The Legend of Zorro

Last updated

The Legend of Zorro
The Legend of Zorro poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Martin Campbell
Screenplay by Roberto Orci
Story byRoberto Orci
Alex Kurtzman
Based on Zorro
by Johnston McCulley
Produced by Walter F. Parkes
Laurie MacDonald
Lloyd Phillips
Starring Antonio Banderas
Cinematography Phil Meheux
Edited by Stuart Baird
Music by James Horner
Production
companies
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing [1]
Release date
  • October 28, 2005 (2005-10-28)
Running time
130 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish
Budget$65 million
Box office$142.4 million

The Legend of Zorro is a 2005 American Western swashbuckler film directed by Martin Campbell, produced by Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Lloyd Phillips, with music by James Horner, and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. It is the sequel to 1998's The Mask of Zorro ; Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones reprise their roles as the titular hero and his spouse, Elena, and Rufus Sewell stars as the villain, Count Armand. The film takes place in San Mateo County, California and was shot in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, with second-unit photography in Wellington, New Zealand. [2] The film was theatrically released on October 28, 2005, by Columbia Pictures (instead of TriStar due to Columbia holding the sequel rights to TriStar's pre-1999 film library), and earned $142.4 million on a $65 million budget.

Contents

Plot

In 1850, California votes on whether to join the United States of America as a state. Zorro, formerly Alejandro Murrieta, now known to the public as Don Alejandro De La Vega, foils a plot to steal the ballots. During the fight, he loses his mask, and two Pinkerton agents see his face. Alejandro's marriage with his wife Elena becomes strained after he refuses to stop being Zorro when the election is over. The couple fights, and Alejandro moves out. The following day, the Pinkertons confront Elena, who later divorces Alejandro.

The separation and the feeling the people no longer need Zorro take a toll on Alejandro. His childhood guardian, Father Felipe, takes him to a party at the vineyard of French Count Armand. Alejandro discovers Elena is dating Armand, an old friend from her time in Europe. Leaving the party, Alejandro witnesses an explosion near the vineyard and becomes suspicious of Armand. Gunman Jacob McGivens leads an attack on Cortez, a farmer and friend of Alejandro, to seize his land. Zorro rescues Cortez's wife and son, but Cortez is killed.

While being at Armand's mansion for a date, Elena surreptitiously investigates his secret study, discovering information about a plot involving explosives and a group called Orbis Unum (One World in Latin). Zorro sneaks into the mansion and overhears Armand's discussion with McGivens about his plan to build a railroad through Cortez's land.

The next day, Alejandro's son Joaquin sneaks out of a class field trip and hides on McGivens’s cart. Joaquin is caught by McGivens's bandits as they receive a shipment of cargo in a cove. Zorro saves Joaquin from the bandits and sees the cargo consists of bars of soap, with the phrase Orbis Unum printed on the crates. Father Felipe tells Alejandro it is the symbol of the Knights of Aragon, a secret society Armand is a member of, which has secretly ruled Europe for millenia. The Knights have deemed the United States a threat, and plan to destroy it.

Alejandro is captured and imprisoned by the Pinkertons. They reveal they confronted Elena with knowledge of his identity as Zorro and blackmailed her into divorcing Alejandro and seducing Armand to learn of the Knights' plans without the aid of Zorro, whose vigilante ways they dislike. Because California is not yet a U.S. state, they cannot search Armand's home themselves. Joaquin frees Alejandro from captivity.

At Armand's mansion, Zorro finds Elena. They spy on Armand as he gives a speech to the Knights, revealing the soap bars contain an ingredient for nitroglycerin. The vineyard is a cover for the production of the weapon, which will be given to the Confederate army, with the help of its colonel Beauregard, to launch a sneak attack on Washington, D.C., and destroy the Union. Zorro and Elena reconcile while he prepares to destroy the train carrying the explosives. McGivens arrives at Felipe's church to look for Zorro. Unable to find him, he shoots Felipe and kidnaps Joaquin. Armand discovers Elena's deception and takes her hostage with Joaquin. Zorro is captured and unmasked in front of his son. Armand takes Joaquin and Elena away on the train and orders McGivens to kill Alejandro. Felipe, saved from the bullet by the cross he wears, rescues Alejandro, who kills McGivens.

