The Mask of Zorro
All actors and roles (10)
All team (89)
Short description
In 1821, as Spanish colonial rule in Alta California nears its end, the masked hero Zorro is unmasked by the tyrannical governor Rafael Montero. Diego de la Vega loses his freedom, his wife and his home as a result. Twenty years later, after escaping from prison, the aging Diego finds that Montero has returned from exile with Diego's grown daughter, Elena, who has no idea who her real father is. Seeking revenge and hoping to stop Montero's plans, Diego trains Alejandro Murrieta, a young bandit with his own grudge, to take up the mask, sword and whip as the new Zorro and confront their common enemy.
Martin Campbell directed the sixth film of the eighteen he has made to date, following GoldenEye and preceding Vertical Limit. The screenplay is by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio and John Eskow, and the cast is led by Antonio Banderas as Alejandro, Anthony Hopkins as the older Diego and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Elena, with Stuart Wilson, Matt Letscher and L.Q. Jones in supporting roles.
The film was released in 1998 and runs 138 minutes. Made for 95 million dollars, it took 250 million dollars worldwide, a solid return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 6.8 from 209,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.6 from 4,453 votes, while critics gave it 7.4 from 76 reviews, so the critical average sits above the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Initially, Sir Anthony Hopkins declined the role of Don Diego de la Vega due to back pain, but surgery and treatment allowed him to participate in filming.
- Elena's dress appears to fall from her body thanks to invisible wires attached to it.
- Legendary fencing coach Bob Anderson, who once trained Errol Flynn (1909-1959), stated that after Flynn, actor Antonio Banderas became the most skilled swordsman. Banderas trained with the Spanish Olympic team for 4 months.
- Initially, it was intended that Don Diego de la Vega would be played by Raúl Juliá (1940-1995), but the actor passed away before filming began.
- There are significant differences between the Zorro #1 costume, i.e., Don Diego de la Vega's, and the Zorro #2 costume, i.e., Alejandro's. As the costume designer explained, de la Vega's costume reflects his Spanish origin, while Alejandro is of Mexican birth, and his costume is accordingly.
- The role of Elena was offered to Colombian singer Shakira (birth name – Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll).
- The swords used in the film were made of aluminum, so the sounds in the fight scenes had to be dubbed to make them more resounding.
- When Steven Spielberg was offered the opportunity to direct the film, the role of Zorro was intended for actor Tom Cruise.
- Initially, Robert Rodriguez was appointed as the director, but the studio disagreed with his vision for the film, which was full of cruelty and violence. Robert Rodriguez wanted Salma Hayek to play Elena.
- During post-production, director Martin Campbell and producer Steven Spielberg realized that Don Diego de la Vega’s death at the hands of his daughter made the film’s ending overly bleak. Scenes showing Alejandro and Elena with their newborn son were filmed three months later.
- Steven Spielberg filmed the war drama "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) and therefore declined an offer to direct the film.
- Martin Campbell turned down the opportunity to direct "Tomorrow Never Dies" for this film, as did Anthony Hopkins, who was considered for the role of the main villain.
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