A sweeping epic tale of
romance, deception, honor, and revenge, The Mask of Zorro carries us to an
enchanted land of long ago, a time of treachery and betrayal. Wealthy Don Diego
de le Vega is better known as "Zorro," the masked man who fights for
the good of the people. His sworn enemy, Raphael Montero, once-lover of
Esperanza (now Diego's wife) and Governor of California, is being forced to flee
due to Santa Anna's invasion, but he wishes to leave a parting gift... the carcass
of Zorro. Unfortunately for Montero, he underestimates Diego, and winds up permanently
marked himself... with the sign of the Z. Furious, but believing himself to be
right in that Diego is responsible, he storms to the hacienda, where Diego has
promised his wife that Zorro will ride no more, and makes an arrest.
In the fray, Esperanza
is killed, taking the bullet meant for her husband, and Montero kidnaps the baby
Elena to raise as his own daughter in Spain, sentencing Diego to a lifetime in
prison. Twenty years pass before Diego again sees the face of his enemy, as
Montero returns safely to California, with the beautiful and very adult Elena
upon his arm. Also accompanying them is the ruthless Captain Harrison Love, who
makes an enemy out of a bandito when he forces his brother to kill himself. This
thief, Alejandro, has sworn himself to revenge, and meets Diego on the
way.
Diego sees a way to pay
Raphael back - by resurrecting the "long-dead" Zorro, in the youth of
this lad, and begins to train him to take over the mask, but Alejandro's
passions are untamable, and his eye is for the lovely Elena. Encountering her in
the chapel, and hearing her confession, he knows without a doubt that they are
meant for one another, but cannot understand why his master will not tell him of
the past.
No doubt one of my favorite movies of all time, The Mask
of Zorro is ideal for everyone... there's enough romance and gorgeous
scenery (as well as a dashing hero) for the ladies, while still leaving plenty
of swashbuckling adventure and sword play (not to mention the gorgeous Catherine
Zeta-Jones) for the man of the house. Anthony Hopkins some thought was miscast
in the role, but I believe he pulled it off wonderfully, with just the amount of
passion and expression for the part. Antonio Banderas has been quoted as saying
that his lifelong dream as a child was to play the part of Zorro, and in this
epic, he got his chance. Charismas, and hilarious, on-screen and off, Banderas
lived and breathed his part. Zeta-Jones, of course, in her first major
blockbuster role (which gained her worldwide recognition) was ideal for the part
of the beautiful and strong-willed Elena, whether dancing romantically with
Alejandro, engaging in a verbal battle with the Dons, or whipping out a fencing
foil of her own in a challenge.
The fencing in this
epic is excellent! Choreographed by the same man to arrange the saber battles in
the Star Wars films, he throws in superb parries and thrusts to keep you
on the edge of your seat, while mixing in a great deal of fancy footwork. The
entire film is simply breathtaking, from the gorgeous California backdrop to the
elaborate haciendas and intricately-designed costumes. The soundtrack is
spirited and lifting, with the same general "Zorro" theme that runs
throughout, keeping the story together as neatly as a pressed seam. And with
forty stuntmen working on one production, you can bet there's going to be plenty
of heart-pounding adventure, escalating in a climax you'll never forget.
Rated PG13 for violence
and sensuality, there's little here to be offended by, unless you can't stand
blood. The violence is done in a lighthearted and favorable manner, without
gore, and there's very little blood. There's a great deal of kicking, fighting,
hitting and stabbing. Several people are killed on-screen (one shoots himself,
another is impaled, and one falls from a cliff) and there's an unsettling and
rather sick glimpse of a head and a hand in a jar on Captain Love's desk. (He
shows them to shock and disgust Alejandro.)
Sensuality is a matter of opinion. There's a brief rear nudity of some soldiers
Alejandro and his brother left tied around a cactus, and Elena and Alejandro
engage in a rather "spirited" dance, but personally, I found nothing
offensive in it... in fact, it's one of my favorite scenes! Elena entices
Alejandro into a "sexy swordfight" (quote from Zeta-Jones) in which
she is wearing only a chemise, corset, and petticoat, showing a moderate amount
of cleavage. In this same sequence, he slashes off the top, but neither he nor
us see anything, as her hair is carefully arranged. Language was extremely
minimal - three uses of "damn," and one crude reference that will go
over most kids' heads.
All in all, a refreshing and
thrilling addition to the Zorro classics, and although slightly marred with the
theme of revenge, a welcome adventure from Hollywood... and here's hoping for a
sequel!
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