Product Description

Fairbanks returns to the role of dartagnan and with the help of the three musketeers intervenes to protect the throne of france from the conniving richelieu. Studio: Kino International Release Date: 06/18/2002 Starring: Douglas Fairbanks Run time: 105 minutes Director: Allan Dwan

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #91856 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-06-18
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, Silent, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Amazon.com
While all Hollywood was gearing up for sound, Douglas Fairbanks lavished money and attention on this ambitious period adventure, a jaunty, jubilant sequel to his early swashbuckler The Three Musketeers. The Iron Mask is set 20 years later, and Fairbanks (by now 43 years old) reprises his role as D'Artagnan as the older and more mature personal protector of young Louis XIV. When he tips a plot by the powerful cardinals to replace the heir to the throne with his twin brother, D'Artagnan reunites his aging compatriots of old for one last hurrah. Energetically directed by Allan Dwan, who guided Fairbanks through his biggest hit, Robin Hood, and handsomely designed by William Cameron Menzies (The Thief of Bagdad), this action-packed film moves through plot twists and conspiratorial machinations with quicksilver speed (it begins and ends with breathless chase scenes), but it also carries a dimension of melancholy: the musketeers are aging and the era of chivalry fading. The touching denouement, a scene both ebullient and affecting, becomes Fairbanks's farewell to the silent screen. In a way the film is a farewell to the grace and energy of the silent cinema that almost disappeared in the early sound years. Fairbanks only appeared in five talkies before retiring in 1935. Kino's edition features the 1952 reissue with narration by son Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and an orchestral score by Allan Gray. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

The Swan Song Of The Silent Film.
This has always been my favorite Douglas Fairbanks feature as well as one of my favorite silent films. It has everything. Comedy! Drama! Spectacle! Adventure! Pathos! And in this new restoration grand sweeping music from the John Williams of the silent film score, Carl Davis.

For years this film was available in an abridged 1952 version with no intertitles and voiceover narration by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. or in an extremely worn out version from the Killiam Collection. Now Kino International in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art and Britain's Photoplay Productions have given us this beautifully restored version of the original 1929 film complete with Fairbanks Sr's original spoken introduction and interlude. A fitting end to Doug's silent film career and to silent film itself as by the time this came out sound was here to stay and an art form that was born, developed and refined within the space of only 30 years perished.

Of the many film adaptations of THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK, this one remains the most compelling. The DVD comes loaded with a number of bonus features including outtakes and a portion of the 1952 reissue. Needless to say an absolute must for the silent film or Douglas Fairbanks buff and an ideal introduction to the art of the silent film for those not familiar with it. Great for kids too.

Doug's Last Great Film
The Iron Mask is Douglas Fairbanks's last great film. It is one of those rare birds, a sequel which improves on the original. The Three Musketeers is a fine film, a fun swashbuckling romp, but The Iron Mask has a better story and has a depth which the earlier film lacks. Fairbanks was coming to the end of his career when he made The Iron Mask and seems to have put everything into it. The sets and costumes look authentic, the extras are numerous and the cast are uniformly first rate. Nigel de Brulier reprises his role as the scheming Cardinal Richelieu. He is a good villain because he is not wholly malevolent. He is the enemy of D'Artagnan, but the two respect each other and behave towards each other honourably. Richelieu is cruel but it is the cruelty of the statesman who will do anything in the interest of the state. Marguerite de la Motte is, once again, the lovely Constance. Her romantic scenes with D'Artagnan show why he will go to any lengths to save her from Richelieu's plots. Fairbanks is his usual athletic self. He performs amazing stunts, all the more remarkable because he was nearly fifty when he made The Iron Mask. But Fairbanks's performance is not merely a matter of swordplay and gymnastics. His acting shows greater depth of emotion than in some of his earlier films. This story is at times poignant, but Fairbanks has the acting skills to be equal to the changes of mood. He is wonderful as the aging musketeer full of regret, saddened and chastened by life, but still willing to give his all for his King.

The print used for this Kino DVD is wonderful. It scarcely has a blemish and the black and white photography is shown in all its glory. There are two brief talking sequences in The Iron Mask one at the start and one half way through. There is thus the chance to hear Fairbanks talk. The sound crackles a bit, but is about as good as can be expected from the sound systems of 1929. The rest of the film has a fine orchestral score by Carl Davis. This sounds great and fits the action and the mood of the film very well. Davis uses Wagnerian themes as the film darkens its mood and his score really adds to the whole viewing experience. The DVD contains a good few extras. There are three sets of out-takes, which show how Fairbanks performed some of his stunts. It is extremely rare for out-takes from silent pictures to survive so we are fortunate indeed to be able to see these. Next there is a five-minute extract from the film with Douglas Fairbanks Junior providing narration. This is interesting, but shows most of all why narrating silents does not work. There is a collection of stills from the film and a good collection of informative essays. Altogether this is a very fine DVD of one of Fairbanks best films.

A Triumphant Farewell to the Silent Era
"The Iron Mask" (1929) was Douglas Fairbanks' glorious valedictory to the art of silent film. Collaborating with director Allan Dwan and set designer William Cameron Menzies, the producer-star poured all his resources into this lavish sequel to "The Three Musketeers" (1921) - acknowledging the advent of sound with two brief talking interludes. Restored by film historians Patrick Stanbury and Kevin Brownlow from an original 35mm print (courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art), "The Iron Mask" can be seen as Fairbanks' finest achievement. However, for all its style and exuberance, the swashbuckling adventure has a melancholic tone that lends a poignant grace to Doug's silent farewell - accompanied by Carl Davis' sweeping orchestral score. For modern viewers unfamiliar with the spirit and athleticism of Fairbanks, "The Iron Mask" represents a terrific starting point.