Despotic King Louis XIV discovers he has a twin brother who has grown up under the tutelage of his foster father, the patriotic musketeer D'Artagnan.Despotic King Louis XIV discovers he has a twin brother who has grown up under the tutelage of his foster father, the patriotic musketeer D'Artagnan.Despotic King Louis XIV discovers he has a twin brother who has grown up under the tutelage of his foster father, the patriotic musketeer D'Artagnan.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
Marion Martin
- Mlle. de la Valliere
- (as Marian Martin)
Nigel De Brulier
- Cardinal Richelieu
- (as Nigel de Brulier)
Reginald Barlow
- Jean Paul
- (as Reginald Barlowe)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPeter Cushing did double duty on this film. In additional to his own role, he would feed Louis Hayward the lines for the split screen shots. Director James Whale initially cast him only to play opposite Hayward in the sequences where both twins appear together, but was impressed enough with the newcomer that he offered Cushing a small part on horseback. This was Peter Cushing's film debut, and he had the unique opportunity to view the rushes and improve his own performance, especially since none of it would be used in the finished feature. As 'Second Officer,' he can be seen 17 minutes in, with two lines of dialogue: "How could I mistake it. I've been here before".
- GoofsIn one chase scene, a character fires a pistol three times in quick succession. 17th century firearms had to be reloaded after each shot.
- Crazy creditsThe credits are printed into a old book. An unseen male hand pages through it.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Peter Cushing: A One-Way Ticket to Hollywood (1989)
Featured review
James Whale, when he wasn't doing horror films which set trends, or the occasional musical, went literary with this entertaining adaptation of the famous French novel.
Old hands are involved - Warren William, Alan Hale - as part of the quartet of ageing musketeers, and do the production credit. South-African born matinée idol Louis Hayward plays both the twins admirably and pretty Joan Bennett does her usual turn which she could do in her sleep (as the princess betrothed to the bad twin and in love with the good twin).
The film veers from some very funny moments to some sweet romantic scenes between the good twin and the foreign princess, and the different characters of the twins are well portrayed. There are also a number of excellent performances in the supporting cast. With all this (and Whale's surreal imagination) you can forgive the odd lapse away from Dumas' original vision. Good stuff indeed.
Old hands are involved - Warren William, Alan Hale - as part of the quartet of ageing musketeers, and do the production credit. South-African born matinée idol Louis Hayward plays both the twins admirably and pretty Joan Bennett does her usual turn which she could do in her sleep (as the princess betrothed to the bad twin and in love with the good twin).
The film veers from some very funny moments to some sweet romantic scenes between the good twin and the foreign princess, and the different characters of the twins are well portrayed. There are also a number of excellent performances in the supporting cast. With all this (and Whale's surreal imagination) you can forgive the odd lapse away from Dumas' original vision. Good stuff indeed.
- How long is The Man in the Iron Mask?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Der Mann mit der eisernen Maske
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 53 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) officially released in India in English?
Answer