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"No, but he was young and vigorous. ... He was very vigorous, father."
"Vigorous?"
"Yes."
I'm repeating a point I made a couple days ago, but it's worth it: The Mask of Zorro was my kid brother's favorite movie when he was 4. Young Franko didn't think much about Zorro because my brother watched it near-daily. I'm sure I never saw Zorro all the way through until just now. Adult Franko regrets being snotty.
Some of my best experiences with The Films of 1998 have been watching classic-style movies. The Mask of Zorro, directed by Martin Campbell and written by John Eskow, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio and an uncredited David S. Ward from a story by Elliott, Rossio and Randall Jahnson, has as much appeal in 2022 as I imagine it did in 1998 and would have in 1938. There's heroics, hot actors, a well-enough crafted story and nobody's embarassing his or her self. The occasional jokes and gags land and the physical performances are top notch. Kudos to sword master Robert Anderson, fight choreographer Jim Ramos Vickers, stunt coordinator Glenn Randall Jr. and whoever was in charge of Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' dance scene.
"In The Mask of Zorro, you see a figure with hot flashing eyes, the lightning quick moves of a panther, a deftly flicking sword aim that could inscribe the New York Times crossword on a button, and a passion that reaches out of the screen and grabs you by the lapels.
And that's the girl!
This would be the big news in the film: Catherine Zeta-Jones, instant star, the new Rita Hayworth, as in, yes, I say again, yes yes yesyesyes."
-- Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
Even if you've seen it done a million times before, there is something exciting about watching someone get successfully trained. Here, it's Alejandro Murrieta (Banderas) learning from Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins). Twenty years ago, Don Diego lost everything including the baby who would grow up to be Elena (Zeta Jones) to Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson). Alejandro loses Joaquin (Victor Rivers) and eventually Three-Fingered Jack (L.Q. Jones) to depraved Capt. Harrison Love (Matt Letscher). Naturally, Alejandro matures past being merely revenge-minded and not entirely dashing to seeking Rafael and Love's defeat and the prevention of slaves being killed to conceal a swindle. Diego, to his credit, regains his heroism. C'mon, you knew he would.
"All the work, all the training, all the wise words, for what? To smile in the face of my brother's killer while you make your own plans?"
"Alejandro, I taught you everything you needed to survive. Now, I must look to my own heart. Elena is all I have left. I'm not going to lose her again."
"What about California? What about the people?"
"They still have Zorro."
There's a lot of archtype dialogue in The Mask of Zorro, most of it uttered by Hopkins. Hunter had qualms with Anthony's performance, saying that he approached the material like it was Hamlet, but that's an asset as far as I'm concerned. Actually, the only actor who didn't quite click with me was Letscher. On the one hand, I admire the slow burn approach to Love's wickedness. On the other hand, the shock value of Love having kept Joaquin's head and Three-Fingered Jack's hand -- in jars that he drinks from! -- comes entirely from the reveal of the items and not the reveal of the man with the items. Maybe if Love was just a hair more colorful.
Reviews of Hopkins and Zeta-Jones varried from outright raves to mere acknowledgments. That wasn't the case for Banderas, who consistently received favorable notices. While I think both leading men were great, I ultimately give my crown to Banderas. Is it wrong to argue that Zorro is his signature role? To tell the truth, I can't write off the Puss in Boots movies. I think they let Antonio trick time, to continue with a persona that it might be hard to keep going with a live action performance. How wonderful is this? I've hit upon an idea not unlike the point of The Mask of Zorro itself. Legends endure when heart and commitment are given to them.
"After all, it's only one man ..."
"It isn't just one man, damn it. It's Zorro."
Recommended.
Thoughts:
-- "Forgive me, father, for I have sinned. It has been three days since my last confession." "How many sins could you have committed in three days? Come back when you have more time, please." "Excuse me?" "Listen, senorita ... *Alejandro realizes he's alone with Elena* ... please, go on."
-- Box Office: Grossing just over $94 million domestically on a $95 million budget, The Mask of Zorro opened at No. 1, fell to No. 6 on its third weekend and landed at No. 19 for 1998. Following its opening, Sony distribution chief Jeff Blake said the movie's success was thanks to appealing to multiple demographics, including couples, single men and women of all ages and teenagers.
