Taglines: For the honor of a king. And the destiny of a country. All for one.
The Man in the Iron Mask movie storyline. 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.
The Man in the Iron Mask is a 1998 American action drama film directed, produced, and written by Randall Wallace, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio in a dual role as the title character and villain, Jeremy Irons as Aramis, John Malkovich as Athos, Gerard Depardieu as Porthos, and Gabriel Byrne as D’Artagnan.[3] The picture uses characters from Alexandre Dumas’ D’Artagnan Romances and is very loosely adapted from some plot elements of The Vicomte de Bragelonne.
The film centers on the aging four musketeers, Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan, during the reign of King Louis XIV and attempts to explain the mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask, using a plot more closely related to the flamboyant 1929 version starring Douglas Fairbanks, The Iron Mask, and the 1939 version directed by James Whale, than the original Dumas book. Like the 1998 version, the two aforementioned adaptations were also released through United Artists.
In this version, the “man in the iron mask” is introduced as prisoner number 64389000 based on the number related to his namesake found at the Bastille. Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte is the stand in for all the scenes that are supposed to be Versailles, although in the book, the switch between Louis and Philippe happens at Vaux-le-Vicomte. Vaux-le-Vicomte, the prototype for Versailles, was historically built for Nicolas Fouquet, Superintendent of Finances for Louis XlV.
In some versions, the switch takes place at a real and actual event the “fête de Vaux” (17 August 1661), a famous party for the unveiling of the new château. The party was attended by Louis XlV, who realized that the king’s own palace was seen as inferior to the new château of his non-royal finance minister. The famous fête led to the downfall of Fouquet and the building of Versailles.
Music for this film was written by English composer Nick Glennie-Smith. Figure skater Alexei Yagudin became a gold medalist skating to this music in the 2002 Winter Olympics. He won with the program The Man in the Iron Mask, based on the movie soundtrack.
About the Story
In 1662, the Kingdom of France faces bankruptcy from King Louis XIV’s wars against the Dutch, which has left the country’s agriculture impeded by a heavy tax burden and forced the citizens to live on rotten food. Though the country appears to be on the verge of a revolution, Louis continues to spend his time preparing for war and seducing countless women.
The three musketeers have gone their separate ways; Aramis is now an aging priest, Porthos has become a womanizing drunkard, and Athos is retired and living with his only son, Raoul, who aspires to join the Musketeers. The only one who has remained in the musketeers is D’Artagnan, who now serves as the Captain of the Musketeers.
At a festival, Louis informs Aramis that the Jesuit order has declared his wars unjust and the source of public hunger and outrage. Louis instructs Aramis to secretly hunt down and kill the Jesuit leader. Louis sets his eyes on Christine Bellefort, Raoul’s fiancé, but she resists his affections. A Jesuit assassin attempts to kill Louis but is stopped by D’Artagnan. Louis immediately plots to seduce Christine by having Raoul sent to the battlefront.
D’Artagnan visits Athos to warn him of the danger Raoul faces but Raoul arrives and informs Athos he has been recalled to his regiment because Louis desires Christine and Raoul won’t risk making Christine a widow. Athos angrily warns D’Artagnan that if Raoul is harmed then Louis will become his enemy and states D’Artagnan doesn’t understand fatherhood. D’Artagnan tells Athos he will personally speak to Louis about Raoul.
An angry crowd from Paris attacks the Musketeers when they are fed rotten food but D’Artagnan calms the crowd and says he will personally speak to Louis about public hunger. Louis orders his chief advisor executed for distributing the rotten food Louis earlier ordered him to distribute, he also orders that all rioters are to be shot, and assures D’Artagnan that Raoul will soon return from the war.
Raoul joins the war and is killed at the battlefront by cannon fire. Athos is enraged when he is informed of his son’s death, he renounces his allegiance to the king, attempts to kill Louis at the Musketeers game but is stopped by D’Artagnan, and goes into exile. Louis invites Christine to dinner at the royal palace where he successfully seduces her by having his personal doctor treat her sick mother and sister and has them sent to recover at his country estate.
In response, Aramis summons Porthos, Athos and D’Artagnan for a secret meeting in which he reveals that he himself is the Jesuits’ leader and has a plan to depose Louis. Athos and Porthos agree, but D’Artagnan refuses citing his oath of honor cannot be removed or betrayed. Athos angrily confronts D’Artagnan over his devotion and loyalty to Louis but D’Artagnan still refuses to join their plot. Athos brands him a traitor and threatens him with death should they ever meet again.
The Man in the Iron Mask movie trailer.
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
Directed by: Randall Wallace
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu, Gabriel Byrne, Anne Parillaud, Judith Godrèche, Edward Atterton, Peter Sarsgaard, Brigitte Boucher
Screenplay by: Randall Wallace
Production Design by: Anthony Pratt
Cinematography by: Peter Suschitzky
Film Editing by: William Hoy
Costume Design by: James Acheson
Set Decoration by: Philippe Turlure
Art Direction by: François de Lamothe, Albert Rajau
Music by: Nick Glennie-Smith
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence and some sensuality / nudity.
Distributed by: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Release Date: March 13, 1998
Hits: 217
