Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Man in the Iron Mask Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson October 10, 2018

Note: this review contains spoilers but shouldn't surprise those familiar with Dumas's original story.

Kudos to the casting directors of The Man in the Iron Mask for believing that they could transform Prince Jack into not one, but two kings. Indeed, as he road the ginormous waves of Titanic to mega superstardom, Leo DiCaprio was courted to play both evil King Louis XIV and his twin brother, the virtuous Phillippe. MGM/UA assumed new ownership before production began and in an ingenious move, the studio decided to release their costume epic the second full weekend of March 1998 when it wouldn't be in competition with any other major studio titles. The marketing department was no doubt aware of "Leo Mania" sweeping the country and Iron Mask almost unseated Titanic atop the box office. Both grossed over $17 million on that weekend but Titanic edged Iron Mask out to remain number one for an incredible thirteenth consecutive week! Having Leo headline a star-studded cast helped Iron Mask considerably as it went on to earn nearly $57 million in the US. It also worked magic in test screenings. Former Star Tribune (MN) film critic Jeff Strickler recalled that a preview audience comprised largely of young women "showed signs of uneasy concern in the early going when the movie was focused on introducing the Musketeers. There was an audible collective sigh of enchantment when DiCaprio finally made his appearance....they remain entranced from the moment DiCaprio first bats his eyelashes at the camera." Iron Mask cost MGM/UA $35 million to make and as producer Paul Hitchcock notes in a new interview on this disc, he asked for about $5 million more and the studio obliged him. The shoot lasted fourteen weeks (going five days over schedule) as the crew filmed in the Studios d'Arpajon, on several sound stages, and three of the most picturesque locations in Paris.

Randall Wallace (Pearl Harbor, We Were Soldiers) was coming off his Oscar-nominated script for Braveheart and wanted to mount his directorial debut on a smaller scale than his Scottish epic. Wallace could identify with the Three Musketeers in Iron Mask because like him, they were coming off glorious triumphs and wondering what to do next. Wallace made a loose adaptation out of Alexandre Dumas's eponymous 1850 novel, retaining the principal characters but creating new story events in his screenplay. It is set in the mid eighteenth century with King Louis XIV (DiCaprio) ruling France with a supreme grip. He orders executions of subordinates who don't perform up to his standards. He's also oblivious to the civil war that's left much of the nation's proletarians in ruin. D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne), one of the original Musketeers, is Louis's top lieutenant and loyal to him even as he disagrees with many of his decisions. D'Artagnan's old comrades are either starting new lives or experiencing a mid-life crisis. Aramis (Jeremy Irons) has founded a priesthood. Porthos (Gérard Depardieu) has become a libertine and opened his own brothel (although he seems quite bored). Athos (John Malkovich) can't find much to do but his dashing son, Raoul (Peter Sarsgaard), is hoping to start a family with his beautiful fiancée, Christine (Judith Godrèche). However, Louis is extremely jealous and tries to woo an unwilling Christine away so he can have her all to himself. The King sends Raoul off to the front lines and when Athos receives some bad news, he goes along with Aramis's plan to locate the man in the iron mask, whom they hope to liberate and groom to be Louis's replacement. Aramis, Porthos, and Athos travel to the island of St. Marguerite and a fortress know as the Bastille. This will test the Musketeers' friendship with D'Artagnan as they plot a new future for France.

The Musketeers make a charge.

As Louis, DiCaprio plays the King as an unkind, narcissistic, and spoiled monarch. He looks uneasy projecting a boyish evil persona and commanding cruel orders. At this early stage of his career, he was more naturally fit to play a sweet and honest protagonist like Phillippe. The latter is the better of the two performances. As he's gotten older, DiCaprio has become better adept at handling villainous roles. Still, in inhabiting each character in this film, he holds his own opposite Byrne, Irons, Malkovich, and Depardieu.

Wallace paces the film with prime concentration on character and setting. He doesn't really get to a sustained sword fight until the climax. He forbade his crew from uttering "swashbuckler" throughout the shoot. The critics made the mistake of describing it as swashbuckling. Critically, Iron Mask received good but not great reviews. However, it impressed some of the hardest to please. Melbourne native Adrian Martin, one of the most respected film historians the world over, labeled it a "terrific film." While not a grand action showcase, Iron Mask is a sumptuous and entertaining debut from Wallace.

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

This is the second Blu-ray release of The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), which comes eight years after Fox/MGM put out a combo pack. Shout Select has made it #49 in its series with this commemorative 20th Anniversary Edition. I can confirm that this BD's 1.85:1 framing is the same aspect ratio "as seen in theatrical release," which MGM/UA labeled on the jacket of Image Entertainment's two 1998 LaserDisc editions (one DTS, the other DD 5.1). Shout conducted a new 4K scan of the original camera negative and the results are mostly stunning. In his critique of the Fox/MGM BD-50, Casey Broadwater noted that the reds were "much too hot" during the pig chase sequence, for instance. I don't think that the primary colors are too oversaturated on this transfer. The landscapes and shrubbery surrounding the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte are sun-dappled, giving the greens a bright and rich hue (see Screenshot #s 3, 7, 18-20; also check out the verdant vegetation beyond the lake in #4). Some of the costumes and chairs in Louis's castle have a burgundy look to them. The restored print still retains some dirt and occasional small white specks. Shout has transferred the feature using the MPEG-4 AVC encode, which boasts an average bitrate of 24932 kbps. My video score is 4.25.

The 132-minute movie is only given twelve scene selections. MGM/Fox previously provided thirty-seven chapter stops.

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

Shout has supplied the film's original DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (3069 kbps, 24-bit) and a downconverted DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1597 kbps, 24-bit). In evaluating the 5.1, I'd say that it's every bit as punchy and dynamic as the losseless mix that Casey reviewed. Horses' hooves hit the cobblestone and ground with sharp thuds. Music and ambience create a very lively and enveloping soundscape. Composer Nick Glennie-Smith, who has collaborated with Hans Zimmer on several scores, wrote a main theme that sounds a bit like the one his mentor wrote for Gladiator two years later. The dialogue spoken by American, British, and French actors is crisp and consistently understandable. The only downside to the 5.1 track is I noticed few discrete f/x on the surrounds. It's a very balanced mix but doesn't show a lot of separation from the fronts to the satellite speakers.

Optional English SHD are available for the main feature.

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

• Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Randall Wallace - this is the same track that first appeared on MGM's LD and DVD releases in '98. The soft-spoken Wallace gives some informative tidbits about the production but there are gaps throughout. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW 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 other topic and 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.

• 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.

• 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 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There have been over a dozen cinematic adaptions of the The Three Musketeers and The Man in the Iron Mask produced since the silent era. While one can find superior renditions, Wallace's Iron Mask is one of the most lavish. It makes up for a lack of action through some smart writing for its highly talented ensemble cast. If you own any of the MGM or Fox discs, you'll want to upgrade with this special edition. (Although Shout promised three new interviews on the slipcover, there's only two on this disc.) The new transfer is often ravishing to behold. DiCaprio fans will want to lap this up.