Being an Alexandre Dumas fan I was happy to find this little item available for streaming at Movieflix.com.

It's a silent film, so I was a little hesitant at first as to whether or not I would be able to get into it and really enjoy it. After all aside from seeing little clips of Charlie Chaplin movies and Nosferatu, I really have never watched a silent film.

The Iron Mask has Dumas' Musketeers separated by the King of France. The King is adamant about keeping the birth of his son's twin a secret. He has ordered exile for anyone who even remotely knows about the twin and even sends the twin son to Spain. "Twin sons could mean a revolution" exclaims the King.

All that planning falls apart though when an evil representative from the King's court secretly plots to usurp the new King with his twin brother (who has become quite evil himself) many years later.

The two succeed and the evil brother is placed on the throne while the actual King is imprisoned. Fearing any type of recognition, the new King places an iron mask over the head of his brother so no one can tell who he is.

It is up to the noble D'Artagnan and his Musketeers to save the King and remove the evil twin from the throne.

I was really worried up into about twenty minutes of the film. I was having a hard time following a long because I'm just not used to silent films. After twenty minutes I had adjusted and really got into the story. The action is superb for a film this old and reading the cards with the story and dialogue became second nature after a while. It was as easy to get into this film as any other.

How to review the acting is going to be another story. How can one when he's only seen a couple of silent films? All I know is that the facial expressions, movement and sincerity was all there to go along well with the story. If they had been wooden I probably would not have been able to get into it. Throughout the film I began to care more and more about the characters which is really what an Alexandre Dumas story is about, not just the action, but your attachment to the swashbuckling heroes.

A great little silent film I am happy to have watched. Dumas' characters are favorites and his stories are always action packed.

Websites Of Interest:

http://www.movieflix.com/movie_info.mfx?movie_id=1333
Watch The Iron Mask at Movieflix.com for free.

Viewing Format: Streaming

Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV