Every filmmaker and cinephile has a point in time when they fell in love with movies. An apex of the time cinema reached out to us and touched our hearts, enriching our lives in many ways. For me, that time was the year 1998. Two movies came out that year, which contributed to my passion for the silver screen. In September was Ronin, which I have already written a review about, describing it as my favorite film of all time. However, before that, July, to be precise, saw the release of one of the greatest adventure films ever made, The Mask of Zorro. A modern yet classical take on an old fashioned hero that proves certain things never go out of style. It is a film that always makes me smile and fills me with boundless joy. Something we all need now more than ever.
For those of you who may not know, Zorro is a fictional character created by Johnston McCulley. A wealthy and progressive Spanish nobleman named Don Diego de la Vega living in Mexico decides to take action against the tyranny of the oppressed people. He creates a persona dressed in black, complete with a mask, and raises his sword in the name of justice. The people, in recognition of his deeds, dub him Zorro, which is Spanish for Fox, because of the wise and cunning nature associated with that particular animal. Zorro would live on in countless forms of media, from books to cartoons, films, television shows, and so on. One of his most famous outings was The Mark of Zorro from 1920, starring Douglass Fairbanks. Which was later remade in 1940 with Tyrone Power in the lead role.
Zorro has also influenced many other hero characters throughout history, most notably Batman. In fact, in most iterations of Batman's origin, Batman's inciting incident happens the night he and his parents are leaving the theaters after seeing, you guessed it, The Mark of Zorro.
At its heart, The Mask of Zorro is an old fashioned adventure film with a modern flair and charm. Anyone can watch this film regardless of prior knowledge or history with the character. It stands on its own as a beautiful adventure full of literally everything you could ask for in a movie. It is yet another one of those films that make people say, "They don't make them like that anymore!" Few other films of the genre in recent years, at least in my opinion, have ever come close to matching its tenacity. If I have sparked your interest, and I hope I have, then I shall gladly tell you why.
Taking place in the 1800s, the story follows a young thief named Alejandro (Antonio Banderas) who's older brother was murdered by a sadistic Military leader called Captain Love (Matt Letscher). Before Alejandro can take his vengeance on the Captain, he is stopped by a mysterious old man who offers to help him by training him on how to fight and take his revenge with honor. When Alejandro asks the old man why he was willing to help, the old man replies, "Because once, a long time ago, you did the same for me." It turns out that the old man is none other than Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), the original Zorro, who had been missing for the past twenty years. See, when Alejandro and his brother were boys, they saved Zorro's life by thwarting a trap set up by his arch-nemesis, Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson). However, shortly afterward, Rafael discovered Zorro's true identity and had him arrested. In the process, Rafael accidentally kills Zorro's wife, burns down his home, and takes Zorro's baby daughter, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), to raise as his own. Now, Diego must train Alejandro to become the new Zorro before he can take his personal revenge on Rafael and reclaim his daughter.
Zorro in Training.
Right off the bat, there are hints of other classic stories of well-intended revenge, such as The Count of Monte Cristo, as well as more modern tales of heroism like Batman Begins. Normally, I would shun at stories about people driven by revenge, as it is the least noble thing to aspire for. However, in this particular case, and indeed in the case of Monte Cristo, it is significantly more justifiable. In both cases, the ones seeking revenge are good-natured people who have been wronged to such an extreme, that we want them to give their wrongdoers their deserved comeuppance. It's when it is motivated by pity reasons or when revenge is tacked on for no narratively sound reason that bothers me the most. I would like to go further into what I mean, but that would require too much time away from discussing this great film. I shall go deeper into this subject in a future blog entry.
But I digress. Now, back to the movie.
It is said that a movie is only as good as the script, and The Mask of Zorro has one of the best ever put to screen. Penned primarily by the original writers of Disney's animated classic Aladdin, the screenplay is loaded from top to bottom with top-tier creativity. Three-dimensional characters with sympathetic motivations and relatable personalities. The dialogue is so precisely structured and delivered that it just sings right off the page. Moments of levity that feel earned and adequately timed, unlike Marvel films (yes, I said it). Not to mention, a tasteful amount of sexiness that sizzles just enough to make the movie stand out without coming off as sleazy. In short, it is the kind of writing you would put on par with other legendary scripts such as The Princess Bride.
Speaking of that other grand classic, The Mask of Zorro shares a significant connection. The swordmaster and fight choreographer was none other than Bob Anderson, a legend in his own right within the world of movie stunts and sword fighting. An accomplished fencer and stunt coordinator, Bob Anderson has been involved in many classic fight scenes. Before training Antonio Banderas for The Mask of Zorro (whom Bob noted was one of his best students), he was one of the trainers and choreographers who put together the greatest swordfight in cinema history. I am, of course, referring to the three and a half minute swordfight from The Princess Bride. Going further back, Anderson played Darth Vader for all the Light Saber duels in the original Star Wars trilogy. In fact, due to the bulkiness of his costume, Anderson had to develop a new fighting style to further enhance the fights' believability. Bob Anderson would continue his work in movies as a stunt person and swordmaster until his untimely death in 2012.
Bob Anderson training Mark Hamil on set.
Needless to say, the sword fights in The Mask of Zorro are incredible! Everyone in the cast, including Anthony Hopkins and especially Antonio Banderas, was adamant about doing most of their own stunts and sword fights. Anthony Hopkins almost didn't do the film due to a back pain issue. Fortunately, he managed to have a successful operation, which allowed him to partake in the movie. Another significant factor in the quality of the fight scenes is how they are photographed. For every single fight, the camera is stable and occasionally holds on wide shots for a good fifteen to twenty seconds. This was before shooting everything with shaky-cam, as well as rapid-fire editing, became the industry standard. Granted, not all modern adventure films employ these gimmicks, but it is sadly rare to see adventure movies with this level of commitment to authenticity.
The cast is remarkable. Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas have incredible chemistry making their back and forth all the more enjoyable. Catherine Zeta-Jones delivers a gripping performance that outshines her beauty. Furthermore, she is more active in the story rather than being relegated to the damsel-in-distress. Also, she gets to have one of the funniest and memorable sword fights in the whole film. If you haven't seen it yet, you'll know what I mean when you do.
Catherine Zeta-Jones on set.
Of course, none of this would be nearly as fascinating as it is without the right director. Fortunately, the studio chose the right man for the job, Martin Campbell. Having previously revitalized the James Bond franchise with Goldeneye (and would eventually do so again with Casino Royale), Martin Campbell was tasked with another challenge of bringing a classic character back to life. Campbell is a director whom I would describe as dedicated to narrative texture. A filmmaker who is less concerned with cementing a signature style and more concerned with doing what is best for the material. If you look at his films, not all of which are zingers, I will admit, they all don't have a distinct flair that identifies them as his movies. And yet, because of his commitment to proper storytelling, his films are more memorable than anything by any auteur. If you haven't seen his most recent movie, Thr Forginer, I highly recommend you do so. It is available on Netflix.
The Mask of Zorro pretty much does everything right. It has a compelling story, fantastic fight scenes, witty writing, a committed cast, and a feeling of catharsis you won't find anywhere else. It's a movie with more heart and love than it may deserve. In these strange and troubling times, we all need a reminder of the better things in life. This is one of them. If you need something to help pick you up, you can't go wrong with this film. If you've seen it already, give it another watch. If you haven't seen it yet, now would be the perfect time to check it out. Not only will you be thoroughly entertained, but you will also have a better understanding as to why so many would proudly wear The Mask of Zorro.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment