Summary
After France has won the war against Spain, King Louis XIV must marry
the daughter of the King of Spain to forge a lasting alliance between
the two countries. Unfortunately, Louis is seriously ill and his
days appear to be numbered. What no one knows, not even Louis
himself, is that the king has a twin brother named Henri, who is locked
away in a prison on the island of Sainte Marguerite. To conceal
his identity, Henri is forced to wear an iron mask. Realising
that Louis is not long for this world, Cardinal Mazarin concocts the
following plan. He orders the musketeer d’Artagnan to bring Henri
back to Paris so that he can take the place of the king when he
dies. On his island prison, Henri is attended to by Monsieur de
Saint-Mars, whose assistant, Renaud de Lourmes, is in love with his
daughter, Isabelle. Neither knows that Isabelle is in love with
Henri. Ignorant of the fact that he is the king’s brother and why
he is being kept prisoner, Henri resolves to escape so that he can
speak with Louis in person. On the day that d’Artagnan arrives on
the island to collect Henri, the latter succeeds in escaping, with the
help of Isabelle. When Mazarin hears of this, and knowing that Louis is
recovering from his illness, he instructs de Lourmes to find Henri and
bring him back, more dead than alive...
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium)
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium)
Review
User Comments
Useful links
- Best French films of 2011
- Best French films of the 2000s
- Best of the French New Wave
- Best of French film comedy
- The best 100 French films
- The most successful French films
- Great French filmmakers
Related links
- The best French historical films
- Other French films of the 1960s
- The best French films of the 1960s
- Other French historical films
- Biography and films of Henri Decoin
To buy this film
Check DVD and Blu-ray availability:
Credits
- Director: Henri Decoin
- Script: Gerald Devriès, Laurent Devries, Alexandre Dumas père (novel), Cécil Saint-Laurent
- Photo: Pierre Petit
- Music: Georges Van Parys
- Cast: Claudine Auger (Isabelle de Saint-Mars), Jean Davy (Marchal of Turenne), Raymond Gérôme (Pimentel), Sylva Koscina (Marion), Jean Lara (Renaud de Lourmes), Philippe Lemaire (Vandreuil), Jean Marais (Charles d’Artagnan), Germaine Montero (Ann of Austria), Gisèle Pascal (Mme de Chaulmes), Jean-François Poron (Henri/Louis XIV), Jean Rochefort (Lastreaumont), Noël Roquevert (M de Saint-Mars), Enrico Maria Salerno (Mazarin)
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Runtime: 127 min
- Aka: The Iron Mask
Similar films
If you like this film you may also like the following:- Le Colonel Chabert (1943)
- Le Corniaud (1965)
- Fanfan la Tulipe (1952)
- La Folie des grandeurs (1971)
- La Grande vadrouille (1966)
- L’Histoire d’Adèle H. (1975)
- L’Homme de Rio (1964)
- Le Juge et l’assassin (1976)
- Monsieur Klein (1976)
- La Nuit de Varennes (1982)
- Perceval le Gallois (1978)
- La Prise de pouvoir par Louis XIV (1966)
- Procès de Jeanne d’Arc (1962)
- Stavisky (1974)
To buy Le Masque de fer:

Adventure / Drama / History






