The Mask of Zorro (1998)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Martin Campbell

Writers (WGA):

Johnston McCulley (character Zorro)
Ted Elliott (story) ...

Release Date:

17 July 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance | Western

Plot:

The elder Zorro comes out of retirement to train a new Zorro to fight the enemy Montero.

Plot Keywords:

Zorro | California | Revenge | Mask | Young Versions Of Characters

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

José María de Tavira	...	Young Alejandro Murrieta (as Jose Maria de Tavira)
Diego Sieres	...	Young Joaquín Murrieta
Emiliano Guerra	...	Boy Crying
Yolanda Orisaga	...	Woman Crying
Paco Morayta	...	Undertaker
William Marquez	...	Fray Felipe
Stuart Wilson	...	Don Rafael Montero
Tony Amendola	...	Don Luiz
Anthony Hopkins	...	Don Diego de la Vega / Zorro
Pedro Altamirano	...	Squad Leader
Luisa Huertas	...	Nanny
María Fernández Cruz	...	Baby Elena de la Vega (as Maria Fernandez Cruz)
Mónica Fernández Cruz	...	Baby Elena de la Vega (as Monica Fernandez Cruz)
Julieta Rosen	...	Esperanza de la Vega
Raúl Martínez	...	Heavyset Lieutenant (as Raul Martinez)

Also Known As:

Die Maske des Zorro (Germany)
Mark of Zorro (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some intense action and violence.

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Brazil:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:TE | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba)

Filming Locations:

Atotonilico de Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

The scene in the church is an homage to The Mark of Zorro (1940) in which Zorro pretends to be a priest and hears a confession from his lady love who proceeds to fall for the masked bandit.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In the confessional, Elena says she broke the fourth commandment. For Roman Catholics, "honor thy father and mother" is the fourth commandment, not the fifth.

Quotes:

Alejandro Murrieta: Is something funny?
Captain Harrison Love: Strange, actually. This is the second time I've shot this man while he was flying through the air.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You

ignore the condescending cynics

Wonderful movie, visually rich and a nice blend of comedy, action and romance, well-written. Hopkins is great; so is Banderas as Zorro-in-training, and Zeta-Jones sparkles in her scenes with him. Very little gore or skin, what there is serves the plot instead of BEING the plot. The best movie I've seen in a long time. Note: previews make it look a lot less interesting than it actually is--you just see a lot of things being slashed and blown up, while the comic scenes between Hopkins and Banderas don't really appear (the best part of the film).