Zorro catches up with the train on horseback and fights Armand. Elena helps Joaquin escape, then fights Armand's henchman Ferroq and throws him from the train with a bottle of nitro near Beauregard at their prearranged meeting point, killing them all. Further along the tracks, the governor prepares to sign the bill to make California a Union state. Joaquin rides Tornado, Zorro's horse, off the train and diverts it onto another track, away from the bill signing ceremony. Zorro sees the track is a dead end, ties Armand to the engine and escapes with Elena. The train crashes, setting off the nitroglycerin and killing Armand.

The governor signs the bill, and California becomes the 31st U.S. state. Alejandro remarries Elena and apologizes to Joaquin for his secrecy, recognizing Zorro's identity should be a family secret. With Elena's support, Zorro rides off on Tornado to his next mission.

Cast

Music

The Legend of Zorro: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Film score by
ReleasedOctober 25, 2005
Recorded2004–2005
Length75:34
Label Sony
James Horner chronology
Flightplan
(2005)
The Legend of Zorro: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(2005)
The New World
(2005)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
SoundtrackNet Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg
Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Collecting the Ballots"3:27
2."Stolen Votes"6:31
3."To the Governor's... And Then Elena"4:05
4."This Is Who I Am"3:05
5."Classroom Justice"1:50
6."The Cortez Ranch"6:35
7."A Proposal with Pearls / Perilous Times"3:58
8."Joaquin's Capture and Zorro's Rescue"5:00
9."Jailbreak / Reunited"5:36
10."A Dinner of Pigeon / Setting the Explosives"5:04
11."Mad Dash / Zorro Unmasked"3:20
12."Just One Drop of Nitro"2:40
13."The Train"11:11
14."Statehood Proclaimed"5:00
15."My Family Is My Life..."8:14

Reception

The Legend of Zorro currently holds a rating of 47 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 33 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [3] On Rotten Tomatoes, 28% of 141 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The site's critics consensus states, "Zorro can survive a lot of things, but it looks like he can't survive marriage". [4] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [5]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a below-average review, awarding it one and a half out of four stars, commenting that "of all of the possible ideas about how to handle the Elena character, this movie has assembled the worst ones." [6] James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave The Legend of Zorro two out of four stars, saying that "the action is routine", "the chemistry between the two leads, which was one of the highlights of The Mask of Zorro , has evaporated during the intervening years", and that the movie "fails to recapture the pleasure offered by The Mask of Zorro." [7]

Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com praised the film, calling it "entertaining, bold, and self-effacing at once", noting the civic and parental questions it raises. [8] Slate Magazine critic David Edelstein also praised the film, in particular the action scenes, villains, and chemistry between Banderas and Zeta-Jones. [9] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said the film was "watchable – not remotely enjoyable, but watchable." [10] Nathan Rabin of The Onion 's A.V. Club gave the film a lukewarm review, saying that "director Martin Campbell doles out action sequences stingily", and added that "The Legend of Zorro still feels like a half-hearted shrug of a sequel." [11] Brian Lowry of Variety said that The Legend of Zorro is "considerably less charming than The Mask of Zorro", but added that the film "gets by mostly on dazzling stunt work and the pleasure of seeing its dashing and glamorous leads back in cape and gown." [12] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly awarded the film a "B−" score. Schwarzbaum said that "too many scenes emphasize gross butchery over the elegance of the blade", but added that the film is "well-oiled" and praised the "fancy fight sequences". [13]

Stephen Hunter of The Washington Post reacted negatively, calling The Legend of Zorro "a waste of talent, time, and money" and "stupid and boring". [14] Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle was also not impressed, remarking that "there are precious few things for a Zorro fan – or a film fan, for that matter – not to loathe about The Legend of Zorro." [15] [16] The film did reasonably well at the box office, grossing $142,400,065 internationally, but did not match the success of its predecessor. [17]

Home media

The film was released on DVD and VHS on January 31, 2006. It was later released on Blu-ray on December 11, 2007.[ citation needed ]

Potential crossover sequel

In June 2019, Quentin Tarantino had picked Jerrod Carmichael to co-write a film adaptation based on his crossover comic book series, Django/Zorro which was a crossover with Django Unchained . [18] Tarantino and Jamie Foxx have both expressed interest in having Antonio Banderas reprise his role as Zorro from The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro in the film in addition to Foxx returning as Django Freeman. [19] In a 2022 interview with GQ, Carmichael revealed that the film had been cancelled. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quentin Tarantino</span> American filmmaker (born 1963)

Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue including a pervasive use of profanity, and references to popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Banderas</span> Spanish actor (born 1960)

José Antonio Domínguez Bandera, known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and director. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a European Film Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zorro</span> Fictional character

Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashing masked vigilante that defends the commoners and Indigenous peoples of California against corrupt and tyrannical officials and other villains. His signature all-black costume includes a cape, a hat known as a sombrero cordobés, and a mask covering the upper half of his face.

<i>The Mask of Zorro</i> 1998 swashbuckler film by Martin Campbell

The Mask of Zorro is a 1998 American swashbuckler film based on the fictional character Zorro by Johnston McCulley. It was directed by Martin Campbell and stars Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Stuart Wilson. The film features the original Zorro, Don Diego de la Vega (Hopkins), escaping from prison to find his long-lost daughter (Zeta-Jones) and avenge the death of his wife at the hands of the corrupt governor Rafael Montero (Wilson). He is aided by his successor (Banderas), who is pursuing his own vendetta against the governor's right-hand man while falling in love with de la Vega's daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Campbell</span> New Zealand film and television director (born 1943)

Martin Campbell is a New Zealand film and television director based in the United Kingdom. He is known for having directed The Mask of Zorro as well as the James Bond films GoldenEye and Casino Royale. He won a BAFTA for his direction of the 1985 television serial Edge of Darkness.

<i>The Mark of Zorro</i> (1920 film) 1920 film

The Mark of Zorro is a 1920 American silent Western romance film starring Douglas Fairbanks and Noah Beery. This genre-defining swashbuckler adventure was the first movie version of The Mark of Zorro. Based on the 1919 story The Curse of Capistrano by Johnston McCulley, which introduced the masked hero, Zorro, the screenplay was adapted by Fairbanks and Eugene Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joaquin Murrieta</span> Historical figure in early California (1829–1853)

Joaquin Murrieta Carrillo, also called the Robin Hood of the West or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a Mexican figure of disputed historicity. The novel The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta: The Celebrated California Bandit (1854) by John Rollin Ridge is ostensibly his story.

Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim.

<i>Zorro</i> (1957 TV series) American action-adventure western drama series

Zorro is an American action-adventure Western television series produced by Walt Disney Productions and starring Guy Williams. Based on the Zorro character created by Johnston McCulley in his 1919 novella, the series premiered on October 10, 1957, on ABC. The final network broadcast was July 2, 1959. Seventy-eight episodes were produced, and four hour-long specials were aired on the Walt Disney anthology series between October 30, 1960, and April 2, 1961.

Tornado is a horse ridden by the character Zorro in several films and books. Tornado is said to be intelligent and fast. His name is pronounced in the Spanish way, "tor-NAH-do". Being as jet-black as Zorro's costume enables horse and rider to more easily elude capture at night.

<i>Zorros Fighting Legion</i> 1939 film by John English, William Witney

Zorro's Fighting Legion is a 1939 Republic Pictures film serial consisting of twelve chapters starring Reed Hadley as Zorro and directed by William Witney and John English. The plot revolves around his alter-ego Don Diego's fight against the evil Don Del Oro.

Puss in Boots (<i>Shrek</i>) Fictional character in the Shrek franchise

Puss in Boots, or simply Puss, is a main character in the Shrek franchise. He made his first appearance in the film Shrek 2 (2004), soon becoming Shrek's partner and helper. In the film Shrek the Third (2007), Puss helps Shrek find the heir to the throne of the Far Far Away Kingdom. The film Shrek Forever After (2010) is primarily set in an alternate universe, where Puss is Princess Fiona's pet and has gained weight after his retirement. He is portrayed as the title character and protagonist in the 2011 spin-off film Puss in Boots and its 2022 sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Puss also appears in the Netflix television series centered on him, The Adventures of Puss in Boots (2015–2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julio Oscar Mechoso</span> Cuban actor (1955–2017)

Julio Oscar Mechoso was a Cuban actor who played detective Ruiz in Bad Boys and appeared in such films as Blue Streak, Jurassic Park III, The Legend of Zorro, The Lost City, Little Miss Sunshine and Rules Don't Apply. He had over 120 well known films and TV roles.

