The Iron Mask

1929 film by Allan Dwan

For other uses, see Iron Mask (disambiguation).

The Iron Mask

Directed by| Allan Dwan
Written by| Douglas Fairbanks
Jack Cunningham
Based on| The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later
1848–50
by Alexandre Dumas
Produced by| Douglas Fairbanks
Starring| Douglas Fairbanks
Belle Bennett
Marguerite De La Motte
Dorothy Revier
Vera Lewis
Rolfe Sedan
William Bakewell
Cinematography| Henry Sharp
Edited by| William Nolan
Music by| Hugo Riesenfeld

Production
company

United Artists

Distributed by| United Artists

Release date

* February 21, 1929 (1929-02-21)

Running time

| 95 minutes
Country| United States
Languages| Part-Talkie
English intertitles
Box office| $1.5 million[1]
The full movie

The Iron Mask is a 1929 American part-talkie adventure film directed by Allan Dwan. In addition to some sequences with dialogue, the film featured a synchronized musical score with sound effects and a theme song.

The film is an adaptation of the last section of the 1847-1850 novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père, which is itself based on the French legend of the Man in the Iron Mask.[2][3]

## Plot

[edit]

The film stars Fairbanks as d'Artagnan, Marguerite De La Motte as his beloved Constance (who is killed early in the film to protect the secret that the King has a twin brother), Nigel De Brulier as the scheming Cardinal Richelieu, and Ullrich Haupt as the evil Count De Rochefort. William Bakewell appeared as the royal twins.

## Cast

[edit]

* Douglas Fairbanks – D'Artagnan
* Belle Bennett – The Queen Mother
* Marguerite De La Motte – Constance Bonacieux
* Dorothy Revier – Milady de Winter
* Vera Lewis – Madame Peronne
* Rolfe Sedan – Louis XIII
* William Bakewell – Louis XIV/Twin Brother
* Gordon Thorpe – Young Prince/Twin Brother
* Nigel De Brulier – Cardinal Richelieu
* Ullrich Haupt – Count De Rochefort
* Lon Poff – Father Joseph: the Queen's Confessor
* Charles Stevens – Planchet: D'Artagnan's Servant
* Henry Otto – the King's Valet
* Leon Bary – Athos
* Tiny Sandford – Porthos (*Stanley J. Sandford)
* Gino Corrado – Aramis

## Music

[edit]

The film featured a theme song entitled “One For All — All For One (Song Of The Musketeers)” which was composed by Jo Trent (words) and Hugo Riesenfeld and Louis Alter (music). The song is sung on the soundtrack and is played instrumentally several times throughout the film.

## Production background

[edit]

The 1929 part-talkie, entitled The Iron Mask, was the first talking picture starring Douglas Fairbanks.

Fairbanks lavished resources on his first sound film with the knowledge he was bidding farewell to his beloved genre. This marks the only time where Fairbanks's character dies at the end of the film, with the closing scene depicting the once-again youthful Musketeers all reunited in death, moving on (as the final title says) to find "greater adventure beyond".

The original 1929 release has only two short sequences of dialogue which consisted of speeches delivered by Fairbanks. The rest of the film features a musical score with a few sound effects and a theme song that is sung and played several times.

In 1952, the film was reissued, with the intertitles removed and a narration voiced by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. added. The original film included a scene in which d'Artagnan tells the young King of an embarrassing adventure involving him and the three musketeers. The story is told in flashback but the 1952 version has it in chronological order with the scene with the King cut out.

In 1999, with the cooperation of the Library of Congress and the Museum of Modern Art, Kino Video released a DVD of the 1929 version. A complete set of Vitaphone disks exists for this picture. However, only a small portion of the original sound from these was synchronized with film footage, namely the two short sequences in which Douglas Fairbanks speaks. The rest of the soundtrack, which contained a Synchronized Score along with sound effects and a theme song was not used as this would make the DVD public domain. (The copyright has expired on the original 1929 sound version.) For this DVD reissue, therefore, a new score was commissioned from composer Carl Davis. The Kino disc also includes excerpts from the 1952 version, some outtakes from the original filming, and some textual background material from the program for the 1999 premiere showing of the reconstruction. A complete restoration of the original sound version has yet to be released.

## Reception and legacy

[edit]

Fairbanks Biographer Jeffrey Vance has opined, "As a valedictory to the silent screen, The Iron Mask is unsurpassed. In one of his few departures from playing a young man—and with fewer characteristic stunts—Fairbanks conjures up his most multi-dimensional and moving screen portrayal in a film that is perhaps the supreme achievement of its genre."[4]

## See also

[edit]

* United States portal
* Film portal

* List of early sound feature films (1926–1929)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Balio, Tino (2009). United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-23004-3. p93
2. ^ The Iron Mask at silentera.com
3. ^ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Film: 1921–30 by The American Film Institute, c. 1971
4. ^ Vance, Jeffrey (2008). Douglas Fairbanks. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, pg. 251. ISBN 978-0-520-25667-5.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Vance, Jeffrey. Douglas Fairbanks. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-520-25667-5.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Iron Mask.

