{"id":24817,"date":"2012-03-21T11:30:14","date_gmt":"2012-03-21T18:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=24817"},"modified":"2021-01-26T22:33:27","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T05:33:27","slug":"man-in-the-iron-mask-the-1939","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=24817","title":{"rendered":"Man in the Iron Mask, The (1939)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;To any other man in this kingdom, twin sons would be a blessing.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Poster-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-24822\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Poster-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Poster.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen cursed with the birth of twin sons, King Louis XIII (Albert Dekker) sends his second-born son away to live with his loyal musketeer, D&#8217;Artagnan (Warren William), and grooms his first-born, Louis, as the French dauphin. Upon learning of his brother&#8217;s existence, grown Louis (Louis Hayward) schemes to have his twin (also Hayward) &#8220;disposed of&#8221;, in the most diabolical way possible.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alan Hale Films<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<\/li>\n<li>James Whale Films<\/li>\n<li>Joan Bennett Films<\/li>\n<li>Louis Hayward Films<\/li>\n<li>Royalty and Nobility<\/li>\n<li>Twins<\/li>\n<li>Warren William Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nIt&#8217;s interesting to note that iconic horror director James Whale &#8212; best known for helming <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18354\"><em>Frankenstein<\/em> (1931)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4437\"><em>The Invisible Man<\/em> (1933)<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=17366\"><em>Bride of Frankenstein<\/em> (1935)<\/a> &#8212; was responsible for this adaptation of the third part of Alexander Dumas&#8217; <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Vicomte_de_Bragelonne\">final novel about the loyal Musketeers of France<\/a>, given that it shows little evidence of his distinctive stylistic presence. With that said, it remains a solidly enjoyable &#8212; if slightly over-long &#8212; adventure tale, and features a truly noteworthy set of lead performances by Louis Hayward as both despotic King Louis XIV and his exiled twin brother, Philippe. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward2-1024x784.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"490\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward2-1024x784.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward2-300x230.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward2-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward2-768x588.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward2-353x270.png 353w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward2.png 1357w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>To an extent rarely seen in such portrayals, Hayward is utterly convincing playing two completely different, though physically identical, men: Louis is vile, narcissistic, and very likely psychopathic (though this is only gradually revealed), while Philippe is loyal, brave, and goodhearted. (It&#8217;s especially fun to see how Hayward subtly handles the moments when Philippe is pretending to be Louis.) <\/p>\n<p>Also enjoyable is Joseph Schildkraut&#8217;s portrayal as Louis&#8217; scheming right-hand man, Fouquet, who will seemingly do anything to achieve his ambitions, but who nonetheless reacts with appropriate alarm upon hearing Louis&#8217; nefarious plans for his twin brother&#8217;s imprisonment. Joan Bennett is suitably beautiful and regal (but ultimately not all that distinguished) as the conflicted and confused Maria Theresa of Spain (who can&#8217;t figure out why her betrothed changes his personality each time she meets him); whenever the screenplay focuses on her romance with Louis\/Phillip, things generally grind to a halt. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Still.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Still-1024x766.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"479\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Still-1024x766.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Still-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Still-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Still-768x574.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Still-361x270.png 361w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Still.png 1379w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the musketeers themselves &#8212; D&#8217;Artagnan (William), Porthos (Alan Hale), Aramis (Miles Mander), and Athos (Bert Roach) &#8212; aren&#8217;t on-screen very much of the time, but do get to play a critical role later in the storyline. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Louis Hayward as Louix XIV and Philippe<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward3-1024x772.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"483\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward3-1024x772.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward3-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward3-768x579.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward3-358x270.png 358w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward3.png 1371w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward4-1024x744.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"465\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward4-1024x744.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward4-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward4-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward4-768x558.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward4-372x270.png 372w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Hayward4.png 1394w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Joseph Schildkraut as Fouquet<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Schildkraut2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Schildkraut2-1024x776.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"485\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Schildkraut2-1024x776.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Schildkraut2-300x227.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Schildkraut2-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Schildkraut2-768x582.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Schildkraut2-356x270.png 356w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Schildkraut2.png 1369w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine period sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mask-of-the-Iron-Mask-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mask-of-the-Iron-Mask-Sets-1024x766.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"479\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mask-of-the-Iron-Mask-Sets-1024x766.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mask-of-the-Iron-Mask-Sets-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mask-of-the-Iron-Mask-Sets-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mask-of-the-Iron-Mask-Sets-768x574.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mask-of-the-Iron-Mask-Sets-361x270.png 361w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mask-of-the-Iron-Mask-Sets.png 1379w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Atmospheric cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Cinematography5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Cinematography5-1024x774.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"484\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Cinematography5-1024x774.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Cinematography5-300x227.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Cinematography5-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Cinematography5-768x581.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Cinematography5-357x270.png 357w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Man-in-the-Iron-Mask-Cinematography5.png 1361w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, simply for Hayward&#8217;s performance(s). Listed as a Sleeper and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0031619\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/82644\/the-man-in-the-iron-mask#articles-reviews?articleId=152704\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-man-in-the-iron-mask-1\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;To any other man in this kingdom, twin sons would be a blessing.&#8221; Synopsis: When cursed with the birth of twin sons, King Louis XIII (Albert Dekker) sends his second-born son away to live with his loyal musketeer, D&#8217;Artagnan (Warren William), and grooms his first-born, Louis, as the French dauphin. Upon learning of his brother&#8217;s existence, grown Louis (Louis Hayward) schemes to have his twin (also Hayward) &#8220;disposed of&#8221;, in the most diabolical way possible. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=24817\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24817"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66286,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24817\/revisions\/66286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}