The Man In The Iron Mask: Film Analysis

The French Revolution is a prime example of absolutism, where there is full political power under one single ruler. It was believed that a blood lined had “divine rights” granted to them by the Lord himself, and this was passed down through generations of kings. The movie, The Man in the Iron Mask depicts aspects of the period of The French Revolution concerning the idea of absolutism and supreme power. Themes presented in the movie which was a result of King Louis’ unjust rule were Abuse of Power where he takes advantage of a peasant girl who is vulnerable to his riches; he says “you would choose a soldier over a king?” showing how he wrongly uses his power. A scene where he abuses power again would be when he begins feigning for Christine he has her soon to be fiancé sent to war, so he can be far away from her so as to increase his chances. Another theme …show more content…
The character is also used to present the most famous prisoner in French History (Theodorus, 2014). Why was this person’s face covered is a mystery to historians, but some say it was all made up so that the guard felt he has some sort of position. Assumptions were made that this prisoner probably had to wear the mask because he had seen something he had shouldn’t, many speculation surround this one man as there is little understanding of his life and imprisonment. This then affects France’s view of King Louis as they already didn’t trust his choices and overall him. The reason this character might have been a main part of the plot in the movie could have been that there were many speculations of the King at the time, so this could have added for effect on the viewer. This also aids in the emphasis of the idea of the manipulation that King Louis