* The Iron Mask at IMDb – 1929
* The Iron Mask is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
* The Iron Mask at Rotten Tomatoes

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Allan Dwan

1910s|

* Woman's Honor (1913)
* Calamity Anne's Vanity (1913)
* Quicksands (1913)
* The Greater Love (1913)
* Her Big Story (1913)
* The Restless Spirit (1913)
* Back to Life (1913)
* Red Margaret, Moonshiner (1913)
* Bloodhounds of the North (1913)
* The Lie (1914)
* The Honor of the Mounted (1914)
* Remember Mary Magdalen (1914)
* Discord and Harmony (1914)
* The Menace to Carlotta (1914)
* The Embezzler (1914)
* The Lamb, the Woman, the Wolf (1914)
* The End of the Feud (1914)
* The Tragedy of Whispering Creek (1914)
* The Unlawful Trade (1914)
* The Forbidden Room (1914)
* The Hopes of Blind Alley (1914)
* Richelieu (1914)
* The Unwelcome Mrs. Hatch (1914)
* Wildflower (1914)
* The County Chairman (1914)
* The Straight Road (1914)
* The Conspiracy (1914)
* The Dancing Girl (1915)
* A Small Town Girl (1915)
* David Harum (1915)
* The Love Route (1915)
* The Commanding Officer (1915)
* May Blossom (1915)
* The Pretty Sister of Jose (1915)
* A Girl of Yesterday (1915)
* Jordan Is a Hard Road (1915)
* The Habit of Happiness (1916)
* The Good Bad-Man (1916)
* An Innocent Magdalene (1916)
* Manhattan Madness (1916)
* Fifty-Fifty (1916)
* Accusing Evidence (1916)
* Fighting Odds (1917)
* A Modern Musketeer (1917)
* Panthea (1917)
* Headin' South (1918)
* Mr. Fix-It (1918)
* Bound in Morocco (1918)
* He Comes Up Smiling (1918)
* Cheating Cheaters (1919)
* Soldiers of Fortune (1919)

1920s|

* The Luck of the Irish (1920)
* The Scoffer (1920)
* The Forbidden Thing (1920)
* A Splendid Hazard (1920)
* A Perfect Crime (1921)
* The Sin of Martha Queed (1921)
* A Broken Doll (1921)
* The Hidden Woman (1922)
* Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood (1922)
* Lawful Larceny (1923)
* Zaza (1923)
* Big Brother (1923)
* A Society Scandal (1924)
* Manhandled (1924)
* Her Love Story (1924)
* Wages of Virtue (1924)
* Argentine Love (1924)
* The Coast of Folly (1925)
* Night Life of New York (1925)
* Stage Struck (1925)
* Sea Horses (1926)
* Padlocked (1926)
* Tin Gods (1926)
* Summer Bachelors (1926)
* The Music Master (1927)
* The Joy Girl (1927)
* East Side, West Side (1927)
* French Dressing (1927)
* The Big Noise (1928)
* The Iron Mask (1929)
* Tide of Empire (1929)
* The Far Call (1929)
* Frozen Justice (1929)
* South Sea Rose (1929)

1930s|

* What a Widow! (1930)
* Man to Man (1930)
* Chances (1931)
* Wicked (1931)
* While Paris Sleeps (1932)
* Her First Affaire (1932)
* Counsel's Opinion (1933)
* I Spy (1934)
* Black Sheep (1935)
* Navy Wife (1935)
* Song and Dance Man (1936)
* Human Cargo (1936)
* High Tension (1936)
* 15 Maiden Lane (1936)
* Woman-Wise (1937)
* That I May Live (1937)
* One Mile from Heaven (1937)
* Heidi (1937)
* Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)
* Suez (1938)
* Josette (1938)
* The Three Musketeers (1939)
* The Gorilla (1939)

1940s|

* Frontier Marshal (1939)
* Sailor's Lady (1940)
* Young People (1940)
* Trail of the Vigilantes (1940)
* Look Who's Laughing (1941)
* Rise and Shine (1941)
* Friendly Enemies (1942)
* Here We Go Again (1942)
* Around the World (1943)
* Abroad with Two Yanks (1944)
* Up in Mabel's Room (1944)
* Brewster's Millions (1945)
* Getting Gertie's Garter (1945)
* Rendezvous with Annie (1946)
* Calendar Girl (1947)
* Northwest Outpost (1947)
* Driftwood (1947)
* The Inside Story (1948)
* Angel in Exile (1948)
* Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

