The Mask (1994 film)

The Mask
File:The Mask.JPG Movie poster
Directed by	Chuck Russell
Written by	Screenplay: Mike Werb Story: Michael Fallon Mark Verheiden
Produced by	Bob Engelman
Starring	Jim Carrey Cameron Diaz Peter Riegert Peter Greene Amy Yasbeck Richard Jeni Orestes Matacena Ben Stein
Cinematography	John R. Leonetti
Edited by	Arthur Coburn
Music by	Randy Edelman
Production company	Dark Horse Entertainment
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release dates	July 29, 1994
Running time	101 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$18,000,000
Box office	Domestic: $119,920,129 Foreign: $231,644,677 Worldwide: $343,900,000

The Mask is a 1994 action comedy film, based on a series of comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. This film was directed by Chuck Russell, and produced by Dark Horse Entertainment and New Line Cinema, and originally released to movie theatres on July 29, 1994. The film stars Jim Carrey as Stanley Ipkiss (also known as The Mask), who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role; and Cameron Diaz, in her acting debut as Tina Carlyle. The movie received one Oscar nomination, for visual effects. The film marked Carrey's 17th film role. It was shot entirely in Los Angeles. Cartoon Network and ABC Family began airing the film with rating changes (TV-PG-LV on Cartoon Network and TV-14 on ABC Family).

Plot

Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey), a clerk at an Edge City bank, is a shy, luckless romantic who is regularly bullied by nearly everyone around him, including his boss, his landlady, and car mechanics. His only friends are his dog Milo and his co-worker Charlie Schumacher (Richard Jeni). Gangster Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene) runs the exclusive Coco Bongo nightclub while plotting to overthrow his boss Niko. Tyrell sends his singer girlfriend Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz) into Stanley's bank with a hidden camera, in preparation to rob the establishment.

Stanley is smitten with Tina, and she seems to reciprocate; but after being denied entrance to the Coco Bongo, Stanley is stranded with a broken-down rental car at the city's filthy harbor, where he finds a mysterious wooden mask. When he takes the object home and puts it on, it comes alive, wraps around his head, and transforms him into a wackily-suited, green-headed, cartoonish figure called "The Mask", a trickster unbound by any limitations whether be personal inhibitions or the laws of physics, who cheerfully exacts revenge on some of Stanley's tormentors (in comical goofy fashion) and terrifies a street gang that attempts to terrorize him.

The next morning, Stanley encounters world-weary Edge City detective Lieutenant Kellaway (Peter Riegert) and newspaper reporter Peggy Brandt (Amy Yasbeck), both of whom are investigating the Mask's activities of the previous night. Despite these threats, the temptation to again use the mask is overwhelming and he puts it back on that evening. Needing money to attend Tina's performance at the Coco Bongo, the Mask noisily interrupts Tyrell's bank robbery and steals their target money while one of Tyrell's henchmen is shot by police responding to the disturbance.

The Mask buys entry into the Coco Bongo, where he "rocks the joint" by dancing exuberantly with Tina in front of the cheering clientèle, at the end of the dance he gives Tina a kiss that literally blows her shoes off, before being confronted by Tyrell, who shoots off a part of the Mask's tie. The Mask escapes, while Tyrell is temporarily arrested for the bank robbery by Kellaway, who finds a piece of Stanley's distinctive pajamas at the club.

Stanley consults an expert on masks, who tells him that the object is a depiction of Loki, the Norse god of darkness and mischief. Despite this, and with both Tyrell and Kellaway hunting for him, a more confident Stanley stands up to his boss and arranges for Tina to meet the Mask at the local Landfill Park. The meeting goes badly when the Mask's advances scare Tina away and Kellaway discovers him. The Mask toys with the enraged officer before zooming out of the park and tricking a large group of Edge City police officers into joining him in a mass-performance production of the song Cuban Pete. Stanley manages to get the mask off and Peggy helps him escape, but then betrays him to Tyrell for a mob bounty. Tyrell tries on the mask and becomes a demonic, Devil-like figure, whereupon Stanley is literally dumped in Kellaway's lap with a green rubber mask, which is taken as evidence against him, and is thrown into jail.

Tina sympathetically visits Stanley in his cell, where he urges her to flee the city. She attempts to do so, but is captured by Tyrell and taken to his raid of a charity ball at the Coco Bongo, hosted by Niko and attended by the city's elite. The Masked Tyrell kills Niko and prepares to destroy both the club and Tina. Meanwhile, Milo helps Stanley break out of his cell and they go to the club to stop Tyrell.

