The Iron Mask (1929)

In one of the last silent movie epics Douglas Fairbanks reprised his role of D'Artagnan in this sequel to 1921's The Three Musketeers. King Louis XIII (Rolfe Sedan) receives news that his wife has given him a heir - but there is a problem, the heir has a twin. Cardinal Richeliu (Nigel de Brulier) fears the twin could cause trouble for France and must be kept secret. D'Artagnan's lover Constance (Marguerite de la Motte) - who had been the midwife - is banished and later dies. D'Artagnan finally discovers the existence of the twins and is assigned to act as the baby heir's guardian. However the evil de Rochfort (Ullrich Haupt) takes the twin away and raises him in secret...

Twenty years later the baby is now a man and is King Louis XIV (William Bakewell). De Rochfort arranges for the (evil and vain) twin to replace his brother. The true king is imprisoned and put in an iron mask so that no one could know of his identity. However a message is gotton through to D'Artagnan. The musketeers return for one last battle to save the true king...

A true swashbuckling silent movie epic, and also available in transitional form with a sound prologue and narration by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Although early on the film it gets bogged down a bit with flashbacks and trivia, in the second half of the film it is non-stop action, and lots of blades of course. It is lavish and grand with exquisite sets and costumes and an army of extras, a fitting end to this era of Hollywood.