1950s|

* Surrender (1950)
* Belle Le Grand (1951)
* The Wild Blue Yonder (1951)
* I Dream of Jeanie (1952)
* Montana Belle (1952)
* Woman They Almost Lynched (1953)
* Sweethearts on Parade (1953)
* Flight Nurse (1953)
* Silver Lode (1954)
* Passion (1954)
* Cattle Queen of Montana (1954)
* Escape to Burma (1955)
* Pearl of the South Pacific (1955)
* Tennessee's Partner (1955)
* Slightly Scarlet (1956)
* Hold Back the Night (1956)
* The River's Edge (1957)
* The Restless Breed (1957)
* Enchanted Island (1958)

1960s|

* Most Dangerous Man Alive (1961)

* v
* t
* e

The d'Artagnan Romances by Alexandre Dumas

* The Three Musketeers
* Twenty Years After
* The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later

Characters|

* Athos
* Aramis
* Porthos
* d'Artagnan
* Cardinal Richelieu
* Milady de Winter
* Rochefort
* Buckingham
* Queen Anne
* Louis XIII
* Louis XIV
* de Tréville

Films|

| The Three
Musketeers|

* The Three Musketeers (1916)
* Les Trois Mousquetaires (1921)
* The Three Musketeers (1921)
* The Three Musketeers (1932)
* The Three Musketeers (1933)
* The Three Musketeers (1935)
* The Three Musketeers (1939)
* The Three Musketeers (1942)
* The Three Musketeers (1946)
* The Three Musketeers (1948)
* Blades of the Musketeers (1953)
* The Three Musketeers (1953)
* The Three Musketeers (1961)
* The Three Musketeers (1973)
* The Four Musketeers (1974)
* The Three Musketeers (1993)
* The Musketeer (2001)
* The Three Musketeers (2011)
* 3 Musketeers (2011)
* The Three Musketeers (2013)
* The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan (2023)
* The Three Musketeers: Milady (2023)

|

Twenty Years
After|

* The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
* Musketeers Twenty Years After (1992)

The Vicomte of
Bragelonne|

* The Iron Mask (1929)
* The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
* Uthama Puthiran (1940)
* Lady in the Iron Mask (1952)
* The Count of Bragelonne (1954)
* The King's Prisoner (1954)
* Uthama Puthiran (1958)
* Le Masque de fer (1962)
* The Fifth Musketeer (1979)
* The Secret of Queen Anne or Musketeers Thirty Years After (1993)
* The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

Other sequels|

* At Sword's Point (1952)
* The Secret Mark of D'Artagnan (1962)
* Revenge of the Musketeers (1994)
* The Return of the Musketeers, or The Treasures of Cardinal Mazarin (2009)

Animated|

* The Four Musketeers (1936)
* Three Blind Mouseketeers (1936)
* The Three Musketeers (1974)
* Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004)
* Barbie and the Three Musketeers (2009)
* Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds (2021)

Tom and Jerry|

* The Two Mouseketeers
* Touché, Pussy Cat!
* Tom and Chérie
* Royal Cat Nap

Television|

| Series|

| Live-action|

* The Three Musketeers (1954)
* The Three Musketeers (1966)
* The Mind Robber (1968)
* d'Artagnan and Three Musketeers (1978)
* Young Blades (2005)
* The Three Musketeers (2009–10) (puppetry)
* The Musketeers (2014)

|

Animated|

* The Three Musketeers (1968)
* Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds (1981)
* The Three Musketeers Anime (1987–89)
* The Return of Dogtanian (1989)
* Albert the Fifth Musketeer (1993–94)

Films|

| Live-action|

* The Three Musketeers (1959)
* The Three Musketeers (1969)
* The Man in the Iron Mask (1977)
* La Femme Musketeer (2004)

|

Animated|

* The Three Musketeers (1973)
* The Man in the Iron Mask (1985)
* Dogtanian: Special (1985)
* The Three Musketeers (1986)
* Dogtanian: One For All and All For One (1995)

Games|

* Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer
* The Three Musketeers (1987 video game)
* The Three Musketeers (2006 video game)
* The Three Musketeers: One for All!

Musicals|

* The Three Musketeers (1928)
* 3 Musketiers

Other
adaptations|

* The Three Mesquiteers
* Dog in Boots
* The Three Must-Get-Theres
* The Three Mouseketeers (comics)
* The Three Musketeers (South Korean adaptation)
* Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (video game)

Khaavren Romances|

* The Phoenix Guards
* Five Hundred Years After
* The Viscount of Adrilankha
* The Baron of Magister Valley

Related|

* Auguste Maquet (collaborator)
* A Modern Musketeer
* The Three Muscatels
* Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno
* Man in the Iron Mask
* Musketeers of the Guard
* 3 Musketeers (chocolate bar)

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