The Iron Mask (1929)

The Queen's confidante (Marguerite De La Motte), who is the beloved of the musketeer D'Artagnan (Douglas Fairbanks) is killed to protect the secret that the young Dauphin (William Bakewell) has a twin brother. Based on THE VICOMTE OF BRAGELONNE by Alexandre Dumas and directed by Allan Dwan (SLIGHTLY SCARLET). Fairbanks' last silent film utilizes bits and pieces of THE THREE MUSKETEERS and THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK as well as characters in this pastiche of a movie. Although it is a silent film, there is a sound prologue and another sound intro by Fairbanks after the film's intermission. I found the film diverting but not up to the best of Fairbanks' earlier swashbucklers or adventure movies. Fairbanks plays the young D'Artagnan in the first half but after the film's intermission which begins 20 years later, he gets to play the aging D'Artagnan. The movie serves as a farewell to silent cinema by one of the silent era's greatest stars. The restored transfer I watched contained a fine score by Carl Davis. With Belle Bennett, Dorothy Revier, Rolfe Sedan and Nigel De Brulier, very good as Cardinal Richilieu.