Iron Mask

Iron Mask
While all Hollywood was gearing up for sound, Douglas Fairbanks lavished money and attention on this ambitious period adventure, a jaunty, jubilant sequel to his early swashbuckler The Three Musketeers. The Iron Mask is set 20 years later, and Fairbanks (by now 43 years old) reprises his role as D'Artagnan as the older and more mature personal protector of young Louis XIV. When he tips a plot by the powerful cardinals to replace the heir to the throne with his twin brother, D'Artagnan reunites his aging compatriots of old for one last hurrah. Energetically directed by Allan Dwan, who guided Fairbanks through his biggest hit, Robin Hood, and handsomely designed by William Cameron Menzies (The Thief of Bagdad), this action-packed film moves through plot twists and conspiratorial machinations with quicksilver speed (it begins and ends with breathless chase scenes), but it also carries a dimension of melancholy: the musketeers are aging and the era of chivalry fading. The touching denouement, a scene both ebullient and affecting, becomes Fairbanks's farewell to the silent screen. In a way the film is a farewell to the grace and energy of the silent cinema that almost disappeared in the early sound years. Fairbanks only appeared in five talkies before retiring in 1935. Kino's edition features the 1952 reissue with narration by son Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and an orchestral score by Allan Gray. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Review: Wonderful
The only thing that would make this DVD package better, for me, would be to also have the option of the entire 1952 reissue of the film. I am greatful for the excerpt , but would love to see the whole version with Jr's narration. But I am so Happy with the Kineo print and that they really Thought about the musical score added. So often I am coming across Fairbanks films that are just impossible for me to get into fully because of the music that has been thrown onto them not relating to what was happening on screen at all. case in point... The Three Musketeers with old 20s Jazz recordings ... that's just lazy to me. I Love 20s Jazz, and it might work with a "contemporary " 20s comedy ... but the musketeers soundtrack reminded me of Laurel and Hardy more than a Musketeer-period adventure film .... anyway, It's an important issue to me regarding silent films. Also I've been waiting for years to see and hear the sound introductions by Fairbanks senior , since I first read about them back in the 70s, so that addition was a very special treat.
Customer Review: A Triumphant Farewell to the Silent Era
"The Iron Mask" (1929) was Douglas Fairbanks' glorious valedictory to the art of silent film. Collaborating with director Allan Dwan and set designer William Cameron Menzies, the producer-star poured all his resources into this lavish sequel to "The Three Musketeers" (1921) -- acknowledging the advent of sound with two brief talking interludes. Restored by film historians Patrick Stanbury and Kevin Brownlow from an original 35mm print (courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art), "The Iron Mask" can be seen as Fairbanks' finest achievement. However, for all its style and exuberance, the swashbuckling adventure has a melancholic tone that lends a poignant grace to Doug's silent farewell - accompanied by Carl Davis' sweeping orchestral score. For modern viewers unfamiliar with the spirit and athleticism of Fairbanks, "The Iron Mask" represents a terrific starting point.