Movie Review: ***^Man in the Iron Mask

This movie is very enjoyable.  It stars Lenonardo DiCaprio in a dual role as King Louis and his twin brother, Prince Phillip.  The pretest of this movie, is that Prince Phillip has been hidden since birth, as there can only be on heir.  When King Louis is crowned  , he has his brother imprisoned, with an iron mask over his face, so no one can see his face and see that he looks like the king.  He is never told why he is imprisoned.  He does not know he is the king's brother.

And there enter the musketeers.  They have been given a much smaller role, and in fact are mostly on the outside looking in, except for D'artagnan who is captain of the guard.  He is also a secret lover of the queen.  King Louis betrays the son of Athos, (John Malkovich) sending him to the front lines where he will be sure to die in war.  He does this, so he can have his fiance, as he uses many women.  Porthos, who needs adventure, and Aramis, who leads the rebellion determine to bring down the king.  Aranis is privy to information about Prince  Phillip, and the steal him from jail.  They hope to replace the king  with the prince.  However, can they teach him to be regal in just a few weeks, the time they have before a masquerade ball, when they hope to make the switch.

This movie is suspenseful and intriguing.  Malkovich is always good, and as the father who loses his son does a good job.  There is some sexual inuendo, and the King seems to be often in bed with different women.  I would recommend this movie, and will probably view it again.

Movie Reviews: ***^Les Miserables (2000)

This is not the version currently in the movies, but a 2000 miniseries version which is available through instant Netflix.  It has an international cast with Gerard Depardieu, a French actor, as Jean Valjean and John Malkovich as Javert.  Malkovich is eerie in his roll of Javert, as he is so persisitent in his pursuit of evil.  
This version does not have the music, and has a couple of plot twists different than the musical.  These mostly involved the Thernadier family, as Thernadier ended up in prison after his first experience with Valjean for selling a child.  His other experiences were just as distressing, and lead to his harboring great bitterness.  By this we understand more his motivation to rob Valjean when they meet again in the city.  The emotions are in this movie, as in the other versions I have seen.  They make Eponine to be uglier, and with less of a crush on Marius.  However Marius is the neighbor to Thernadier.  It is he who warns Javert of the robbery of Valjean, and puts Javert on the trail of Valjean again.
Marius' grandfather has a larger roll.  And takes his grandson in after the barricade.
My only complaint was the suicide.  Javert walks into the river.  Could you really complete a suicide that way?  Cosette (Virginie Ledoyan) is truly beautiful, and could easily steal a man's heart at one sighting.  This movie is entertaining.