Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #74168 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-07-13
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 104 minutes

Amazon.com
An appealing cast of film veterans makes this 1977 action-adventure version of Alexandre Dumas's The Man In the Iron Mask particularly watchable. Lloyd Bridges co-stars as swordsman Aramis, one of several Musketeer tutors of young and brave Phillippe (Beau Bridges, Lloyd's son), who doesn't know he's the identical twin brother of King Louis XIV. Captured by Louis, his features briefly disguised by an uncomfortable iron mask, Phillippe is forced to play his villainous sibling in an assassination scenario designed to fool France into believing its mad emperor is dead. Phillippe, however, turns the tables, and with the aid of Aramis, Athos (Jose Ferrer), Porthos (Alan Hale Jr.), and D'Artagnan (Cornel Wilde), makes a bold attempt to take his country's destiny in hand. Also on view are Rex Harrison, Ursula Andress, and Olivia DeHavilland; the star wattage and attractive settings compensate somewhat for director Ken Annakin's stiff and unimaginative direction. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Sensored version
I like the movie but not the version offered by amazon.com. I watched the unrated version in Europe and it was much nicer and made sence. Here I watch a tape and get upset how conversations are cut in the middle just because of the nudity of Silvia Kristel or Ursula Anders. For example, when Louise de La Valliere comes to join the king in bed she gets undressed while they talk. End of the conversation is cut... Believe me, uncut version is not something restricted, it is not even close to be "too bad to show", I do not understand why it is so sensored here. I wish there were an original version to buy.

Why censor?
I have a copy of the full version of this movie on VHS and was looking forward to owning a copy on DVD. After receiving a copy of the DVD, I noticed the PG rating. To my dismay, I found that they had censored the 'juicy' parts of the movie. The 'juicy' parts actually portrayed the relationships between the King and his mistress and that between the future Queen and the King's twin brother. I did not find the 'juicy' parts to be offensive in any way but rather it contributed to the storyline as a whole. For censoring the movie, I give it 3 stars. However, I must commend the Studio for the quality of the transfer. The video quality is relatively good compared to the tape version but the audio quality in some parts of the DVD could be improved. I hope that the Studio will produce the full version in due course.

Old stars play old heroes
This is a fun little diversion for swashbuckling fans. D'Artagnan (Cornell Wilde), Aramis (Lloyd Bridges), Athos (Jose Ferrer), and Porthos (Alan Hale Jr.), prove they still have what it takes to be heroes as King Louis XIV (Beau Bridges) tries to eliminate his twin brother (Beau Bridges) and marry the infanta of Spain. The sword work is not quite as sharp as good Bob Anderson work or as excitingly realistic as William Hobbes, but there is plenty of it in a variety of creative scenarios. It is fun to watch the old actors Ferrer and Bridges work together as Hale tries to keep up and Wilde holds himself aloof. Ursula Andress adds camp appeal as the king's lover. Olivia de Havilland adds credibility in a cameo as the King's mother. There is also a good deal of political intrigue and mistaken identity to keep the story moving along.

Trivia: The role of Athos, here played by Jose Ferrer, is played in the recent "Man in the Iron Mask" by John Malkavich. There is another pair of historical sword-fighting movies set in France where these two actors play the same character. In "Joan of Arc" with Ingrid Bergman, Ferrer plays the Dauphin. The same role was played by Malkavich in "The Messenger: the story of Joan of Ark" with Milla Jovovich.