Film Talk: Looking Back – A Swashbuckling scheme in The Man in the Iron Mask
Alexandre Dumas’s characters have not always been translated from paper to screen with the greatest grace. This flick however, is a masterpiece, and easily the finest ‘Musketeers’ adaptation of all time.
All for one, and – indeed – one for all...
Directed, produced, and written by Randall Wallace, 1998’s The Man in the Iron Mask starred a young Leonardo DiCaprio in a dual role as the title character and villain, alongside Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne as the musketeers themselves – ageing, retired and questioning their faith.
Based of course on the characters from Dumas’s d’Artagnan Romances series (which began with the very famous The Three Musketeers), the plot of The Man in the Iron Mask is loosely adapted from elements of the final novel of the series, The Vicomte de Bragelonne.
Though with similarities in storytelling to the flamboyant 1929 Douglas Fairbanks film, The Iron Mask, and the 1939 version directed by James Whale, 1998’s The Man in the Iron Mask stands unparalleled by these predecessors, and showcases Dumas’s characters in all of their compelling glory...
Lording it over France with a selfish heart and an iron fist, cruel young ruler King Louis XIV (DiCaprio) squanders the treasury on war and women, condemning his people to a life of poverty.
As the loyal leader of the king’s guard, Captain d’Artagnan (Byrne), shields his ruler from any machinations against him, despite secretly wishing for the King to prove himself a better man.
When Louis’s wandering eye is caught by the beautiful Christine (Judith Godrèche), the King arranges her fiancé to be sent to the military front, where – as Louis had of course hoped – he is killed.
Yet said fiancé happened to be the son of a very dangerous man indeed – Athos (Malkovich), former musketeer and now grieving father bent on vengeance.
Athos quickly joins a plot being perpetrated by his former brother-in-arms Aramis (Irons) who, disillusioned with Louis’s rule, is hatching a scheme to remove him from the throne. With their faithful friend Porthos (Depardieu) by their side, the ex-musketeers are determined to pursue their righteous cause, and Aramis believes that a mysterious prisoner known only as the Man in the Iron Mask (also DiCaprio) will be the key.
But standing in their path is their old friend d’Artagnan, who will stop at nothing to defend his king, even if it means a deadly conflict with his former brothers...
Though some critics of the time disliked DiCaprio’s performance in his dual role, his portrayal of his polarised characters has weathered well.
Unsurprisingly, Irons (very much at home and in his wheelhouse) and Malkovich (just a fantastic actor capable of anything) are sublime throughout. Byrne’s turn as the solemn, righteous and dutiful d’Artagnan is perfectly balanced with Depardieu’s voracious and indulgent Porthos, and they shine as two of classic literature’s most beloved characters.
With a compelling plot, superb dialogue, plenty of action, extravagant costumes, romance, deceit and duplicity, The Man in the Iron Mask is a feast for the film fan, and a wonderful adaptation of literature that – quite notably – no prior knowledge of the source material is required to enjoy.
Settle in for a quiet evening, and let Leo and the boys take you to a world of swashbuckling adventure. En garde!