-- Awards Watch: The Mask of Zorro went zero for two at the Oscars, losing for its sound and sound effects editing to Saving Private Ryan. The costumes lost at the BAFTAs to Velvet Goldmine. Zorro also went zero for three with the Saturns, with the movie losing in the action film category to Saving Private Ryan, Zeta-Jones losing to Drew Barrymore in Ever After: A Cinderella Story and the costumes losing to Ever After. While Banderas lost the Blockbuster to Will Smith in Enemy of the State and Letscher lost to Stephen Dorff in Blade, Zeta-Jones won as a female newcomer over Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap and Clea DuVall in The Faculty. Another victory was Banderas' ALMA win over Chayanne in Dance with Me and Cheech Marin in Paulie. Alas, though, Antonio and the movie lost at the Golden Globes, to Michael Caine in Little Voice and Shakespeare in Love, respectively. While the movie won a Young Artist award for Best Family Feature-Comedy, it flopped at the MTV Movie Awards. Zeta-Jones lost to Katie Holmes in Disturbing Behavior and Zorro and Elena's swordfight lost to Ben Stiller and Puffy in There's Something About Mary.
-- Critic's Corner, the movie: "Hot-weather escapism so earnestly retrograde that it seems new," Janet Maslin wrote. "It's fun, and not an insult to the intelligence," according to Roger Ebert. Michael O'Sullivan was less impressed: "This cinematic snack is fun but ultimately filled with empty calories." Hunter: "Entertaining without being exhilerating. ... As Zorro movies go, it's pretty good. As movies go, it's a little better than okay." The movie "lacks the snap and concision that would have put it over the top as a bang-up entertainment," according to Todd McCarthy. Lisa Schwarzbaum wanted "a more cohesive vision and more powerful motor, something more original (to take advantage of 1990s-style sensibilities)."
-- Critic's Corner, Banderas: "(He) gets all the moves right; more important, he looks good in tight pants," Hunter wrote. (Indeed!) Zorro was the role Antonio was obviously born to play, Maslin declared. She was impressed by his ability to play both the clown and the hearthrob. McCarthy: "(He's) everything one could want as Zorro."
-- "I have broken the fourth commandment, Padre." "You killed somebody?" "No, that is not the fourth commandment." "... Of course not. In what way did you break the most sacred of commandments?" "I dishonored my father." "That is not so bad. Maybe your father deserved it."
-- Critic's Corner, Hopkins: "Once again tackling the most outlandish of character roles and making the work look like fun, (he) conveys contemplative elegance and maturity, everything one could want in a mentor," Schwarzbaum wrote." "Marvelously game ... (displaying) unexpectedly elegant panache," according to Maslin. Ebert observed that the Don Diego story "is pure melodrama, but Anthony Hopkins brings it as much dignity and pathos as possible."
-- Critic's Corner, Zeta-Jones: Maslin enjoyed Catherine's show-stopping performance. "(She) makes her first major film role one to remember." O'Sullivan wished she was "asked to do (something) more taxing than serve herself up as a plump slice of cheesecake." Hunter again: "(Banderas is) great. She's fabulous. ... Watch her carrer. It's probably the fastest-moving flying object in the summer skies. In this version of the film, the letter Z again takes on huge significance -- but it's the Z that stands for Zeta-Jones."
-- Memorable Music: The score is 23-23, a tie between original and non-original songs. I'm giving a point to "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You," Marc Anthony and Tina Arena's duet which wasn't released as a single in the United States. It peaked at No. 3 in France and won the ALMA for Outstanding Performance of a Song for a Feature Film.
-- *Elena is confessing her thoughts about Alejandro to Alejandro.* "I think he was a bandit or something. He wore a black mask." "He had a deep voice?" "Yes." "Ruggedly handsome?" "I do not know. His face was half-covered. But something in his eyes captured me." "Captured?" "I felt warm, feverish." "Lustful?" "Yes. Lustful. ... Forgive me." "I forgive you. ... The only sin would be to deny what your heart truly feels."
-- Fanservice Junction: Well, sorta. In addition to Alejandro stripping Elena as they fence, there's quick glimpses of Alejandro on his way to hunkitude and the gag of Corporal Garcia and his men being left tied naked to cacti. Alas, the hottest guys of that group, far right in particular, stand behind the cacti.
Courtesy Sony
And on that gay note, how about a line that's just asking to be taken out of context?
-- "Do you know how to use that thing?" Yes. The pointy end goes into the other man." "... This is going to take a lot of work."
-- Next: There's Something About Mary. On deck: The Parent Trap.
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