The Mask of Zorro (1998)

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 trains his replacement 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:

While posing as a servant, Don Diego goes by the name Bernardo. In The Mark of Zorro (1920) and in the Disney television series, "Zorro" (1957) Bernardo was the name of Don Diego's mute servant who frequently pretended to also be deaf as a ruse to help Diego.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Alejandro (Zorro) kills Capt. Love, only a little part of the sword crosses the Captain. In the next scene, from above, the sword crosses him to the half, and the point of the sword clearly doesn't match with the rest.

Quotes:

Don Diego de la Vega: This is called a training circle, a master's wheel. This circle will be your world, your whole life. Until I tell you otherwise, there is nothing outside of it.
Alejandro Murrieta: Capitan Love is...
Don Diego de la Vega: There is NOTHING outside of it. Captain Love does not exist until I say he exists. As your skill with the sword improves, you will progress to a smaller circle. With each new circle, your world contracts, bringing you that much closer to your adversary, that much closer to retribution.
Alejandro Murrieta: I like that part.

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.