Today’s movie is
an action adventure film with a scene that happens on September 5. Watch it
tonight and enjoy.
THE MAN IN THE
IRON MASK (1998)
King Louis XIV of France summons
Aramis, formerly one of the famed Three Musketeers, and now a priest, to a
meeting. The King asks Aramis to find the secret leader of the Jesuits in
France and kill him. The Jesuits have been critical of the king’s wars that are
causing starvation and riots in France. Aramis agrees. Raoul, the son of Athos,
another of the Three Musketeers, intends to propose to Christine, but she
catches the King’s eye and Raoul is sent to the front, where he is killed.
Athos swears vengeance. After Louis provides for medical aid to Christine’s
mother and sister, she becomes his mistress. Aramis, Porthos, Athos and
D’Artagnan meet in secret, where Aramis reveals he’s the secret leader of the
Jesuits and proposes to depose the king. D’Artagnan, now head of the royal
musketeers, refuses to join this plot. The other three visit an island prison,
rescuing an inmate who wears an iron mask, disguising his escape by convincing
the jailers he is dead. The prisoner looks just like the king. Aramis reveals
that on September 5, 1638 [54:58 to 55:07] the
French Queen, Anne of Austria had twins, Louis, who is now the King and
Philippe, the Man in the Iron Mask. The twin’s father, Louis XIII had Philippe
hidden away and later Louis XIV orders him to wear the iron mask. Philippe
agrees to replace his brother. When Christine confesses to Louis that she still
loves Raoul and not him, he throws her out.
During a fancy court masque, the three musketeers make the switch.
However, Phillipe’s unusually kind actions alert D’Artagnan, so he confronts
them and captures Phillipe, while the three musketeers escape. Phillipe says he
prefers death to the mask, so Louis orders it put back on. Christine kills
herself in despair. The Three Musketeers enter the Bastille to free Philippe,
but Louis follows D’Artagnan, who is helping them and blocks their escape
route. Philippe offers to give himself
up for their lives, but D’Artagnan reveals he is actually the twins father and
won’t let him. The five men charge the King’s troops, who fire blindly and so
not one of the three musketeers is killed or seriously hurt. Louis tries to
stab Philippe, but instead kills D’Artagnan who jumps between them. Lt. Andre,
D’Artagnan’s subordinate is so enraged at his death that he aids the others in
switching Louis and Philippe again.
Louis, now wearing the mask is sent off to prison and later exile.
Philippe rules as king, with Aramis, Athos and Porthos as his advisors.
A fairly decent swashbuckler.
Plenty of action and a decent plot. DiCaprio does a good job of creating two
different characters in this film.
Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King
by Antonia Fraser (Nan A. Talese, New York, 2006) at page 3 gives his birth
date
Producer - Randall Wallace and Russell Smith
Director - Randall Wallace
Runtime – 2 hours 12 minutes
Released – March 13, 1998
Starring –
Jeremy Irons as Aramis
Leonardo DiCaprio as Louis XIV/Philippe
John Malkovich as Athos
Gabriel Byrne as D'Artagnan
Gérard Depardieu as Porthos
Anne Parillaud as the Queen Mother
Judith Godrèche as Christine Bellefort
Peter Sarsgaard as Raoul
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.
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