After brief initial success with the assistance of Charlie, Stanley is captured. Tina tricks Tyrell into taking off the mask, which is recovered by Milo, allowing the dog to assume anthropomorphism and defeat Tyrell's men, while Stanley fights Dorian himself. Stanley then recovers the mask and wears it one last time, using its abilities to save Tina by swallowing Tyrell's bomb, and flush Tyrell down the drain of the club's ornamental fountain. The city's mayor, witnessing most of this, mistakenly deduces that Tyrell was the Mask from the start and orders Kellaway to release Stanley.

As the sun rises, Stanley, Tina, Milo and Charlie take the mask back down to the harbor, where Tina and Stanley discard it into the water. Charlie attempts to recover the mask for himself, but is prevented by Milo, who swims away with it before he can get to it. Meanwhile, Stanley and Tina share their first kiss.

Cast

• Jim Carrey as Stanley Ipkiss / The Mask: The main protagonist of the film. Jim Carrey, who portrays Stanley Ipkiss, commented that he characterized Stanley after his own father: "a nice guy, just trying to get by". When Ipkiss puts on the Mask, he becomes a wacky, zoot-suited, suave cartoon figure having the ability to manipulate his own shape and the world around him to a superhuman extent; this is implied to be the projection onto himself of his preferred fantasies. Ultimately, he discards the Mask, believing that he is limited by his attachment to the alter-ego it has created for him.

• Peter Greene as Dorian Tyrell: The main antagonist of the film. Dorian is a Mafia officer who desires to kill his superior. When Stanley Ipkiss, as the Mask, inconveniences him, Dorian attempts to have him killed. When Dorian wears the Mask, he becomes a troll-like figure representing his malice, and exhibits bestial behavior.

• Cameron Diaz as Tina Carlyle: The girlfriend of mobster Dorian Tyrell; but also very attracted to Stanley Ipkiss. Tina is largely dissatisfied with Dorian as a partner, but does not defy him until she has been courted by his rival. Later, she aids Stanley at Dorian's expense and becomes instrumental in Dorian's defeat.

• Orestes Matacena as Niko: The mafia boss of Edge City and owner of the Coco Bongo Club. He has been pursued for a long time by Lieutenant Kellaway, but he is ultimately killed by Dorian.

• Peter Riegert as Lt. Mitch Kellaway: A slightly cynical police detective who pursues the Mask throughout the film.

• Richard Jeni as Charlie Schumaker: A friend of Stanley Ipkiss. Charlie is amiable, but can be selfish or irrational at times.

• Amy Yasbeck as Peggy Brandt: A reporter who helps Stanley Ipkiss from Mitch Kellaway and the Edge City police.

• Ben Stein as Dr. Arthur Neuman: A doctor who tells Ipkiss about the mask that is created by a Norse Night God named Loki. He also made a novel called The Masks We Wear.

• Reginald E. Cathey as Freeze: Dorian Tyrell`s bodyguard and a friend. Freeze was killed by the police, giving Dorian revenge.

• Denis Forest as Sweet Eddy: One of Tyrell`s thugs.

• Nancy Fish as Mrs. Peenman: Stanley`s grouchy and yelling hotel manager. That morning, after Loki Ipkiss` aftermath, she told Mitch Kellaway and two policemen about the accident.

Reaction

The movie was a box-office success, grossing $119 million domestically and over $350 million worldwide. Critics also approved of the movie, including Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times which gave the film 3/4 stars, noting Jim Carrey for his "joyful performance". The Mask is one of three films featuring Carrey (the others being Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber) released in 1994 that helped launch the actor to superstardom.

The film was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 67th Academy Awards, but lost to Forrest Gump. In addition, Carrey was nominated for a Golden Globe. It currently holds a 76% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Cultural and literary allusions

Stanley decorates his apartment with items featuring characters from Looney Tunes cartoons, and when he turns into the Mask, he tends to imitate said characters: Bugs Bunny (dying in the arms of the mobster, kissing someone in the lips, fooling people, and cracking jokes), Daffy Duck (bouncing and yelling uncontrollably), the Road Runner (jabbering after saying a joke and before fleeing the scene to resemble the "beep, beep" produced by the Road Runner), Pepe le Pew (in the scene wherein he romances Tina) and Taz (spinning in a tornado). His reaction to Tina's singing in the Coco Bongo is the same as that of the character of the wolf in the cartoon Red Hot Riding Hood, which Stanley is seen watching earlier on. Many of the imitations come from shorts directed by Tex Avery.

