"The Man in the Iron Mask", from the pen of Alexandre Dumas is a rousing adventure featuring treachery, double crossing with swash buckling aplenty thrown in.In the mid 16th century, twin sons are born to King Louis XIII (Albert Dekker) of France. Only one can be heir to the throne. The birth of the second twin is to be kept a secret. Only the king, the mid wife, doctor and faithful servant Colbert (Walter Kingsfprd) are in on the secret. But alas Cardinal's messenger, the ambitious Fouquet (Joseph Schildkraut) overhears the secret while in hiding. The King calls for his loyal guard D'Artagnon (Warren William) and charges him with the raising of the second twin named Phillippe.Fast forward twenty years and Twin no. 1 has become King Louis XIV (Louis Hayward) who has been over taxing the people while conducting a reign of terror. Phillippe (also Hayward) has become the swash buckling adopted son of D'Artagnon and the Three Musketeers, Porthos (Alan Hale), Aramis (Miles Mander) and Athos (Bert Roach).Louis is to marry Spanish princess Maria Theresa (Joan Bennett) for political purposes. Meanwhile Louis has a mistress Mlle. de la Valliere (Marion Martin) on the side. Phillipe and the Musketeers are arrested by the King's guards (Harry Woods, Peter Cushing). They are brought before the King where Louis and Phillippe discover that they are twin brothers a fact that is verified by their mother Queen Anne (Doris Kenyon).Louis meanwhile has learned of plot to assassinate him while attending a religious ceremony at the Cathedral. Louis decides to send Phillippe in his place while the Musketeers remain imprisoned. Phillippe meets Maria Theresa and she is smitten with his kindness and attitude toward the people unaware the he is not the King. When she again meets with Louis, she is confused by his sudden return to ruthlessness. At one point she decides to return to Spain but Fouquet murders her courier and she is forced to remain.Louis sees that his brother is a threat to the throne and decides to have him executed. Colbert, convinces him that he cannot do so because of tradition and their likeness. With Foubert's help. Louis devises an iron mask to be placed on Phillippe's head with the hope that his growing beard will eventually choke him. He is then cast into the Bastille on a life sentence.Meantime, the Musketeers manage to escape from the Bastille and set about to free Phillippe. In a touch of irony they manage to exchange Louis for Phillippe with Louis being placed in the iron mask. However, Fouquet learns of this and sends his guard (under Lane Chandler), to free Louis. Princess Maria Theresa meanwhile has learned of the true identity of Phillippe and pledges him her love.In a showdown with Louis and Fouquet, Phillippe and the musketeers are forced to engage in a battle to the death with superior forces and.........................................................This film was one of many versions of the Dumas story. It had been filmed as "The Iron Mask" in 1929 as Douglas Fairbanks final silent. Louis Hayward is surprisingly adept in the dual role of the twins. Joseph Schildkraut makes a slimy hissable villain. Joan Bennett looks beautiful as the heroine but has little else to do. Warren William while no Fairbanks, acquits himself well as D'Artagnon. The other Musketeers are largely in the background.Watch for veteran silent villain Montagu Love as the Spanish Ambassador and horror veteran Dwight Frye as Fouquet's valet.

Intermittently exciting "Musketeers" tale, highlighted by the "Jekyll-Hyde" performance of Louis Hayward as the King of France and his undiscovered (then, discovered) twin brother. Mr. Hayward does a great job; especially when the "Good" twin confronts the "Evil" twin with his "Iron Mask"."The Man in the Iron Mask" might have been better as a swashbuckling horror story; and, director James Whale could have delivered the goods. The Iron Mask of the title is designed for Edgar Allen Poe-type horror… it is locked around a Hayward's neck, so that he will slowly be strangled by his own beard. A gruesome death! I expected a little more excitement, and suspense, in this film.The other characters are enjoyable; Joseph Schildkraut was my favorite supporting character. Joan Bennett is the beautiful love interest, but she doesn't have much of an opportunity to show any acting skills. By the way, her scene in the coach shows her looking very much like Scarlet O'Hara from "Gone with the Wind." After seeing her in this, you can picture her testing for Scarlett. ******* The Man in the Iron Mask (6/26/39) James Whale ~ Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, Joseph Schildkraut, Warren William

I am watching this movie right now on TCM. Filmed gloriously in black and white. But as I have read in another thread about this movie, Warren William shines in his role as Philippe D'Artagnan. Warren William, in my humble opinion, was the heart throb of the 1930s and 40s. So handsome and his voice like honey. Okay, I'm being dramatic here, but I have watched so many of his movies on TCM and I am so enamored of him. One of the greatest actors of his time, it is amazing to me that he is so unknown today. In my opinion, he ranks up there with the greatest actors of his time, along with Gary Cooper, Bogart and the like. This movie is a treasure. And so is Warren William!

All positive comments are agreed to. This is truly one of the finest ones. The only minor dig that I could come up with is that they could have had more dueling sequences. Louis Hayward was capable of more robust fencing than what was portrayed here and I don't think they utilized his skills to any great degree. Outside of that this is a truly enjoyable film, black and white or not and while I don't advocate doing every B/W film over by colorizing it, I think I would like to see what this one Australia, What Guy Pearce Remake??????? Guy Pearce did Count of Monte Cristo, not M.I.T.I.M. as far as I have been able to determine.