THE MASK OF ZORRO is like a breath of fresh air. It’s refreshing to see an action/adventure film which is devoid of four-letter words and excessive blood, downplays the pyrotechnics and special effects, and focuses instead on character and story development. Kudos to scriptwriters Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, and Randall Jahnson, who have harnessed their talents to yield a screenplay that has great humor, romance, old fashion heroics, and a classic good vs. evil storyline. Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of the film, besides its unabashedly classic Hollywood script, and wonderful performances by its leads, is the magnificently creative swordplay choreography. Zorro doesn’t simply disarm and kill his fencing opponents - he performs for onlookers, humiliating his foes, and then makes them run each other through.
For the crucial responsibility of mapping out the film’s rollicking duels, the producers secured the talents of the one and only Robert Anderson. Perhaps his name’s not familiar, but you’re certainly acquainted with his work in the STAR WARS flics. In THE MASK OF ZORRO, his work infuses the action sequences with thrills, humor, and excitement.
THE MASK OF ZORRO opens with a huge set piece during which the aging masked crusader, Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), appears from a crowd of hysterical peasants to rescue three commoners from death by firing squad. In a wonderful duel sequence, Zorro rescues the condemned men, scars Montero’s neck with three quick slashes, shaped as the letter Z, and escapes over a wall, but first, he pauses to place a pendant around the neck of a lad and thank him and his brother for their assistance during the skirmish.
That evening, Diego and his wife are interrupted during a romantic embrace by Montero and his soldiers. During a duel, a hasty soldier fires a pistol and accidentally kills Diego’s wife. His identity known, Don Diego is arrested. Before he’s carted off to prison, his mansion is burned to the ground, and his infant daughter, Elena, is kidnapped by Montero to raise as his own.
Twenty years later we see the two brothers grown up to become petty thieves. During a caper to steal a military cash box, they’re fired upon by Captain Love (Matthew Letscher). One brother loses his life, but the other, Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas), escapes. After a long forced exile from the country, Don Rafael Montero has returned with a plan to buy California’s independence from General Santa Ana, who needs money to fund his war with the States. Drunk, depressed, and short of cash Alejandro nearly parts with his prized pendant for a drink - but he is stopped by an aged Don Diego, who has escaped from prison. The two journey to Diego’s old lair, and begin an intensive training campaign to convert Alejandro from a hotheaded clown, into a master swordsman worthy of the black mask. As the new Zorro, Alejandro plans to avenge his brother by taking the life of Captain Love. Don Diego hopes to help the scruffy thief work his way into Rafael’s circle of Dons, so he may learn more of his plans, avenge the death his wife, and reclaim his daughter, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones).
This is enough storyline for two films. What we have is a good old fashioned action/romance, with a dash of humor. What I’ve provided you with is only the setup - to tell you more would be cruel. See THE MASK OF ZORRO - it’s great fun
Performances : The suave Latino actor, Antonio Banderas, under Campbell’s direction, manages to capture just the right amount of charm, wit, and athleticism of the black fox in every scene. As Alejandro Murrieta, he’s handsome, debonair, but a bit of a clown, and as Zorro he’s dashing, dazzling, and heroic. This is the role Banderas was born to play.
I’d be remiss not to mention what a great find Spielberg and his associates have made with Catherine Zeta-Jones. This raven-haired, absolute beauty lights up the screen, and causes one’s gaze to focus on every move she makes - even when she’s sharing the frame with Antonio Banderas or Anthony Hopkins - no small task.
Anthony Hopkins doesnt need any introduction. He sleepwalks through this role.
Technical Details:
Photography : The colors are warm and natural looking - particularly the abundant browns, golds, and yellows seen in nearly all of the film’s exteriors. Reds, blues, and greens are vivid and fully saturated. Darker scenes, in Zorro’s lair, or at the prison holding Don Diego, look terrific, with deep solid blacks, and excellent shadow delineation. Contrast level and brightness are excellent as well.
Throughout the film, the image is sharp and detailed. The densely decorated sets, ornate floor coverings, wall hangings, and lighting fixtures, look excellent - with sharp crisp lines, and bright colors which hold their fields, and never bleed into surrounding darker colors.
The exteriors, like the film’s opening, and the rollicking horseback chase sequence, are brightly sunlit - with varied greens, dusty browns, and bright sky blues, and these look outstanding as well. Throughout the film, fleshtones look natural in any lighting key.
Sound: Nothing could be better than having such an impressive image having a drop dead, superb, Dolby Digital 5.1 mix married to it. This is, hands down, one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard.
From the very opening strums on guitar, and clicking of castanets, a pounding registers in the rear channels, and the light snaps echo from all around the viewer - surrounding with music. This is one of those mixes which places the listener into the orchestra pit with the musicians, and envelopes you with rising strings, long melodies played on brass, and bass that can be felt as it’s strummed or bowed. The score was written by James Horner, who seems to have a knack for including native instruments into his music to properly suit the setting of a film. ( for example - BRAVEHEART). This is a rousing, heroic flavored score, that adds excitement to the duels, emotion to the romantic scenes, and humor to the lighter, funnier moments in the film. Horner’s music is very well recorded, and aggressively issued from all speakers.
The forward soundstage is deep and exceptionally wide, extending fully around to merge seamlessly with the rear speakers. The click and clatter of swords moves about the soundstage breezily, smoothly, and as camera angles change, the mix quickly, and properly, flips them accordingly. The same can be said of hoof beats, as horses gallop, and the camera pans to keep them in frame. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Effects placement and panning effects are excellent - from side to side or from the rear forward. Movement is smooth, uniform and precise. Lower effects punch is equally as impressive from the surrounds as it is from the front left and right speakers. There are one or two explosions in the film that will really push the subwoofer’s cone - and one, during the finale, is like a clap of thunder - tight, deep, and very powerful. Each and every gunshot is anchored with a deep punch, right from the rear channels as well as from the front left and right speakers as well. Throughout the presentation, dialogue sounds natural and well integrated - never distorted or compressed. This is and exceptional piece of work from the folks at Columbia Tristar.
Direction: Martin Campbell does a fine job of recreating the atmosphere and the swashbuckling era of Hollywood of yesteryears.
All in all, Highly entertaining!