Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

wes-connors Musketeer par excellence Douglas Fairbanks (as D'Artagnan) is back, in this extraordinary sequel to his "The Three Musketeers" (1921). After some years, Mr. Fairbanks' main job becomes protecting the French King's good son. Unbeknownst to most everyone (except the movie audience), the Prince and heir to the throne, William Bakewell (as Prince Louis XIV), has an evil twin brother; the identical twosome were separated-at-birth, in order to assure one King ascended to the throne, without incident. However, "good" Prince Bakewell is abducted, and locked up in "The Iron Mask"; then, "bad" Prince Bakewell takes his place. Fairbanks and his musketeer pals must set things right.With its superb acting, brilliant pace, and stunning photography, this is the one Douglas Fairbanks film you must see, if you only see one. "The Iron Mask" is among the best films in the swashbuckler and silent film genres. It's also (probably) Fairbanks' best performance as an actor. His quintessential performance, and film, might have been overlooked for "Academy Award" consideration due to Fairbanks being, at the time, President of the Academy. It was also apparent, to Fairbanks and others, that the popularity of talking pictures would soon silence the older style, despite the artful late 1920s silent film productions."The Iron Mask" featured a spoken word introduction (with Fairbanks in fine voice); currently, it is the rarer version. As the Fairbanks' introductory words invite viewers into the "shadows of the past", of a different "age", it's worth seeking out the original introduction. Another version featured Douglas Fairbanks Jr.'s narration, replacing intertitles; this version is interesting, to a point. Note, eventually, the "narration" version becomes distracting and obvious.Fairbanks, with director Allan Dwan and photographer Henry Sharp, came up with an ending so memorable it's been said to symbolize the approaching end of its star's career, and the end of silent films in general. They could hardly have had a more suitable ending. For Douglas Fairbanks and company, "The Iron Mask" was a perfect fit. ********** The Iron Mask (2/21/29) Allan Dwan ~ Douglas Fairbanks, William Bakewell, Nigel de Brulier, Léon Bary

rdjeffers Monday August 28, 7:00pm, The Paramount TheaterDumas amuck …Among the most popular works of literature adapted for film, Alexander Dumas' D'Artagnan Romances, have seen no less than ninety versions produced for the screen, from Biograph's abbreviated, Fencing Contest from 'The Three Musketeers' (1898), to French and Latvian features released in 2005. Dumas' trilogy, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne, have been reincarnated as animated characters, French Legionnaires, secret agents, troubadours and even Texas Rangers!A Modern Musketeer ...D'Artagnan was perfect casting for an excessively energetic Douglas Fairbanks in A Modern Musketeer (1917). The film offered a glimpse of the young swordsman as a fantasy sequence within a modern story. It also served as a seed of inspiration when Fairbanks launched into the final decade of his silent film career with a series of costume dramas including The Three Musketeers (1921). The art direction, production design and originality of these films, which include Robin Hood (1923), The Thief of Bagdad (1924) and The Gaucho (1928) remains unsurpassed today. As his finale to the silent era, Fairbanks returned to Dumas and D'Artagnan's further adventures in The Iron Mask (1929). Along with Fairbanks, returning from the 1921 film were Marguerite De La Motte as Constance, Nigel De Brulier as Cardinal Richelieu (a character he played four times), Lon Poff as Father Joseph, Charles Stevens as Planchet, D'Artagnan's servant, Leon Bary as Athos and screenwriter Lotta Woods. Fairbanks also gave a nod to the coming of sound by including a Vitaphone sound-on-disk synchronized musical score which included a spoken prologue and bridge between the end of the Musketeers and Twenty Years After. In 1929, the film was released with both sound and silent versions, as was often the case."It is sometimes more difficult for Kings to return … Than to make an exit."This was the last and final time Fairbanks would buckle his swash and the culmination of a lifetime playing humorous and high-spirited action heroes. For it's sheer brilliance of concept, its fluid movement from one scene to the next with the continuous flow of narrative, the initial introduction of characters and setup of the story in this film is unequaled. The film begins with the entrance of King Louis XIII at St. Germain as he anxiously awaits the birth of an heir. The quality of set design, thousands of costumed extras used, monumental production scale and painstaking detail of craftsmanship could never be undertaken today. From the palace, the action moves to D'Artagnan beckoning Constance from the street, below her window. She must hurry to the waiting Queen's coach, and in a sequence of almost balletic beauty she and D'Artagnan hurry from place to place, in search of a moment's privacy, and a kiss. At forty-five, Fairbanks shows every bit of the athletic grace seen in earlier films as he and De La Motte glide over a garden wall and back again. Fairbanks gives his character just the right amount of boyish mischief to balance a flawless performance. D'Artagnon literally rides into the next scene as he jumps from the coach to the aid of his fellow musketeers. They challenge the Cardinal's Guards, then seamlessly move into a wonderful display of humorous camaraderie as the four link arms in a tug-of-war between the much larger Porthos (Stanley J. Stanford) and D'Artagnan that ends as they pull a cartload of barrels into a tavern. Only Fairbanks could transform something as simple as catching a tossed breadroll into a captivating display of skill. The Musketeers are left to pass the time as the action returns to the palace and Louis presenting his newborn son to the cheering sea of humanity below (and that ain't cgi!). And then of course, there is " …the other one …" As in all Fairbanks' films, the swordplay is spectacular, this time using Belgian fencing master Fred Cavens as coach and consultant. Overall production was supervised by Maurice Leloir, "… the acknowledged authority on the period depicted. With The Iron Mask , Fairbanks offers a combination of action, romance and humor showcasing the skills that he developed over years as he literally defined the genre. It's hard to imagine having a better time at any movie.

David Atfield In Kevin Brownlow and David Gill's extraordinary 1980 documentary about the silent era "Hollywood" the final sequence of "The Iron Mask" is described as Fairbanks' farewell to the silent film. And it is.Generally this is an inferior film to the amazing 1921 "Three Musketeers". Allan Dwan is not the visual stylist that Fred Niblo is, and so "The Iron Mask" becomes much more of a straightforward action film. But as such it is splendid. I think we tend to forget what a good actor Fairbanks was. His emotional journey here is quite powerful as he faces the death of his lady and of his friends - and he ages convincingly as well.Most of the cast is different to the "Three Musketeers" but Margueritte de la Motte returns as Constance and the unforgettable Nigel de Brulier again plays Richilieu with extreme venom.Fairbanks has an athletic field day as well. There seem to be a number of versions of this film around. The one I saw ran 95 minutes and had tinted sequences. I've seen some advertised as having talking sequences, and others with narration by Douglas Fairbanks Jr - the one i saw had neither of these.It was probably the last large scale silent feature made in Hollywood. And that is what gives those gorgeous last minutes such power. The silent era was truly the golden years of Hollywood and Fairbanks was its king - in this film he sadly abdicates.

GAUCHO-3 Emotional end to the silent era. ERA