Watchingwell 

                                 Curated classic films

Masks, masks, masks.  I’ve been thinking of masks. Did you know how many masks appear in film titles?

  

The most famous mask story is, of course, The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas, about Philippe, the twin of the French king, Louis, who is banished, and then one of  them is imprisoned with an iron mask so as not to be recognized, and somehow the Three Musketeers get together again in the plot to free him.

The story was made into several films, and many fans actually think the 1929 silent version, The Iron Mask,

which was Douglas Fairbanks’ final silent, was the best. Fairbanks stars as D’Artagnan with Marguerite De La Motte and directed by Allan Dwan.  So, I mention it, even though, I generally, assume most people won’t watch silents. This one is available, however, on DVD and on Amazon Prime.

The next noteworthy version was from 1939, a stellar year in American filmmaking. In The Man in the Iron Mask, Louis Hayward stars as both twins, with Warren Williams as D’Artagnan and Joan Bennett as the princess betrothed to one twin and in love with the other, directed by James Whale.

Believe it or not, Louis Hayward was in yet another version, from 1952, starring this time as D’Artagnan in Lady in the Iron Mask, where the royal twins are female, played by Patricia Medina. Directed by Ralph Murphy.

Although a made-for-TV movie, the 1977 version of The Man in the Iron Mask was quite a  lavish production with Richard Chamberlain in one of his best roles, or rather, two of his best roles, as both twins, with Louis Jordan as D’Artagnan.  Directed by Mike Newell, who went on to successful feature films like Four Weddings and a Funeral.

And who doesn’t remember Boris Karloff in The Mask of Fu Manchu from 1932? The evil genius who seeks the mask of Genghis Khan to rule the world, and his nemesis, Sir Denis Nayland-Smith of Scotland Yard, played by Lewis Stone, are the stuff of legend, albeit, historically racist stuff.  But a classic from pre-code Hollywood, with a frankly seductive and sadistic, early Myrna Loy as Miss Fu Manchu.

Also from 1932, and starring Boris Karloff, Behind the Mask is a decent pre-code B picture that mixes a few chilling  (thanks to Boris) scenes with a crime drama – but no masks!  All about an undercover agent trying to infiltrate a gang of heroin smugglers, with Jack Holt, Constance Cummings, directed by John Francis Dillon.

From 1941, The Face Behind the Mask, stars Peter Lorre as an immigrant watchmaker who is horribly disfigured in a hotel fire.  Bitter because of his inability to find work, he turns to crime.  With Evelyn Keyes, and directed by Robert Florey.

Peter Lorre teams again with Sidney Greenstreet (after great

success in The Maltese Falcon) in a gem of a film noir from 1944, The Mask of Dimitrios.  Adapted from an Eric Ambler novel, the suspenseful tale of international intrigue, also stars Zachary Scott as an author who becomes interested in a body that washes up on the beach.








A pretty good Charlie Chan entry from 1945, The Jade Mask, has Charlie (the Sidney Toler Charlie) investigating murder in -- what else? -- a spooky mansion, with a mad scientist and number four son, played by Edwin Luke and assistant/chauffeur, Birmingham Brown, played by Mantan Moreland.  Directed by Phil Rosen.






The Devil's Mask (1946) is a noir-ish story with some horror touches, all surrounding a plane crash and a shrunken head.  The plot is hard to discern, but lots of atmosphere provided by director, Henry Levin.  Starring Anita Louis, Mona Barrie and Jim Bannon.












Also from 1946, Behind the Mask, stars Kane Richmond as Lamont Cranston -- the Shadow, who must prove he is innocent of the murder of a blackmailer.  Also starring Barbara Read and George Chandler and directed  by Phil Karlson.

The Mask of the Avenger (1951) takes place in revolutionary Europe where masked John Derek is fighting with Anthony Quinn  for his Italian homeland against the Austrian invaders. Lots of  swashbuckling.  Also directed by Phil Karlson.











Tony Curtis is a highwayman called The Purple Mask

(1955) who rescues his friends and harasses their political enemies. A Scarlet Pimpernel -ish costumer set in Napoleonic France.  Also starring Angela Lansbury, Colleen Miller, and Gene Barry.  Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone.

A mask story that's actually about its medical purpose is offered in this 1958 British film, Behind the Mask.  A young surgeon, played by Tony Britton, makes a  fatal mistake. Also starring Michael Redgrave and the screen debut of his daughter, Vanessa.  Directed by Brian Desmond Hurst.












A little modern for the classic time frame, but, hey, it is 35 years old, and how can you ignore a film that's actually called Mask?   The heart-breaking 1985 drama stars Cher as the mother who tries to make life as normal as possible for her son, a teen with a skull deformity, a role that added to her legitimacy as an actress.  The true-life story also stars Eric Stoltz, Sam Elliot and Laura Dern.  Directed without sentimentality by Peter Bogdanovich.









Finally, I am including the best mask film which doesn't actually say "Mask" in it's title, but it should, and in a later version in 1998, it was. It's The Mark of Zorro, (Only one letter difference!) from 1940, starring Tyrone Power as the masked irritant to the Spanish rulers of old California, and also as his alter ego, Don Diego.  With Linda Darnell as the love interest and Basil Rathbone as his nemesis. Great swordplay, if you like that sort of  thing, and who doesn't? Directed by Rouben Mamoulian.