Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fair Verion of the Classic Dumas Tale, January 7, 2000
I was very impressed with this movie when I first saw it, a very long time ago. Richard Chamberlin was excellent in his dual role; it's hard to imagine a more egotistical and rotten Louis XIV than his portrayal- a much greater villian than Leonardo DiCaprio's performance. This version also has a stellar supporting cast, with Sir Ralph Richardson, Jenny Agutter, Louis Jourdan and playing the corrupt and foul Finance Minister Fouquet is Patrick McGoohan- an incredible actor who plays his part with relish. The chemistry between Chamberlin and McGoohan is unbelievable- you can easily believe that these two would plot to start World War III just to have something interesting to do on a Saturday night, and maybe make a few million francs on the side. But the end scene, the conversation between Phillipe and the Queen as they dance the minuet before the whole court, is the icing on the cake- delicious, dramatically satisfying and unforgettable. This scene alone is better than the whole 1997 Leonardo DiCaprio movie. It doesn't follow the book, but it's a good movie to introduce the younger set to the wonders of great literature. And this is worth something. Following the movie too closely, after all, satisfies most only those who have read the book first. The individual imagination is still the best filmmaker, and I think that any film that makes you want to run out and buy the book is not a bad film. This is the best version of this story available, and worth having in your library.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Richard Chamberlain is excellent, May 5, 2005
Richard Chamberlain had already proved himself a fine actor before starring in this TV production of "The Man in the Iron Mask," but here he truly gives the performance of a lifetime. Performances, I should say, because he plays two different (VERY different) roles: King Louis XIV and his long lost twin brother, Phillippe.
Louis is a spoiled, infantile (his courtiers know perfectly well to deliberately lose at croquet lest they "risk another tantrum") and often cruel man, who lives in splendor while his subjects starve. He treats his long-suffering wife like garbage, openly flirting and carrying on with other women, and at one point he even viciously rips her wig off in public after calling her a "mountain of sallow flesh." Not surprisingly, no one likes Louis all that much; even his mother is hard pressed to say anything nice about him.
Meanwhile, Phillippe, totally unaware of his relation to Louis, is mysteriously kidnapped from his cozy home and thrown into the Bastille. But it's not what you think -- his kidnappers are the ageing Three Musketeers, who, fed up with their "water lily" of a ruler, have a plan to oust him and replace him with his identical twin, Phillippe. (Though Phillippe was born first and is therefore the rightful king, they insist that he rule as Louis XIV because of France's instability.) The Bastille was a "safe place" to stash Phillippe, or so they thought; at least two people, upon accidentally seeing Phillippe, are struck by his resemblance to Louis. One of them reports to Fouquet, the king's closest adviser. Upon verifying Phillippe's identity, Fouquet breaks the news to Louis, who, quite rightly fearing usurpation, hatches a cruel plan: imprisoning Phillippe for life in a run down castle in a distant part of France. But even that isn't enough: "No one must look upon his face," Louis tells Fouquet. Hence the iron mask, which is locked upon poor Phillippe in a gut-wrenching sequence.
The rest of the movie is about the Three Musketeers rescuing Phillippe, telling him the truth, and proceeding ahead with their plans. Meanwhile, Phillippe falls in love with Louise, a pretty lady of the court who the king is also unsuccessfully trying to romance (and as it turns out, Fouquet likewise tried to romance, and when she spurned his advances, he had her father thrown in the Bastille), and there's plenty of wonderfully intricate plotting.
While the performances are strong all around (except for maybe Jenny Agutter as Louise), it's Richard Chamberlain who carries the entire movie. Phillippe starts out an ordinary person, but his grotesque mistreatment starts to make him almost savage. Not surprisingly, the desire for revenge burns white-hot inside him, and he finally gets to realize it at the end. He also has a remarkable moment when, after having assumed Louis XIV's identity, he meets his mother for the first time: he is so emotional that he can barely get the words out, yet manages to cover it by telling her how beautiful she looks. The queen mother, who of course doesn't know his true identity, beams and says, "My Louis?" as if wondering that maybe now she can finally truly love her son.
Meanwhile, his turn as Louis is admirably restrained. Most actors would not be able to resist chewing the scenery while playing such a vile, decadent character, but Chamberlain instead gives a nuanced, surprisingly subtle performance. Louis is thoroughly despicable, and Chamberlain is clearly having fun playing such a juicy villain, but he doesn't go over the top.
Patrick McGoohan also shines as the clever, vain, heartless Fouquet. He often speaks in a type of growl that reminds me of Jeremy Irons, and his refined sadism is chilling to watch. It makes it all the more satisfying that, in the end, Fouquet is deceived by a simple seamster -- and that he himself is the one who seals his own fate by incorrectly naming Louis as the pretender.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent scripting, acting, and dialogue, August 23, 2002
In an age where action is becoming more important than story, this version of The Man in the Iron Mask has refreshingly excellent acting and dialogue. Chamberlain did well in this movie in his dual role, and equally well the other TV movie he made at nearly the same time, The Count of Monte Cristo. Patrick McGoohan and Ralph Richardson could not have been more perfectly cast as the dishonest Fouquet and the scheming Colbert, respectively, and the acting all-around was superb. The score was decent, but entirely forgettable. The action scenes will excite no one, as all fighting is done with obviously plastic swords, and very little dramatic dying goes on. Most of the action and fencing goes on in court, which the ensemble cast (thank God) proved fully capable of doing. And that, of course, is where this film really shines: at the court of Louis XIV. The pomp and cruel subtleties are conveyed very well, and the unattentive viewer will probably miss a lot. The royal 'we' is employed unselfconsciously by Newell, whereas the latest adaption seems hesitant to use such a little-known speech mannerism with the "uneducated" public. In one particularly well-done scene, Fouquet reveals to Louis that his brother, Philippe, is still alive. While initially respectful to the King, Fouquet asserts his power over Philippe, and thus over Louis, culminating in sitting down while Louis remains standing, normally something that Louis might be fickle enough to execute someone for. If you want great acting and story rather than great action, this movie comes highly recommended.
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