THE IRON MASK

Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII of France, gives birth to twins, but Cardinal Richelieu has the unwanted twin kidnapped and hidden in Spain. A few years later, the little prince, now Louis XIV, is imprisoned by his twin in a castle, but D’Artagnan (Douglas Fairbanks) and his loyal followers Athos, Porthos and Aramis manage to free him at the cost of their own lives. Back on the throne, Louis XIV forces his brother to spend the rest of his life with his face covered by an iron mask. The last silent film – with the exception of two short sound passages – by the great Douglas Fairbarnks, once again in duet with the faithful Allan Dwan, takes up the saga of Alexandre Dumas senior, but in a less light-hearted tone. Almost dark and nocturnal, with almost expressionist photography’. The film has been remade many times, including by James Whale in 1931 and in 1998 with Leonardo Di Caprio.