1929, USA
Adventure
This interesting black and white Douglas Fairbanks Sr. movie is a sequel to his Three Musketeers. Made in 1929, this is Fairbanks’ last silent movie, and -- shades of Singin’ in the Rain -- Fairbanks tried to deal with the oncoming sound tsunami. The original movie had music, sound effects and several synchronized speeches by Fairbanks on Vitaphone discs. From these came the two sound introductions seen in this restoration.
The year is 1628, Louis XIII is king, and Cardinal Richelieu is in power. Among the musketeers there is much horseplay, gambling, and a hearty, boys-will-be-boys swaggering bon homme. We, along with the twenty people in the room, watch the birth of Louis XIV. Most leave, after which a second son is born. Richelieu decides that two heirs will lead to wars, so the second baby is sent to Spain.
There is another sound introduction, which tells us that twenty-four years have passed. D’Artagnan is a close counselor to the pleasant 24-year-old Louis, who is now king. Meanwhile, the twin is growing up nasty. His people kidnap the king and replace him with the twin. The king is kept alive, wearing an iron mask, so he cannot be recognized. D’Artagnan realizes that there is a phony on the throne, and calls for the three musketeers to rescue the king. There are swordfights up and down spiral stairs, four against 50 -- no problem -- and of course, sword fights on horseback.
The crowd scenes are impressive, with great sets and costumes. Richelieu’s character is inconsistent. Sometimes he is the devil, and sometimes he is the country’s savior. As in most silent movies, there are few titles, and very few are needed. The movie is a fast-paced 75 minutes, full of some nifty gymnastics. This movie is a bit more “All for One” – being Fairbanks – than it is one for all. There is little sense of the presence of the other three.
The restoration of this movie was produced by Kevin Brownlow, with a great score by Carl Davis. The DVD extras include several sets of outtakes with their final scenes. We see that not all swashes buckle successfully the first time. We also see how much music adds to the movie. The extras include an excerpt from the strange 1952 reissue, which had no titles or dialog, but did have music, sound effects and a narration. How did they ever think that would go over in 1952?
We learn a number of interesting facts from the extras. There were rumors in the reign of Louis XIV that there was a prisoner of noble birth who wore an iron mask. Alexander Dumas Pere wrote several novels using the idea of the king with a secret twin. In Dumas’ novels, the twin was good, not the king. Fairbanks changed that for his movies.
Fairbanks, the “king of Hollywood,” earned approximately $19,000 per week in 1921. The height of the stairs and tables were designed so that Fairbanks could go up and down most gracefully, and he hardly ever used a double.