Douglas Fairbanks Double Feature 2: This Time Cohen Media Group Does It Right

I approached this second Douglas Fairbanks double feature Blu-Ray from the Cohen Media Group with some trepidation. Earlier this year (2023) they released a Blu-Ray of DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS IN ROBIN HOOD and THE BLACK PIRATE which, while definitely worth having, came up short when compared to Cohen’s previous efforts (those shortcomings are detailed in my earlier review of that Blu-Ray). I am happy to report that this time around those shortcomings have been corrected and that this Douglas Fairbanks double feature is a must have for ALL silent film enthusiasts not just fans of Fairbanks.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS and THE IRON MASK represent the beginning and the end of Fairbanks’ swashbuckling career. Up until THE MARK OF ZORRO (1920), Fairbanks had made his reputation in a series of modern day comedies so doing a costume picture was something of a gamble however ZORRO’s overwhelming success decided his career for the rest of the decade. MUSKETEERS (1921) was the followup to ZORRO and Fairbanks spared no expense in recreating the period depicted in Dumas’ novel. D’Artagnan became his favorite character which is why he chose him to close out his silent career.

For those not familiar with the story, it takes place in 17th century France around 1625 during the reign of Louis XIII. D’Artagnan, a country lad, comes to Paris to join the King’s musketeers but runs afoul of their 3 best swordsmen (Athos, Portos, Aramis). While fighting a duel with Athos, they are interrupted by Cardinal Richilieu’s guards. The four join forces to defeat them and afterwards become fast friends under the motto “All For One And One For All”. Later they become involved in Court intrigue involving Richilieu, the Queen, and England’s Duke of Buckingham. After a dangerous mission, they are triumphant and D’Artagnan is made a musketeer.

In addition to Fairbanks, the movie is filled with fine performances from silent screen veterans to later well known performers such as Eugene Pallette and Adolphe Menjou. The movie was helmed by then top director Fred Niblo (BEN-HUR). The restoration work done on MUSKETEERS is first rate and a vast improvement over the old Kino DVD eliminating numerous print defects and some speed control issues. Robert Israel’s original orchestral score is a delight to hear and beats the old Kino synthesized version hands down. This should remain the definitive version of 3 MUSKETEERS for years to come. 

THE IRON MASK (1929) was Fairbanks’ farewell to silent movies and this time he really spared no expense in recreating the time period. Clips of his sets and his crowd scenes worked their way into many historical epics in the 1930s. The story combines Dumas’ TWENTY YEARS AFTER and THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK. Now the king is the young Louis XIV who has an unknown twin brother who covets the throne. He is eventually thwarted but at a terrible cost. Just as with THE BLACK PIRATE in the earlier set, no restoration was done but, unlike PIRATE, none was needed as Cohen/Kino use the top quality Photoplay/MOMA version from 2002.