The Iron Mask ***** (1929, Douglas Fairbanks Sr, Marguerite De La Motte, Dorothy Revier, Nigel De Brulier, Leon Barry, Stanley J Stanford, Gino Conrado, Belle Bennett) – Classic Movie Review 2322

Producer-writer-star Douglas Fairbanks Sr’s 1929 sequel to his 1921 triumph The Three Musketeers reunites him with several members of the original cast. This marvellous Alexandre Dumas père swashbuckler is virtually the final fling of the silent movie. However, as sound was sweeping the world during filming, two very brief talkie sequences in which the star introduces the two halves of the movie, sound effects and Hugo Riesenfeld’s score were added.

The French Queen (Belle Bennett), the wife of the King Louis XIII (Rolfe Sedan), has twins and his scheming counsellor Cardinal Richelieu (Nigel De Brulier) spirits one of them off to Spain for safety. Richelieu enlists the help of Musketeer D’Artagnan (Fairbanks Sr) in bringing up the future Louis XIV, while banishing the other Musketeers – Athos (Leon Barry), Porthos (Stanley J Stanford) and Aramis (Gino Conrado).

But, 20 years later, the villainous Rochefort (Ullricht Haupt) snatches the young Louis XIV (William Bakewell) and replaces him with his evil identical twin brother, imprisoning the king in an island castle and encasing him in an iron mask. D’Artagnan and the Musketeers ride to the rescue…

Director Allan Dwan’s 1929 movie is an impressively spectacular production with an older Fairbanks Sr still in sprightly form in his goodbye to the silent swashbuckler of which he’d been the chief exponent. Director Dwan keeps the pace pounding along, and moves easily from cheery comedy to stirring action, but generally favouring a dark tone that wears well.

The movie is extremely eye-catching thanks to marvellous, authentic-looking set and costumes designs –  Dumas illustrator Maurice Leloir supervised the production and Sir Henry Irving’s grandson Laurence headed the team of set designers.

Fairbanks Sr himself (writing as Elton Thomas) himself adapted Alexandre Dumas père’s novel Ten Years After (filmed in 1939, 1977 and 1998 as The Man in the Iron Mask) and included elements from the other Dumas novels.

Also in the cast are Marguerite De La Motte (Constance), Dorothy Revier (Milady de Winter), Vera Lewis, Lon Poff, Henry Otto, Gordon Thorpe and Charles Stevens.

For many years the available version was the 1940 re-release with a Douglas Fairbanks Jnr voice-over. But in 1999 the film was beautifully restored as the final Channel 4 Silent, in collaboration with the New York Museum of Modern Art, premiering on 12 November 1999 at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London, with a live orchestra conducted by the composer of a splendid new score – Carl Davis. A true happy ending.

British-born character actor Nigel De Brulier (1877-1948) portrayed Cardinal Richelieu four times: in The Three Musketeers (1921), The Iron Mask (1929), The Three Musketeers (1935) and The Man in the Iron Mask (1939). He was the inspiration for the model of the Sorcerer in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment of Fantasia (1940).

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2322

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