The Man in the Iron Mask (1977)

STARS: Richard Chamberlain, Patrick McGoohan, Ralph Richardson, Louis Jourdan, Ian Holm, Jenny Agutter.

DIRECTOR: Mike Newell. DURATION: 104 mins.

SYNOPSIS: Alexandre Dumas' tale of tyrannical French king Louis XIV, who imprisons his twin - and slightly older - brother in a remote island jail with an iron mask to cover his face. Fortunately fate (and two rebellious members of state) lends a hand to see good triumph over evil.

RC PLAYS: Phillipe/King Louis XIV.

It was almost history repeating itself - an all-star, dramatically shortened adaptation of an Alexandre Dumas novel. Following his success in The Count of Monte Cristo, it came as no surprise that Chamberlain was asked to take the lead here.

Once again the film was shot abroad, this time in France, and was released theatrically in Europe. Mike Newell, who went on to direct Four Weddings and a Funeral, provided behind-the-camera duties.

At one point in his career, Richard had actively sought roles in a bid to avoid typecasting. So how did he explain his current prediliction for playing swashbucklers? "I'm a cape freak," he laughed.

Chamberlain's dual role in the film gave him ample opportunity to showcase his talents - there certainly couldn't be literary or cinematic siblings less alike. The actor really gets to be both villainous and overwhelmingly good, but is particularly impressive when as Phillipe he offers a range of emotions while trying to depose his vile brother and meeting their mother for the first time.

During filming, a bizarre rumour spread that Richard had taken to wearing his 'iron' mask off set, but he claims "I never wore it! I did eat a little cheese through it, but the mask was terribly claustrophobic."

Chamberlain's hero stands up well in comparison to previous versions which starred both Douglas Fairbanks and Louis Hayward (who, like Richard, also played Monte Cristo) - but it simply blows away the most recent and disappointing adaptation which starred Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.

The Man in the Iron Mask was another personal triumph for the actor, proving his popularity both at home and abroad. Overall it's still a good production which rates far higher than The Count of Monte Cristo - in fact, the only surprise was that Chamberlain missed out on another Emmy nomination.

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