Back in the days of Douglas Fairbanks, people took historical drama/adventure movies much more seriously. There was a lot more reading going on and people were more familiar with Dumas' grand epic tales, such as "The Man in the Iron Mask." With this in mind, the director and producers of "Iron Mask" start their movie out slow in getting late 20th century viewers familiar with all the characters.
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). Of them all, Gabriel Byrne stands out as D'Artagnan and portrays his fierce loyalty to the wicked King Louis 14 and the Queen Mother with quiet passion. 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. The plot focuses on a scheme by the Three Musketeers to spring the man in the Iron Mask from prison and replace the evil king with him. The implausible way they do it and install Philippe on the throne gunks up the movie a little at the midpoint. Script rewrite, anyone? On the other hand, the scene where Philippe is unmasked is one of the best in the movie.
While some moviegoers (even girls and young women still gaga over Leo from "Titanic") thought that he looked too "girly" in the movie Leo manages to get viewers to hate Louis 14 and love Philippe. And of course the queen mother knows right away and you can see the realization in her eyes (authentic French actress Anne Perillaud plays the role beautifully). Besides that, here's a little-known historical fact: the real King Louis 14 was girly. He used to pluck his facial hair and bloodlet to give his face a more vulnerable, feminine appearance.
The Man in the Iron Mask ends satisfyingly and there is even some good swashbuckling action for fans of that sort of thing. Leonardo DiCaprio's image changed radically not long after the movie, when he hooked up with Martin Scorsese for a string of tough guy roles. But he should still be proud of his performance in "Iron Mask" and it is a fine movie.
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). Of them all, Gabriel Byrne stands out as D'Artagnan and portrays his fierce loyalty to the wicked King Louis 14 and the Queen Mother with quiet passion. 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. The plot focuses on a scheme by the Three Musketeers to spring the man in the Iron Mask from prison and replace the evil king with him. The implausible way they do it and install Philippe on the throne gunks up the movie a little at the midpoint. Script rewrite, anyone? On the other hand, the scene where Philippe is unmasked is one of the best in the movie.
While some moviegoers (even girls and young women still gaga over Leo from "Titanic") thought that he looked too "girly" in the movie Leo manages to get viewers to hate Louis 14 and love Philippe. And of course the queen mother knows right away and you can see the realization in her eyes (authentic French actress Anne Perillaud plays the role beautifully). Besides that, here's a little-known historical fact: the real King Louis 14 was girly. He used to pluck his facial hair and bloodlet to give his face a more vulnerable, feminine appearance.
The Man in the Iron Mask ends satisfyingly and there is even some good swashbuckling action for fans of that sort of thing. Leonardo DiCaprio's image changed radically not long after the movie, when he hooked up with Martin Scorsese for a string of tough guy roles. But he should still be proud of his performance in "Iron Mask" and it is a fine movie.