The Man in the Iron Mask
The Man in the Iron Mask A. P. Euro In the Man in the Iron Mask Hollywood uses characters from Alexandre Dumas’ D’Artagnan Romances, and is very loosely portrays Louis IIV’s reign as ruthless leader. The movie attempts to explain the mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask, using a plot that depicts the man in the mask as Loius XIV’s twin brother Philippe. Much historical fiction can be found as the director loosely interprets Louis XIV’s reign. Louis XIV in real life indeed did have a brother named Philippe.
He was the actual Philippe of Orleans, who is not depicted in the film. He is however depicted as the King’s twin. The movie is set to take place in 1662, the film shows King Louis as a womanizer, which indeed he was and unmarried, in reality King Louis had married Maria Teresa of Spain in 1660. Also a section of the Palace of Versailles serves as a setting for part of the movie construction of the palace did not start until 1664. D’Artagnan’s death is also historically rendered to fit the plot.
The real D’Artagnan died in battle at the siege of Maastricht, more than ten years later then he died in the movie. In the movie Louis also target the Jesuits, in real life Louis was catholic and targeted Protestants. The movie ends with a completely fictional conclusion. It ends with an enraged Louis who tries to stab Philippe. However, D’Artagnan jumps between them and is fatally wounded. Lieutenant Andre livid at Louis for killing D’Artagnan, orders his men to leave and swears them to secrecy. Louis and Philippe swap clothes and Louis is locked in the iron mask.
Philippe introduces Athos, Porthos and Aramis as his royal council and truest friends. Posing as the King, Philippe orders the guards to take Louis and lock him away. The fact that Louis XIV been replaced by his twin brother and remembered as France’s most generous king who brought his people food, peace, and prosperity is completely factious. Louis XIV was considered by the general public in France as an authoritarian and heartless king. Louis XIV in fact spent most of the remainder of his reign at war.
If this ending were true the history of France and the entire world would have been drastically different. If a switch had taken place and Louis really had become such a great king, France would have never of seen a French revolution and Napoleon probably would of never existed in a state of power. France also could have been seen as a world power to come as they would have not been in such debt and they would have had much more power. France could have also been the ones to colonize the Americas as they lost much of there land in resulting wars started by the real Louis XIV.
