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

Antonio Banderas	...	Alejandro Murrieta / Zorro
Anthony Hopkins	...	Don Diego de la Vega / Zorro
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Elena Montero / Elena Murrieta
Stuart Wilson	...	Don Rafael Montero
Matt Letscher	...	Capt. Harrison Love
Tony Amendola	...	Don Luiz
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	...	Don Pedro (as Pedro Armendariz)
William Marquez	...	Fray Felipe
José Pérez	...	Cpl. Armando Garcia (as Jose Perez)
Victor Rivers	...	Joaquín Murrieta
L.Q. Jones	...	Three-Fingered Jack
Julieta Rosen	...	Esperanza de la Vega
Luisa Huertas	...	Nanny
José María de Tavira	...	Young Alejandro Murrieta (as Jose Maria de Tavira)
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:

Captain Love has a severed head in a glass container. In The Silence of the Lambs (1991), also starring Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster finds a severed head in a glass container.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When one of the Dons comes into the room where de la Vega is hiding at the party, stage lighting is briefly visible when the door is opened.

Quotes:

Alejandro: I've never lost a fight.
Don Diego de la Vega: Except to a crippled old man just now.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in A Cinderella Story (2004)

Soundtrack:

I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You

Entertaining

At the conclusion of The Mask of Zorro I heard something I haven't heard in a cinema for a long, long time – an outbreak of spontaneous applause. It happened because the audience felt so good at the conclusion of the film that they wanted to show their appreciation, to share with others the goodwill which this little slice of magic had brought into their lives. To a jaded movie-goer like myself, it was music to the ears.

This is a simple film, telling a simple story about justice conquering oppression and the power of all that is good in the world to put all that is evil to the sword. Anchored by three great performances from Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas and the luscious Catherine Zeta-Jones, it's a never-ending parade of derring-do which brings to mind the likes of The Crimson Pirate, the kind of film your parents tell you they just don't make anymore. It's played for laughs all the way down the line, but it's not a farce – the humour is gentle, the characters inhabiting a world which we know never existed but which damn well should have, a world where swordfights and horse chases and romantic love are the order of the day. I watched this film in an enraptured stupor, and for a short time I was twelve years old again, thrilling to the larger than life exploits of pirates, musketeers and the sons of Hercules.

Okay, so it isn't going to win any awards for depth of character, and you aren't going to be discussing the finer details of the plot over a bowl of gazpacho when it's over. But in an age when meanspirited movies seem to be becoming more and more common, it's a pure delight to come across something so untainted.

It's the sound of two hands clapping, folks. Miss it at your peril.