the Priest Aramis (Jeremy Irons).
The Four Musketeers have gone their separate ways, Aramis (Jeremy Irons) is a Jesuit priest, Porthos (Gérard Depardieu) is a fat old man who is depressed and visits brothels, Athos (John Malkovich) has raised a son, Raoul (Peter Sarsgaard) who want to be a musketeers and D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne) is the captain of the musketeers for the king.
They plan is to free Louis' identity twin brother, Philippe was held prison with an iron mask over his head, and replace him to be a good king.There are some good things about The Man in the Iron Mask: there are some nice costumes, nice scenery involving the palace of Versailles with a fitting score and Irons was pretty good in the film.
DiCaprio sucked, the lines were ludicrous, the ending was not true to the book nor history, and the action scenes (especially at the end with Leo running around with that mask on) were filmed so badly it made me laugh.
Leonardo too made a great performance,he really had to work hard on this movie because he had two characters to play.I am not going to comment on the others(John Malkovich,Gerar Depardeu,Jeremy Irons,Anne Parrillaud,Judith Godreche)because all of them were just great..
The script was written to perfection staying as true to the original Dumas story as it possibly could.The performance from Jermey Irons was good.
The same goes for John Malkovich(which surprising considering how talented he is.) On a whole despite some dismal performances, The Man In The Iron Mask is an engrossing tale that should be viewed at least once in your life time..
Dumas knew his stuff when he wrote the novel(s?), and Randall Wallace did a good job(as far as I can tell; anyone who's read the work of Dumas, feel free, in fact, even encouraged to correct me here) of compiling it into a two-hour Hollywood movie.
But besides the acting done by Gabriel Byrne, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich and Gerard Depardieu the movie is only okay.
Sure the movie was supposed to be a show-off for Leonardo Di Caprio but in my mind, Jeremy Irons and Gabriel Byrne stole the show.
Gabriel Byrne, Jeremy Irons, Gérard Depaurdie and John Malkovich were fantastic, and also Leo Di Caprio(you know Leo is a novice and the others have more experience, I´m not saying Leo is a bad actor, but the others have more experience).
Wonderful actor, very nice music, very good costumes, in fact is a movie to recommend..
I never knew what a great actor Leonardo DiCaprio was until I saw this movie.
I know that there are a few people who do NOT like this movie but I think it is GREAT!!
Congratulations to Mr. Wallace and the main actors, including Leonardo DiCaprio, who has a very good act by differing Louis and Phillipe.
So this movie was with really good acting by Leo DiCaprio, John Maclchivic, and Jemery Irons.
This was the first role for Leonardo DiCaprio post Titanic, and possibly the greatest collection of actors ever assembled to portray the Three Musketeers (Gabriel Byrne, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, and Gerard Depardieu).
He also looks great in the period costumes, long hair style and thin mustache.Leonardo DiCaprio plays a dual role of both the wicked king and the title character.
It has a great cast; it is amazing that Jeremy Irons, DiCaprio, John Malkovich and Gerard Deperdieu were able to all star in the same movie.
Paris is starving under the rule of King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio) The musketeers played by Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich and Gerard Depardieu devise a plot to save France from the tyranny of the king, only D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne) stands in their way.The production value is very high, and this is reflected in the cast and the appearance of the film; the story works nicely and has a strong script.
Randall Wallace did not have to make movie exactly like the book was, so this is a great idea, so as the film!
Leonardo is great as the spoiled, selfish, and wicked King Louis XIV, who doesn't take care of his people and plays a part in all the deaths in the film, and as Phillippe, the king's tender and sweet natured twin, who spent six years in prison in an Iron Mask and does not now why till he is rescued by Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, ("The Three Musketeers", brilliantly played by John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, and Jeremy Irons) and then must take his brothers place as king.
Gabriel Byrne plays the noble D'Artangan, who was once one of "The Four Musketeers", and is a good man but is loyal to the evil king for a reason that we don't know until the end and I won't give away.
Leonardo DiCaprio is amazing, John Malkovich is passionate all through the movie, Gerard Depardieu is touching, lovable, and funny, Jeremy Irons is noble and wise, Gabriel Byrne is so good.
I'm not a huge fan of his (Romeo & Juliet was pretty good) but I can't believe the waste of such talented actors as Irons, Depardieu, Malkovich, and Byrne.
The Man in the Iron Mask is one of those films that few saw and even fewer know about, but is still a terrific movie experience.
Great performances abound, especially those of John Malkovich and Gabriel Byrne, and even a more than adept turn by Leonardo DiCaprio as the boorish Louis XIV.
Never have the three Musketeers been played out so briliantly.The movie has a great story, excellent acting, beautiful settings,exciting action,good humor, and a wonderful music score.
Leonardo Dicaprio does a fine job in dual role and the four musketeers are tremendously very well portrayed by Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne.
Moreover, Gabriel Byrne (as D'Artagnan) essays an excellent modern musketeer, Mr. Wallace's plot "twist" interests, and the production is beautifully shot.****** The Man in the Iron Mask (3/13/98) Randall Wallace ~ Leonardo DiCaprio, Gabriel Byrne, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich.
DiCaprio showed a lot of promise in his duel roles in The Man in the Iron Mask and seems to have paid of with his recent film works (The Departed and Catch Me If You Can).
The Man in the Iron Mask is not a great film by any means.
I thought Leonardo DiCaprio handled his dual role quite well; unlike Gabriel Byrne, John Malkovich and Jeremy Irons, who all have and bring a special magic to their performances, Leo still effectively conveyed the differences in his characters, not only in tone and affect, but in the way he was able to transform his eyes from the "sad puppy" eyes of Phillipe to the cold, steely eyes of Louis.>I found the story very interesting (not having read the novel first, I wasn't thrown off by the relationship between D'Artagnon and Queen Ann) and the scenerey & costumes were wonderful.
Leonardo is always great in whatever he does,but this movie had an all out grand cast of acting.The story keeps you intrigued, and routing for the good guy.It's a chilling love story and a story of true loyalty, of the 3 Musketeers ,towards their real king vs what's right and wrong.Now!
I agree that John Malcovitch, Gerrard, and Jeremy Irons' performances were good - a few scenes were great - but Leo!
He shines like a beacon here putting even the great Jeremy irons in the shade The script in this film is just awful and while Depardieu and Malkovich also struggle manfully with their thankless roles the whole thing just sinks into a miasma of blandness.
How good actors like Jeremy Irons, Gerard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne could accept to "play" in stays a mystery for me..