La maschera di porpora

This is yet another vintage Hollywood costumed adventure romp, a "Scarlet Pimpernel" clone that proves to be a modest but lively swashbuckler with Tony Curtis cutting a dashing figure as the titular masked avenger (who, predictably, utilizes a foppish countenance as cover). Though awarding the film per se no stars at all, the late eminent British critic Leslie Halliwell nevertheless recommended Curtis' contribution here when denoting the more noteworthy genre exponents in his "Filmgoer's Companion" (an informative and vastly entertaining tome which I used to consume in my younger days but, having now been overtaken somewhat by up-to-date information which can be gathered more readily via the Internet, I do miss leafing through)!

Anyway, though the narrative pretty much follows the traditional pattern – with The Purple Mask even taking time out for romance (with unknown but adequate Colleen Miller) amid his action-packed and danger-fraught exploits – it's given a considerable boost by once again providing (as did BOTANY BAY [1953]: see my review elsewhere) a formidable antagonist for the hero in Dan O'Herlihy who, like him, is not above using deceptive cunning in carrying out his task and eventually engages Curtis in a fencing duel by the shadow of the guillotine! Also on hand in the villainous stakes are John Hoyt as the incompetent Chief Of Police, Gene Barry as a Captain Of The Guards (who is also conveniently enamored of the leading lady) and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, Robert Cornthwaite (best-known for playing the misguided scientist in Howard Hawks' THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD [1951]) as Napoleon Bonaparte! Therefore, this was O'Herlihy's first on screen encounter with Napoleon since he would later also appear in the Russian epic WATERLOO (1971; with Rod Steiger); on the other hand, O'Herlihy had also just come from playing a monarch himself and an ally of Tony Curtis in their previous (and superior) collaboration, THE BLACK SHIELD OF FALWORTH (1954).

Incidentally, the script makes a passing but interesting reference to France's then-First Consul's own bid for power: while he seemed to side with the Revolutionaries, Napoleon secretly harbored a wish for Royalist restoration (which would eventually occur, albeit briefly, in 1804 – a year after the events depicted in the film – with himself as Emperor). Finally, THE PURPLE MASK – along with another popular Universal swashbuckler, the Rock Hudson vehicle CAPTAIN LIGHTFOOT (1955), which I had tried to acquire recently but ended up with only 20 minutes of playable film! – is conspicuous by its absence on DVD; consequently, I had to make do in this case with an edition culled from a panned-and-scanned TV screening which, bafflingly, ran for a mere 75 minutes: the movie's full-length is given in various sources as 82 (which, even making allowances for PAL speed-up, would still leave some 4 minutes unaccounted for!).

Try as he might Tony Curtis in his long career never really lost that Bronx speech pattern. It was the reason he got the horselaugh when he did these swashbucklers. He was so much better in modern dress and when The Purple Mask came out it was 2 years from his breakthrough part in Sweet Smell Of Success.

In this film Curtis plays a Zorro like character who dons a purple mask and goes around freeing members of the old nobility. The Reign Of Terror maybe over, but the first Consul Napoleon Bonaparte still has a use for the guillotine to chop off a noble head or three.

Which is where the Purple Mask comes in. By day Curtis is a dancing master as his Clark Kent/Don Diego self. But come the night he's Counterrevolution superhero The Purple Mask and one nasty customer with a sword.

Curtis liked it enough all right. I think The Purple Mask was nothing to write home about.

In his memoirs Curtis rather unfairly attacked Angela Lansbury who was at a low point in her career and was desperate for roles and appeared in this in a rather nothing part as a maid. She clearly said she did The Purple Mask for a paycheck. Curtis took the statement rather personally and was most unfair to Lansbury in his memoir.

Other familiar faces in The Purple Mask are Colleen Miller, Gene Barry, Dan O'Herlihy and John Hoyt. I'm sure The Purple Mask was no high point in their careers.

France, 1803: 11 years after the Revolution, a royalist underground is led by the Purple Mask, who rescues nobles in distress and kidnaps Napoleon's officials for ransom, aided by the spy services of a group of lovely models headed by Laurette (really the Duc de Latour's daughter). But even she doesn't know the Purple Mask's real identity as foppish dancing master Rene...

A rather lavish, colourful ( quite literally with all those costumes) adventure in the vein of Scarlet Pimpernel. Tony Curtis plays the Pimpernel-style character, being one step ahead of the fiends, and masquerades as a foppish dance master, and this where he surprise. Curtis confidently convince as a fop who, like Zorro in 1940's The mark of Zorro has a spot of fatigue.

There are a few fencing scenes, but they are all well done. It's quite an engaging little film, has some good cinematography and passes the time nicely.

It's the usual Hollywood swashbuckle routine but dated, as Errol Flynn was on his way out at this time and Hollywood perhaps needed some sort of a replacement. Tony Curtis does handomely, but the script is on old worn out patterns with a deplorable dialog, while the worst of all is Napoleon totally out of character and as unconvincing as a lackey for the emperor - this actor would have been more credible as a clown. The story is dashing enough and in colours, but of course you miss the classics, Leslie Howard, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Ronald Colman and Errol Flynn, but Tony Curtis does his honest best and fair enough. There is a lot of sword fighting, and I doubt Tony Curis has proved so elegant a fencing master before or after. In brief, an entertaining adventure not without qualities, while the plot is a miserable pimpernel offprint imitation.

Have a real fondness for swashbuckling/adventure/historical films, some of which being part of my childhood and still hold up well today, so that was one of my reasons for seeing 'The Purple Mask'. The other being that it was part of my initially accidental quest (having seen many of his films popping up in my recommended for you section) to see more Tony Curtis films, he was not the greatest of actors at this point but he was always a very likeable actor and improved all the time.

'The Purple Mask' is not one of his best films or best performances, everybody else involved have similarly done better. That being said, 'The Purple Mask' is still lots of fun, and achieves in its goal at being an entertaining and amiable film that doesn't take itself too seriously or try to be anymore than it needs to be. Not one of my favourite films by all means but it is a very hard film to dislike.

It may be nonsense in some of the story and it may be a touch talky at times.

Angela Lansbury also has next to nothing to do in a thankless role and it did come over that she had not wanted to do the film (apparently that was actually the case too), a waste of a great actress.

However, Curtis goes for it and is athletic and has boundless energy, he carries 'The Purple Mask' very well regardless of him not being completely fitting in the setting. Coleen Miller is very charming, Gene Barry is his reliable self and the villains are appropriately antagonistic. John Hoyt is a standout and Robert Cornthwaite was a surprising choice for Napoleon but coming off reasonably well. The chemistry is great.

Visually, 'The Purple Mask' looks great, sumptuously designed and costumed with lots of vibrant colour and the photography is suitably lavish. The score is suitably lively and the direction assured. The short length and fast pace thankfully works in 'The Purple Mask's favour. The story has a lot of energy and charm, even with the silliness, and the script doesn't get too camp.

On the whole, lots of fun. 7/10 Bethany Cox