The Iron Mask

1h 38m 1929

Brief Synopsis

Read More
King Louis XIII of France is thrilled to have born to him a son - an heir to the throne. But when the queen delivers a twin, Cardinal Richelieu sees the second son as a potential for revolution, and has him sent off to Spain to be raised in secret to ensure a peaceful future for France. Alas, keeping the secret means sending Constance, lover of D'Artagnan, off to a convent. D'Artagnan hears of this and rallies the Musketeers in a bid to rescue her. Unfortunately, Richelieu out-smarts the Musketeers and banishes them forever. Richelieu enlists D'Artagnan to look after and protect the young prince. Meanwhile, de Rochefort learns of the twins and Richelieu's plans, and kidnaps the twin, raising him in secret. Many years later, with Richelieu dead and the young prince crowned King Louis XIV, Rochefort launches his plan. The king is kidnapped, replaced with his twin, put in an iron mask so as not to be recognized, and led off to a remote castle to be held prisoner. Louis XIV is able to alert D'Artagnan, who realizes that only his friends Athos, Porthos, and Aramis can help him, so he reunites the Musketeers to derail Rochefort's nefarious plot but at a heavy toll.

Cast & Crew

Read More

Allan Dwan

Director

Belle Bennett

The Queen Mother

Marguerite De La Motte

Constance

Dorothy Revier

Milady de Winter

Vera Lewis

Madame Peronne

Rolfe Sedan

Louis XIII

Film Details

Genre
Adaptation
Adventure
Historical
Release Date
Mar 9, 1929
Premiere Information
New York premiere: 21 Feb 1929
Production Company
Elton Corp.
Distribution Company
United Artists
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novels Les trois mousquetaires (Paris, 1844) and Le Vicomte de Bragelonne (Paris, 1848-50) by Alexandre Dumas, père .

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 38m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (talking sequences, musical score and sound effects), Silent
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
8,855ft (11 reels)

Synopsis

Anne of Austria, the wife of Louis XIII, gives birth to twins, and Cardinal Richelieu, learning of the double birth, smuggles the unwanted twin into Spain. Constance, a seamstress present at the birth, is kidnaped by Rochefort, and D'Artagnan, her lover, hastens to the rescue. Constance is killed, however, and D'Artagnan is ordered to guard the little prince. Rochefort kidnaps the second twin and rears him as the pretender to the throne. Years pass. Rochefort smuggles the pretender into the royal palace and imprisons Louis XIV in a distant fortress. D'Artagnan rescues the king at the cost of not only his own life but the lives of his faithful comrades, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Louis XIV is reinstated and orders the pretender to spend the remainder of his life in an iron mask.

Director

Allan Dwan

Director

Cast

Belle Bennett

The Queen Mother

Marguerite De La Motte

Constance

Dorothy Revier

Milady de Winter

Vera Lewis

Madame Peronne

Rolfe Sedan

Louis XIII

William Bakewell

Louis XIV/Louis XIV's twin

Gordon Thorpe

The Young Prince/The Young Prince's twin

Nigel De Brulier

Cardinal Richelieu

Ullrich Haupt

Rochefort

Lon Poff

Father Joseph

Charles Stevens

Planchet, D'Artagnan's servant

Henry Otto

The King's valet

Leon Bary

Athos

Stanley J. Sandford

Porthos

Gino Corrado

Aramis

Douglas Fairbanks

D'Artagnan

Crew

Louis Alter

Composer

Burgess Beall

Int dec

Earle Browne

Adv

Willaim Buckland

Artist

Ben Carré

Artist

Gilbert Clark

Wardrobe

Jack Cunningham

Adv

Robert Fairbanks

Production Manager

David S. Hall

Artist

Jack Holden

Artist

Bruce Humberstone

Assistant Director

Edward M. Langley

Artist

Maurice Leloir

Wardrobe

Maurice Leloir

Production Design

Charles Lewis

Production Manager

Warren Lynch

Addl Photographer

H. W. Miles

Artist

J. W. Montgomery

Chief Electrician

William Nolan

Film Editor

Walter Pallman

Tech Effects

Willard M. Reineck

Tech Director

Hugo Riesenfeld

Composer

Hugo Riesenfeld

Music Arrangements

Paul Roberts

Props

Fred C. Ryle

Makeup

Henry Sharp

Director of Photography

Sherry Shourds

Assistant Director

Elton Thomas

Story

Jo' Trent

Composer

Vinton Vernon

Assistant Director

Arthur Woods

Adv

Lotta Woods

Scenario Editor

Film Details

Genre
Adaptation
Adventure
Historical
Release Date
Mar 9, 1929
Premiere Information
New York premiere: 21 Feb 1929
Production Company
Elton Corp.
Distribution Company
United Artists
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novels Les trois mousquetaires (Paris, 1844) and Le Vicomte de Bragelonne (Paris, 1848-50) by Alexandre Dumas, père .

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 38m
Sound
Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (talking sequences, musical score and sound effects), Silent
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
8,855ft (11 reels)

Award Nominations

Best Art Direction

1929

Quotes

Come on! There is greater adventure beyond.
- Porthos

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States 1929

Released in United States 2007

Shown at San Francisco International Film Festival (Tributes) April 26-May 10, 2007.

Film was reissued in 1940 with narration by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

partially silent

Released in United States 1929

Released in United States 2007 (Shown at San Francisco International Film Festival (Tributes) April 26-May 10, 2007.)

TCM Emails

Sign Up now to stay up to date with all of the latest news from TCM.

©2024 Turner Classic Movies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
©2024 Turner Classic Movies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
By using this site, you agree to our updated Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use