When "shot" at the first scene inside the Coco Bongo, the Mask's consequent "dying" dialogue references several classic literary moments:

• "Tell Auntie Em to let Old Yeller Out", a possible reference to Aunt Em in The Wizard of Oz and Old Yeller;
• "Tell Tiny Tim I won't be coming home this Christmas"; Tiny Tim is a character in Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol which would be another one of Jim Carrey's films in the future,A Christmas Carol (2009 film).
• "Tell Scarlett I do give a damn"; a comedic take on Rhett Butler's line, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn", in Gone With the Wind;
• At the end of the scene, he is presented with an award for his performance and breaks the fourth wall by thanking the movie audience with Sally Field's acceptance exclamation, "You love me! You really love me!" . As this is going on, people-shaped shadows appear onscreen and applaud, adding to the illusion of an appreciative movie theater audience.

The song "Cuban Pete" was originally performed by Desi Arnaz in the 1946 movie of the same name. It was later also performed by Arnaz and Lucille Ball on an episode of the classic 1950s television show I Love Lucy.

While being arrested in the park, the Mask's joking claim that "it was the one-armed man" is a reference to the villain in the TV series and later movie The Fugitive.

The laugh performed by the Mask towards the end of the movie (after revealing that his guns were loaded with nothing more than signs reading "Bang!"), is reminiscent of Carrey's Fire Marshal Bill character from In Living Color. In the same scene, the Mask performs a famous line by Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry by saying "Now, you got to ask yourself one question. 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya, punks?". Carrey routinely performed impressions of Eastwood in his stand-up comedy routines and appeared in bit parts in Eastwood-headlined flicks Pink Cadillac and The Dead Pool, the latter of which was a Dirty Harry film. Carrey would also impersonate Eastwood momentarily in the film Bruce Almighty.

When Dorian Tyrell first put on the Mask, he yelled out, "Ohh, what a rush!" the tagline from the professional wrestling tag team The Road Warriors.

After defeating Dorian, the Mask performs a famous line by Edward G. Robinson in The Cincinnati Kid, when he says You were good, kid, really good, but while I'm around you'll always be second best.

Also, in the television interview of Ben Stein as an author, the book showcased may be an allusion to Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, The Minister's Black Veil.

The song "Hi de ho" from K7 has the same main musical theme as "Minnie the Moocher" from Cab Calloway (it is closer to the version of the movie The Blues Brothers). It can be heard during the charity party, just before Dorian comes into the club.

When The Mask dodges all the bullets he briefly turns into a green-faced Elvis.

Soundtracks

Original Soundtrack

Untitled

Track listing

1. "Cuban Pete" (C & C Pop Radio Edit) - Jim Carrey
2. "Who's That Man" - Xscape
3. "This Business of Love" - Domino
4. "Bounce Around" - Tony! Toni! Toné!
5. "(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name" - Harry Connick, Jr.
6. "You Would Be My Baby" - Vanessa Williams
7. "Hi De Ho" - K7
8. "Let the Good Times Roll" - Fishbone
9. "Straight Up" - The Brian Setzer Orchestra
10. "Hey! Pachuco!" - Royal Crown Revue
11. "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You" - Susan Boyd
12. "Cuban Pete" (Arkin Movie Mix) - Jim Carrey

• 1994 The Billboard 200 - # 80

Orchestral soundtrack

The orchestral score soundtrack to The Mask was released shortly after the original soundtrack's release. The score was composed and conducted by Randy Edelman and performed by the Irish Film Orchestra.

Track listing

1. Opening - The Origin Of The Mask
2. Tina
3. Carnival
4. Transformation
5. Tango In The Park
6. Lovebirds
7. Out Of The Line Of Fire
8. A Dark Night
9. The Man Behind The Mask
10. Dorian Gets A New Face
11. Looking For A Way Out
12. The Search
13. Forked Tongue
14. Milo To The Rescue
15. The Mask Is Back
16. Finale

Merchandise

The Movie was released on blu-ray on December 9 2008. It has an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is encoded in 1080p/VC-1 . Its audio is a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD encoded at a 16/48khz bit and sample rate. The blu-ray has multiple supplementary packages including additional scenes, production details and two commentary tracks, one by Director Chuck Russell and the other by Director Chuck Russell and the rest of the production crew.

Sequels

Not long after the release of The Mask, it was announced in Nintendo Power that Carrey would be returning in a sequel called The Mask II. The magazine held a contest, with the winner being an extra in the film, but, due to Jim Carrey declining to reprise his role, the project never came to fruition.

After this, a animated series was released and ran for three seasons.

A Carrey-less sequel, Son of the Mask, was released in theaters in 2005 to very poor box office performance and critical disapproval.

Another sequel has been proposed by actor Marlon Wayans after he expressed interest in playing the lead role, although nothing is yet final.

There is also a possibility of reboot the franchise, when it was rumored that Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

External links

• The Mask at IMDb
• The Mask at AllMovie

en:The Mask (film)