THE MASK OF ZORRO A film review by David N. Butterworth Copyright 1998 David N. Butterworth
**1/2 (out of ****)
Douglas Fairbanks made his "mark" in 1920, as did Tyrone Power twenty years later. John Carroll "rode again" in 1959. Now it's the turn of Latin heartthrob Antonio Banderas to wear the mask of Zorro. Whether the titular reference be a sign, a ghost, a whip, or a son, the umpteen big- and small-screen variants of the Zorro legend have, by now, milked the living daylights out of the masked avenger who carves his name--or at least his initial--with pride.
While one might have expected a revisionist version of this classic tale for today's audiences, the producers of "The Mask of Zorro" have decided to play this go-round surprisingly straight. Unfortunately, they don't play it straight enough, choosing to pad the two-hours-plus running time with awkward moments of slapstick, primarily on the part of Banderas, which dilute the otherwise splashy, hot-blooded proceedings.
It's almost as if a pre-release audience decided that this interpretation wasn't funny enough.
"Zorro, the Gay Blade," a 1981 spoof starring George Hamilton, was more focused in its lampooning of the title character and a better choice if you're looking for something camp. But when Zorro reminds you more of Inigo Montoya from "The Princess Bride" than he does Errol Flynn buckling swashes, it's clear that the makers of "The Mask of Zorro"--let's blame "GoldenEye" director Martin Campbell--have made a miscalculation somewhere.
Still, when Banderas (or his horse) isn't acting cute, "The Mask of Zorro" is eminently watchable, suffused with solid readings from Anthony Hopkins as Don Diego de la Vega (the older, wiser Zorro), Catherine Zeta-Jones (from British television's "The Darling Buds of May") as his beautiful daughter Elena, and not one but two odious villains to hiss at.
The film opens in old Spanish California, circa 1821. The Baja natives have found a champion in their midst, a mysterious masked man known only as Zorro, who protects them from the money-grubbing land barons. Mean, lean Spanish governor Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson) discovers the identity of Zorro and in the struggle surrounding his apprehension, kills de la Vega's wife and abducts his infant daughter, claiming her as his own.
Twenty years later when Montero returns with plans to make California a republic, de la Vega escapes from prison and takes a common thief, Alejandro Murrieta (Banderas) under his tutelage, grooming him as the next Zorro.
Zeta-Jones, in her first big production since the ill-conceived "The Phantom," gives an uplifting performance as Elena, who finally discovers the truth behind her origins. Elena proves she can parry with the best of them, which is why it's disappointing that her sword fight with Zorro culminates with our black-clad hero stripping her of her dignity. Hopkins is typically commanding as the retired caped crusader (who hangs out in a cave like that other one), and Banderas is suave and dashing as his protégé. In fact, "The Mask of Zorro" fully exploits the good looks of all three of its leads.
Try to ignore the brief farcical lapses and you should find "The Mask of Zorro" to be a flamboyant, rousing display of derring-do.
-- David N. Butterworth dnb@mail.med.upenn.edu
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