Le Masque de fer (1962)
Directed by Henri Decoin

Film Review

Towards the end of his long and fairly uneven career, director Henri Decoin ventured into all manner of popular movie genres, ranging from wartime drama (La Chatte sort ses griffes) to spy thriller (Casablanca, nid d'espions) via voodoo-themed thriller (Maléfices).  With the advent of the French New Wave, you'd think Decoin was working overtime to prove he could keep up with the times, but rarely did he live up to the standard of his earlier masterpieces Les Inconnus dans la maison (1942) and La Vérité sur Bébé Donge (1952).  Le Masque de fer is one of Henri Decoin's better late films, a feisty, full-bodied swashbuckler inspired by the legend of the Man in the Iron Mask and Alexandre Dumas's Les Trois mousquetaires.  This is not the first costume drama Decoin directed - he had already shown his aptitude for the genre with Les Amants de Tolède (1952) and L'Affaire des poisons (1955).

One of the contributors on the screenplay was Jacques Laurent, who, under the name Cécil Saint-Laurent, was famous for his historical novels, many of which ended being made into films (Max Ophüls' Lola Montès and Richard Pottier's Caroline Chérie being the two best known examples).  With such a high pedigree writer on board, Decoin could hardly fail to turn out an entertaining and pacey period piece which, with its plot twists and superbly choreographed fight sequences, has never a dull moment.  Georges Van Parys's score creates just the right ambiance for a film set in the 17th century, and the Maison-Lafitte castles provide the perfect exterior locations.

And who better to play the ageing Charles d'Artagnan than Jean Marais, indisputably the best swashbuckler actor France ever had (he even insisted on doing all of his own stunts).  Marais may have just entered his sixth decade when he made this film but he appears as indefatigable as ever and gives a typically sprightly performance as the veteran swordmaster.  Playing the female lead, Isabelle de Saint-Mars, is the stunning Claudine Auger, Miss France of 1958 and the actress who played Domino in the James Bond film Thunderball (1965).  Jean-François Poron is an admirable choice for the double role of Louis XIV and his twin brother Henri - Poron had previously appeared alongside Marais in Jean Delannoy's La Princesse de Clèves (1961).

The part of d'Artagnan's mistress, Madame de Chaulmes, went to the ravishing Gisèle Pascal, who famously had romantic liaisons with Yves Montand, Prince Ranier III of Monaco and Gary Cooper, before marrying the actor Raymond Pellegrin.  At the dawn of his illustrious screen career, Jean Rochefort makes the most of his role as the colourful bandit Lastreaumont, a part that was given to him by Decoin after seeing him in Philippe de Broca's Cartouche (1962).  Noël Roquevert is enjoyably O.T.T. as the Governor de Saint-Mars, while Philippe Lemaire relishes his role as the conspirator de Vaudreuil.  Being a Franco-Italian production, two Italian actors were imposed on Decoin: a radiant Sylva Koscina (well-suited for the part of Marion) and Enrico Maria Salerno, who makes a deliciously evil Cardinal de Mazarin.

Le Masque de fer is by no means one of Henri Decoin's best films but it is nonetheless a highly enjoyable romp, offering production values to rival those of any contemporary Hollywood period piece and a lively cast of exceptional calibre.  On its initial release in France, the film was a box office hit - with an audience of 2.4 million it was one of Decoin's biggest successes.

Film Synopsis

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...