 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "The Man in the Iron Mask" 1977 film – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
1977 American TV series or program
| The Man in the Iron Mask | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Based on | The Vicomte of Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas |
| Screenplay by | William Bast |
| Directed by | Mike Newell |
| Starring | Richard Chamberlain Jenny Agutter Patrick McGoohan Ralph Richardson Louis Jourdan Ian Holm Hugh Fraser |
| Theme music composer | Allyn Ferguson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Norman Rosemont |
| Cinematography | Freddie Young |
| Editor | Bill Blunden |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Release | January 17, 1977 (1977-01-17) |
The Man in the Iron Mask is a 1977 television film loosely adapted from the 1847–1850 novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas and presenting several plot similarities with the 1939 film version. It was produced by Norman Rosemont for ITC Entertainment, and starred Richard Chamberlain as King Louis XIV and his twin Philippe, Patrick McGoohan as Nicolas Fouquet, Ralph Richardson as Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis Jourdan as D'Artagnan, and Ian Holm as the Chevalier Duval. Jenny Agutter plays Louis XIV's mistress, Louise de la Vallière. Vivien Merchant appears as Queen Marie-Therese. It was directed by Mike Newell.
Plot
In this version, the twins' ages are swapped. Philippe is the firstborn and rightful king, who had been spirited away at birth and raised with no knowledge of his true identity in a plot by Cardinal Mazarin to manipulate Louis before his own death. Colbert and D'Artagnan plot to replace Louis (who is an ineffective king more interested in dancing and pleasure than the welfare of France) with Philippe, and in the process bring down the corrupt finance minister Fouquet, who has embezzled from the national treasury. Louis is repulsed by his own wife and makes repeated advances on Louise, who is in turn repulsed by him yet falls in love with Philippe.
Cast
- Richard Chamberlain as King Louis XIV/Philippe
- Jenny Agutter as Louise de La Vallière, Louis XIV's mistress
- Patrick McGoohan as Nicolas Fouquet
- Ralph Richardson as Jean-Baptiste Colbert
- Louis Jourdan as D'Artagnan
- Ian Holm as the Chevalier Duval
- Hugh Fraser as Montfleury
- Brenda Bruce as Queen Anne of Austria
- Vivien Merchant as Queen Marie-Therese
Production
Although a made-for-TV movie, actual locations in France were used for filming, including the Château de Fontainebleau and Fouquet's actual chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte for the final ball scene.
References
External links
| Films directed by Mike Newell | |
|---|---|
| Feature films |
|
| Television |
|
 | This article related to a TV movie of the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
 | This article about an adventure film is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- 1977 television films
- 1977 films
- British television films
- Films based on The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later
- British swashbuckler films
- Films directed by Mike Newell
- 1970s adventure films
- Cultural depictions of Louis XIV
- Cultural depictions of Jean-Baptiste Colbert
- Man in the Iron Mask
- Fiction about twins
- Television shows based on works by Alexandre Dumas
- 1970s British films
- Cultural depictions of Anne of Austria
- Cultural depictions of Cardinal Mazarin
- British television film stubs
- Adventure film stubs