Man in the Iron Mask, The (1939)

Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett James Whale directs another excellent literary adaptation (SHOW BOAT) with this second film version of Dumas’s novel, opening with the birth of twin heirs to France’s throne. The king (Albert Dekker) and his minister, Colbert (Walter Kingsford), worry that two dauphins could spark civil war, so they entrust D’Artagnan (Warren William) with raising the second child in secret. Years later, the first son, now King Louis XIV (Louis Hayward), has become a cruel, profligate tyrant. By contrast, his unwitting twin, Philippe (Hayward again), is an honorable man, fighting the king’s unjust taxes with help from D’Artagnan and his godfathers, the three musketeers. The rebels are arrested and condemned to die, but Colbert saves Philippe by alerting the king to their striking resemblance. Louis uses Philippe to save himself from assassination– and also to distract his fiancée, Maria Theresa (Joan Bennett). Unbeknownst to Philippe, who is enjoying his role, he is in danger from treacherous minister Fouquet (Joseph Schildkraut). When the increasingly mad king learns of Philippe’s true identity, he devises a fiendish punishment worthy of a Whale horror film. What does fate have in store for the two brothers, the woman between them, and the people of France?