Continuity mistake: When the Jesuit tries to kill King Louis, Louis grabs a long bladed knife and stabs the Jesuit in the chest, but when the camera pulls back, the knife is gone, and no one has made a move to pull it out of his chest. Only the blade that D'Artanian threw at him is there.
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
Ending / spoiler
Directed by: Randall Wallace
Starring: Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gabriel Byrne, Gerard Depardieu
The plot to kidnap Louis and replace him with Phillip goes bad when D'Artagnan discovers the switch and stops it. Louis sends Phillip back to the prison to wear the Iron Mask. However, upon learning about the existence of Louis' twin brother, and how the evil Louis banished him to a dungeon to rot in an iron mask for his whole life, D'Artagnan turns on the King and joins his friends in the attempt to free Phillip from the dungeon. Louis suspects this, however, and has his Musketeers waiting for them at the jail. A battle ensues. In the midst of the fighting, D'Artagnan reveals to Phillip that he is Phillip and King Louis' father, as the Queen and he are in love. Louis tries to kill Phillip, but D'Artagnan dies protecting him. When the Musketeers see the king murder their Captain, they put Louis in the Iron Mask and proclaim Phillip to be the real Louis. Louis is left in the dungeon in the Iron Mask, and Phillip, forever after known as King Louis XIV, assumes the throne and restores honor to the French crown.
MovieSal
More mistakes in The Man in the Iron Mask
King Louis XIV: There is more of me to love than a crown.
Trivia: If you look in King Louis' bedroom, there is portrait of the real King Louis XIV.
More questions & answers from The Man in the Iron Mask
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Answer: It is partially true. Author Alexander Dumas based his character on records that were recovered about an unknown prisoner whose identity was kept secret by a black cloth that constantly covered his head. The facts gradually changed as a myth grew up around this account, and the cloth mask was eventually said to be iron. This person, who is believed to have been of high rank, was incarcerated in several prisons, including the Bastille. Dumas adapted the legend for his novel and made the unknown man the twin brother of King Louis XIV. However, the man's true identity has never been discovered. The movie has also distorted historical facts about the Bastille. It was originally built as a fortress during The Hundred Years War, and only later was it used as a prison. (It only held about 50 people.) When it was stormed by French peasants in 1789, there were only seven inmates, and it is believed the rioters were actually looking for ammunition rather than attempting to free prisoners.
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