Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Man in the Iron Mask 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

I covered an anniversary edition of Randall Wallace's feature directorial debut The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) that boutique label Shout Select put out more than five years ago. Casey Broadwater wrote about MGM's standard edition in 2010. You can read our analyses and summaries in the linked reviews.

"One for all, and all for one!"

The Man in the Iron Mask 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shout Select's "Collector's Edition" consists of a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray combo. Unlike the "20th Anniversary Edition," this release doesn't come with a slipcover. Shout advertises this as a 2023 4K transfer from the original camera negative. It's presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible). It took a reel or two for me to fully notice the boost that DV and HDR have given the latest 4K scan of the film. Recall that the 2018 transfer also derives from a 4K scan of the original camera negative. The biggest difference, besides the leap from 1080p to 2160p, is in color temperature. The chief difference is that Shout has restored the natural skin tones that were present on the R1 MGM DVD. I've included a handful of captures in the Screenshots tab so you can see the color disparities. (I surmise that the original MGM SD transfer is likely taken from an internegative or one of the theaterical release prints. The first DVD was a "flipper disc" with 1.33:1 offered on the opposite side.) In frame grab #30 taken from the '18 transfer, the King's Advisors, played by (from left to right) David Lowe and Hugh Laurie, have a pink facial complexion. But in capture #s 29 and 31–32, they have more natural flesh tones. Shout's '18 transfer gave Raoul (Peter Sarsgaard) a rather ruddy complexion (#26). (He appears a bit sunburn.) However, in Screenshot #s 25 and 27–28, any redness is gone. It seems that Shout removed the sun beaming on his forehead on its older transfer. The sun is particularly present in 25 and 28, which I believe is how cinematographer Peter Suschitzky captured that shot. The MGM SD and new Shout discs especially give Christine (Judith Godrèche) a more organic appearance (see #s 21 and 23–24).

On Shout's release five years ago, I thought the transfer did a solid job of bringing out scarlet red, royal blue, and the green vegetation surrounding the large garden party outside the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte (site of the King's palace), as well as some of the King-training scenes. The latest 4K transfer has greater color saturation without any bleeding. You can more visibly see the beautiful rose D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne) holds in #15 (and the remainder of that scene as well). The image is very nicely textured all throughout. Darker scenes show very good contrast. For scenes set at the Bastille Corridor and Complex, black levels are completely solid. I didn't see any crush or loss of detail. The DV and HDR on the UHD and to a lesser extent, the Blu-ray, show terrific depth. (See the title character peering at the moonlight from behind the grate in #3.) In my review of the older disc, I spotted "some dirt and occasional small white specks" on the 1080p presentation. I examined the recent 4K transfer shot-by-shot on a monitor and caught only two infinitesimal film artifacts that flash by.

I watched the new 1080p disc upscaled to 4K. While it sports an uptick in clarity, detail is definitely superior on the UHD presentation. For instance, I could not see the tiny pimples above the left eyebrow of King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio) on the BD like I could on the 4K disc (see the medium closeup of him in #13). Likewise, the pockmarks on Louis's forehead stand out more on the UHD (see #14). The 4K is perhaps the brightest-looking of all the transfers I've seen of this film and that is a positive aspect.

The UHD is stored on a BD-100 (feature size: 83.4 GB). The 4K boasts an average video bitrate of 80700 kilobytes, while the full disc carries an overall bitrate of 90300 kilobytes. The new Blu-ray receives an MPEG-4 AVC encode with a mean video bitrate of 25000 kbps.

Shout has provided its standard twelve chapters on both discs for the 132-minute film.

Screenshot #s 1-20, 24, 28, 32, 36, & 40 = Shout Select 2023 Collector's Edition 4K Ultra HD BD-100 (downsampled to 1080p)
Screenshot #s 21, 25, 29, 33, & 37 = MGM Home Entertainment 1998 DVD (1.85:1)
Screenshot #s 22, 26, 30, 34, & 38 = Shout Select 20th Anniversary Edition 4K-scanned BD-50
Screenshot #s 23, 27, 31, 35, & 39 = Shout Select 2023 Collector's Edition 4K-scanned BD-50