<i>Zorro</i> (1990 TV series) American TV series or program

Zorro is an American Western superhero television series featuring Duncan Regehr as the character of Zorro. Regehr portrayed the fearless Spanish hero and fencer on The Family Channel from 1990 to 1993. The series was shot entirely in Madrid, Spain and produced by New World Television (U.S.), The Family Channel (U.S.), Ellipse Programme of Canal Plus (France), Beta TV (Germany), and RAI (Italy). 88 episodes of the series were produced, Raymond Austin directed 55 episodes and produced 37. There were 10 more episodes made than the first Zorro television series, which was produced by Disney in the late 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Five Joaquins Gang</span> California outlaw gang (1850-1853)

The Five Joaquins were a mid-19th-century outlaw gang in California which, according to the state legislature, was led by five men, identified as follows: "... the five Joaquins, whose names are Joaquin Murrieta, Joaquin Ocomorenia, Joaquin Valenzuela, Joaquin Botellier, and Joaquin Carrillo, and their banded associates."

<i>Django Unchained</i> 2012 American western film by Quentin Tarantino

Django Unchained is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis Christopher, James Remar, Michael Parks, and Don Johnson in supporting roles. Set in the Old West and Antebellum South, it is a highly stylized, heavily revisionist tribute to spaghetti Westerns, in particular the 1966 Italian film Django by Sergio Corbucci. The story follows a slave who trains under a German bounty hunter with the ultimate goal of reuniting with his wife.

The nominees for the 9th St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards were announced on December 11, 2012. The winners were announced on December 17, 2012.

<i>Django Unchained</i> (soundtrack) 2012 soundtrack album by Various Artists

Django Unchained is the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's motion picture Django Unchained. It was originally released on December 18, 2012. The soundtrack uses a variety of music genres, though with an especially heavy influence from Spaghetti Western soundtracks.

<i>The Hateful Eight</i> 2015 American film by Quentin Tarantino

The Hateful Eight is a 2015 American Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern, as eight dubious strangers who seek refuge from a blizzard in a stagecoach stopover some time after the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quentin Tarantino's unrealized projects</span>

The following is a list of unproduced Quentin Tarantino projects in roughly chronological order. During his career, American film director Quentin Tarantino has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects were officially cancelled and scrapped or fell in development hell.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Legend of Zorro". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  2. "The Legend Of Zorro To Shoot In New Zealand". Scoop. December 16, 2004. Archived from the original on June 3, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  3. "The Legend of Zorro Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  4. "The Legend of Zorro". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  5. "Home". CinemaScore . Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  6. Roger Ebert (October 27, 2005). "The Legend of Zorro Movie Review (2005)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  7. Berardinelli, James (2005). "Review: Legend of Zorro, The". Reelviews. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  8. Stephanie Zacharek (October 28, 2005). "The Legend of Zorro". Salon. Archived from the original on January 3, 2007.
  9. Edelstein, David (October 28, 2005). "Laugh Laugh Scream Scream". Slate. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  10. LaSalle, Mick (October 28, 2005). "This guy just can't hang up his mask". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 10, 2006. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  11. Rabin, Nathan (October 26, 2005). "The Legend Of Zorro". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  12. Lowry, Brian (October 23, 2005). "The Legend of Zorro". Variety. Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  13. Schwarzbaum, Lisa (October 26, 2005). "The Legend of Zorro Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  14. Hunter, Stephen. "The Legend of Zorro". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  15. "The Legend of Zorro - Film Calendar". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  16. Savov, Marc (October 28, 2006). "Film Review: The Legend of Zorro". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  17. "The Legend of Zorro (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  18. Sneider, Jeff (June 3, 2019). "Exclusive: Quentin Tarantino Working with Jerrod Carmichael on 'Django/Zorro' Movie". Collider . Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  19. Moss, Emma-Lee (July 28, 2014). "Comic-Con 2014: Quentin Tarantino on the Django-Zorro crossover". TheGuardian.com . Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  20. Sharf, Zack (June 21, 2022). "'We Wrote a $500 Million Film': Tarantino's 'Crazy' Django/Zorro Film Hooked Antonio Banderas". Variety. Retrieved July 3, 2023.