''The Purple Mask'' is a 1955 American swashbuckler film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone starring

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

and set in 1803 France.Database (undated).
"''The Purple Mask'' (1955)"

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of At ...

. Retrieved March 26, 2013.

Background

The film was based on a successful play of the same name. The original 1913 French play titled ''Le Chevalier au masque'', by Paul Armont and

Jean Manoussi Jean Manoussi (14 November 1868 - 21 December 1929) was a French dramatist, film director and screenwriter. Jean Manoussi has written several theatre plays in collaboration with playwrights such as Paul Armont, Marcel Gerbidon or Gabriel Ti ...

, was adapted into English as ''The Purple Mask'' by

Matheson Lang Matheson Alexander Lang (May 15, 1879 – April 11, 1948) was a Canadian-born stage and film actor and playwright in the early 20th century. He is best remembered for his performances roles in Great Britain in Shakespeare plays. Biography Lang w ...

. The play opened in London in 1918 and ran for 365 performances. A later production in New York in 1920, starring

Leo Ditrichstein Leo Ditrichstein (January 6, 1865 – June 28, 1928) was an Austrian-American actor and playwright. Biography He was born on January 6, 1865, in Temesvár, Austria-Hungary. He was educated in Vienna and was naturalized as an American citiz ...

, was less successful, closing after 139 shows.

Plot

France, 1803, is under

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

's rule, but royalist adversaries rally behind the mysterious Purple Mask, whose daring feats give them hope. A police captain, Rochet, goes after the Purple Mask only to be taken captive by him, whereupon Napoleon assigns the expert swordsman Brisquet to go after him. The lovely Laurette de Latour, daughter of a duke and romantic interest of Captain Laverne, is on the side of the royalists. She helps hatch a scheme in which the foppish Rene de Traviere, who seems able with a sword, impersonates the Purple Mask to infiltrate Napoleon's ranks and free her kidnapped father. Laurette is unaware that Rene is, in fact, the Purple Mask, who continues his charade, drawing ridicule on himself, until ultimately he is imprisoned along with the duke. Laurette discovers his true identity while imprisoned. On their way to the guillotine, Rene, Laurette and the duke are rescued in a pre-arranged raid through the sewers of Paris by the royalist rebels. Napoleon, glad to be rid of the troublemakers, permits Rene and Laurette to leave the country for England.

Cast

as Rene de Traviere / The Purple Mask *

Colleen Miller Colleen Joy Miller (born November 10, 1932) is an American actress. She starred in several films, such as the Westerns '' Gunfight at Comanche Creek'' (1963) and '' Four Guns to the Border'' (1954). Early life The daughter of Elias and Lillian ...

as Laurette de Latour *

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...

as Madame Valentine *

Gene Barry Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass, June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films '' The Atomic City'' (1952) and ''The War of The Worl ...

as Capt. Charles Laverne * Allison Hayes as Irene de Bournotte *

John Hoyt John Hoyt (born John McArthur Hoysradt; October 5, 1905 – September 15, 1991) was an American actor. He began his acting career on Broadway, later appearing in numerous films and television series. He is perhaps best known for his film and TV ...

as Rochet * Dan O'Herlihy as Brisquet * Robert Cornthwaite as

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

Paul Cavanagh William Grigs Atkinson (8 December 1888 – 15 March 1964), known professionally as Paul Cavanagh, was an English film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1928 and 1959. Life and career Cavanagh was born in Felling, ...

as Duc de Latour

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Purple Mask, The 1950s historical adventure films 1955 films CinemaScope films American historical adventure films Depictions of Napoleon on film American films based on plays Films set in France Films set in the 1800s American swashbuckler films Universal Pictures films Films directed by H. Bruce Humberstone 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Background

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links