The Man in the Iron Mask 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The theatrical exhibitions of The Man in the Iron Mask had Digital DTS 5.1 Sound and DTS Stereo in their presentations. Both the 2018 and 2023 Shout releases carry those audio codecs in lossless. The rough average audio bitrates differ, though, on the recent UHD and BD editions. The 4K delivers a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround track (4328 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master 2.0 Stereo mix (2008 kbps, 24-bit). The Blu-ray contains DTS-HD MA 5.1 (3079 kbps, 24-bit) and DTS-HD MA 2.0 (1602 kbps, 24-bit). In my 2018 review of the 5.1, I wrote: "Horses' hooves hit the cobblestone and ground with sharp thuds. Music and ambience create a very lively and enveloping soundscape." I second those observations on the UHD's 5.1...and then some. The surround effects are outstanding. The firing of canon balls and muskets are audibly present. The satellite speakers also pick up birds chirping and other ambient f/x. Nick Glennie-Smith's epic score is also well-rendered. He wrote a gallant theme for the musketeers that's reprised many times, but it's reappearance is always welcome. I could feel electric double basses pulsating from the front channels. Delivery of the score's flutes and whistles also caught my attention. The 5.1 splits and separates the musical cues from front to back with great effectiveness. The fronts are also really good when the title character rubs his mask against bars. I could distinctly hear the clanking on FL and FR.

Most of the dialogue comes through clearly and audibly in the center and fronts. But on occasion, I admittedly had a hard time hearing Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich deliver their lines. (Gabriel Byrne was a little difficult to hear at times as well but not as often.) I refer to audible issues of spoken words that are not whispers. (The recording level of Irons's voice-overs in post is just fine.) This isn't a technical fault of the audio presentation, per say. Sound was recorded on location and on sound stages in Paris. The dialogue's somewhat lower register could also be attributed to how the ADR was mixed. When I played the film's 2.0 stereo, I could hear Irons, Malkovich, and Byrne a little better than than I could on the 5.1.

I also watched the entire movie with the optional English SDH activated. Sound f/x and the names of characters are denoted with brackets. The transcription is very complete with only an "And" missing on one line.

The Man in the Iron Mask 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Shout has retained its own extras and also vintage features on the second disc.

DISC ONE: 4K UHD (2160p)

• Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Randall Wallace - this is the same track that first appeared on MGM's LaserDisc and DVD releases in '98. The soft-spoken Wallace gives several informative tidbits about the production, although there are some gaps. He delivers some info about the film's preview screenings. Well worth at least one listen. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Randall Wallace - this is the same track that first appeared on MGM's LaserDisc and DVD releases in '98. The soft-spoken Wallace gives several informative tidbits about the production, although there are some gaps. He delivers some info about the film's preview screenings. Well worth at least one listen. In English, not subtitled.

• Interview with Producer Paul Hitchcock (18:41, 1080p) - Hitchcock recalls the firing of a French producer who he replaced on Iron Mask and how the cast/crew bonded together to support him. He also covers some other topics. Hitchcock recommends the viewer to check out his book for additional details. (It's titled A Life Behind the Scenes: From Pinewood to Hollywood.) In English, not subtitled.

• Interview with Production Designer Anthony Pratt (8:09, 1080p) - Pratt talks about his career as a set decorator up through '98 and discusses the budgetary challenges he faced in getting the appropriate sets built for eighteenth-century France. In English, not subtitled.

• Myth and the Musketeers (7:34, upconverted to 1080i) - one of the five recycled featurettes from the previous LD/DVD/BD releases that's upscaled from MPEG-2 video.

• Director's Take (29:11, upconverted to 1080i) - an extension of his audio commentary, Wallace guides the viewer through the phases of writing, directing, casting, and the production of Iron Mask. In English, not subtitled.

• Original 1998 Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (4:45, upconverted to 1080p) - an extended promotional trailer for the film.

• Alternate Mask Prototypes (2:01, upconverted to 1080i) - Wallace distinguishes between the different masks that were considered for the titular character. In English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailer (3:04, upconverted to 1080p) - this is the first of the two trailers that were on the European Fox releases of Iron Mask.

The Man in the Iron Mask 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) is a fine period adventure about love, loyalty, honor...and dishonor. If you already own the 2018 disc, I believe that the color corrections made on the Ultra HD and Blu-ray are a real deal breaker. The most recent transfer is certainly an upgrade over the older discs. The 5.1 Surround mix on the 4K is mighty impressive. But I would advise viewers to adjust the decibel levels on the front channels to their liking so they can more clearly hear some of the dialogue. All vintage extras have been ported over on DISC TWO. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!