It is set in 1803 , Reign of terror is over , France is governed by Napoleon as first Consul , there the royalist Purple Mask attacks revolutionary soldiers . As Napoleon orders detain the known highwayman Purple Mask who abducts officers for ransom and undercover he hides into a women's clothing house run by Angela Lansbury and inhabitated by lovely models as Laurette , gorgeous daughter of the pursued Duc De Latour : Paul Cavanagh . Tony Curtis is a supposed dandy foppish of the French court who assumes the identity of Purple Mask in order to outwit the French Republicans led by Napoleon, Robert Cornthwaite , who still uses the guillotine against members of the old nobility , and to aid innocent aristocrats after the French Revolution .Meanwhile , Curtis falls in love for the damsel in distress , Colleen Miller .
A simple and known plot , as a wealthy foppish dancer , Tony Curtis , is not the fool he seems , but he results to be an expert swordsman who fights enemy and saves unfortunate people are about to be beheaded. A nice and brilliant picture that packs a colorful cinematography in Technicolor by Irving Glassberg , Universal International regular. As well as thrilling and evocative musical score by uncredited Hans J Salter and Herman Stein .This adventure movie contains swashbuckling , full of exploits , thrills , noisy action and a lot of fencing . At the end takes place the ultimate and impressive fencing duel between the dancing master Curtis and the cunning Dan O'Herlihy that is the highlight of the film . The fim mixes Scarlet Pimpernel created by Baroness Dorczy and Zorro by Johnson McCulley taking parts here and there . Tony Curtis is pretty good as Scarlet Pimpernel-lookalike in this stirring tale with a literacy and polish that places it several grades above such early swashbucklers and adventures movies also starred by Curtis as Taras Bulba , The Black Shield of Falworth , The prince who was thief and Son of Ali Baba . The motion picture will appeal to Tony Curtis fans who enjoys himself as a kind of Napoleonic Scarlet Pimpernel . Support cast is fine , such as the incombustible Angela Lansbury , Gene Barry , Allison Hayes , John Hoyt , Paul Cavanagh, George Dolenz and Robert Cornthwaite as an astute Napoleon .
The motion picture was professionally directed by Bruce Humberstone who worked on several silent movies and he was able to make all kinds of genres without problems . He is known for making a lot of Charlie Chan /Warner Oland films as Charlie Chan at the opera , Chan at the race track, Charlie Chan in Honolulu , Charlie Chan at the Olympics . He directed Westerns as Ten wanted men, Lucky Cisco Kid ; Musical : Iceland, Hello Frisco; Comedy :Wonder man , Tall dark and handsome ; Noir film as Hot Spot and Aventure : Tarzan and Lost safari, Tarzan and the trappers, Tarzan fights for his life , King of the jungle and this The Purple Masked.Rating: 6/10 . Decent and acceptable picture
