The Purple Mask

Try as he might Tony Curtis in his long career never really lost that Bronx speech pattern. It was the reason he got the horselaugh when he did these swashbucklers. He was so much better in modern dress and when The Purple Mask came out it was 2 years from his breakthrough part in Sweet Smell Of Success.

In this film Curtis plays a Zorro like character who dons a purple mask and goes around freeing members of the old nobility. The Reign Of Terror maybe over, but the first Consul Napoleon Bonaparte still has a use for the guillotine to chop off a noble head or three.

Which is where the Purple Mask comes in. By day Curtis is a dancing master as his Clark Kent/Don Diego self. But come the night he's Counterrevolution superhero The Purple Mask and one nasty customer with a sword.

Curtis liked it enough all right. I think The Purple Mask was nothing to write home about.

In his memoirs Curtis rather unfairly attacked Angela Lansbury who was at a low point in her career and was desperate for roles and appeared in this in a rather nothing part as a maid. She clearly said she did The Purple Mask for a paycheck. Curtis took the statement rather personally and was most unfair to Lansbury in his memoir.

Other familiar faces in The Purple Mask are Colleen Miller, Gene Barry, Dan O'Herlihy and John Hoyt. I'm sure The Purple Mask was no high point in their careers.

As reviewer Mario Grauci points out, the screenplay for this historical drama bears a striking resemblance to that of "The Scarlet Pimpernel", released in 1934,and 1982. The protagonist, ably played by Tony Curtis, does at times wear a purple mask, though through most of the film, he doesn't. Instead he plays his unmasked self, as Rene de Traviere, or an imposter of himself as The Purple Mask. In all of these guises, he is a legendary foe of the Napoleon-led republic, hoping to restore the monarchy 10 years after the height of the Reign of Terror. Napoleon's henchmen are still ferreting out nobilities of the old monarchy. The P.M. is part of a Parisian cell of anti-republicans. Another of them is Laurette de Latour, played by cute Collen Miller. She much admires the work of The Purple Mask, but doesn't realize until near the end that he is also Rene, with whom she has had an up and down relationship. (It's hard to believe that people familiar with both the Purple Mask and Rene don't readily recognize them as the same person, with just a minimal mask to fool them.

In the bargaining with Napoleon, at the end, these 2 are allowed to emigrate to England, though Rene doesn't promise he won't be back some day. They were saved from an imminent execution by a group of compatriots, who had entered the barracks housing the royal guards, at night, bound them, dressing themselves in their uniforms, and marching out as a unit when time for the executions. They brandished their rifles, taking the Minister of Police captive, as well as the famous swordsman: Brisquet, after he lost an impromptu rapier duel with Tony.

The entry of the compatriots into the dormitory involved descending from an entrance into the underground sewer system, and traversing it until they reached the exit under the guard house, which they were able to pry open. How did they know when they were at the sewer entrance under the barracks? Also, they might have been gassed by toxic sulfurous emissions.

This film was shot in Technicolor. However, the copy I saw at YouTube didn't have vibrant colors , like it should have had. This reduced my enjoyment of the film. The main reason for seeing this film is to experience the stars. They are at their peak of beauty. That's not to say the story isn't somewhat interesting. Tony, especially, made a good account of himself: in debonair looks, acting and speaking . His fencing looked quite professional: a good replacement for Errol Flynn. He makes money for the rebels, by kidnaping important people in the republic and ransoming them. He uses most of the money to buy the freedom of royalist rebels and fund other rebel activities

"The Purple Mask" is a standard swashbuckler with not much pretensions on the line of the masked avengers that fight for what they think right in a hidden personality (tha "Zorro" series, "The Scarlet Pimpernel" or "The Black Tulip" could be clear examples).

Most colorful and rather fast in its development (which is good) the film is in the limit of entertainment for fans of the genre. Romance and acceptable swordplay are there too.

A young Tony Curtis in the main role is no Errol Flynn, but he reaches the level of the movie. Angela Lansbury, Dan O'Herlihy, Gene Barry and John Hoyt (a usual villain) are there too. Robert Cornthwaite doesn't fit as Napoleon, and it is hard to believe that Bonaparte would take so much trouble with just a lonely masked guy that is against his plans for dominating Europe.

Just a watch is enough even if you are a swashbucklers fan.

This is a sort of "Zorro" meets the "Scarlet Pimpernel" - a colourful, swashbuckling offering from Bruce Humberstone that allows our hero Tony Curtis to pretty much run riot! He is the flamboyant, debonaire Royalist determined to rescue his friends, ransom the agents of First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and engage in a bit of flirting with the daughter "Laurette" (Coleen Miller) of the plotting, ambitious "Duc de Latour" (Paul Cavanagh). It's all a bit theatrical, but has a great cast including Gene Barry, Dan O'Herlihy and Angela Lansbury to help keep it rollicking along in a fun, enjoyable fashion. The script, such as it is, isn't up to very much but that's made up for by the overall joie-de-vivre of the whole escapade and I quite enjoyed it.

It's the usual Hollywood swashbuckle routine but dated, as Errol Flynn was on his way out at this time and Hollywood perhaps needed some sort of a replacement. Tony Curtis does handomely, but the script is on old worn out patterns with a deplorable dialog, while the worst of all is Napoleon totally out of character and as unconvincing as a lackey for the emperor - this actor would have been more credible as a clown. The story is dashing enough and in colours, but of course you miss the classics, Leslie Howard, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Ronald Colman and Errol Flynn, but Tony Curtis does his honest best and fair enough. There is a lot of sword fighting, and I doubt Tony Curis has proved so elegant a fencing master before or after. In brief, an entertaining adventure not without qualities, while the plot is a miserable pimpernel offprint imitation.