Happy New Year, despite it being halfway into the year's Monday (cold, depressing, and feels longer than it is). Anyway, it's been a while since I've done a "Western Weekend", so I figured I'd revive that. And since we could all use a Zorro right now, that would be my next film to review. Zorro is an Italian film released in 1975, and is a delightful romp.
Alain Delon plays Don Diego de la Vega, a Spanish swordsman and adventurer in Colombia (rather than the traditional location of California), who is preparing to return to Spain. While waiting for passage in Cartagena, he meets his old friend Don Miguel de la Serna. An idealistic and peace-loving noble, Miguel has been appointed governor of the province of Neuva Aragon following the suspicious death of his uncle. That evening, Miguel is attacked by assassins hired by the power-hungry Colonel Huerta. Diego is eager for revenge and offers to go in his Miguel's stead, but Miguel makes him promise that the new governor will never kill. Accompanied by Miguel's mute servant Joaquin, he travels to Nueva Aragon, and finds a dystopia; the local farmers are swindled by the merchant classes, and oppressed by the militia. Colonel Huerta, played by Stanley Baker, seeks to rule the province as a military dictator, but Diego assumes the role of a fop to lull the colonel into a false sense of security. He later learns of a local story of a trickster spirit known as Zorro, and uses the story to adopt the persona of a masked swordsman who fights oppression. He later falls in love with Hortensia Purlido, the daughter of a bankrupt noble family and a vocal critic of the government.
One thing to note is that the film still retains a few moments from the original Johnston McCulley novel. For example, there is a scene in which a well-respected monk named Brother Francisco (Fray Felipe in the original story) is tried for allegedly selling spoiled hides to a merchant and sentenced to be whipped. Zorro interrupts the flogging, ordering the merchant, the magistrate, and the executioner to be flogged instead. Huerta's henchman, Sergeant Garcia, is based on Sergeant Gonzales, who is determined to capture Zorro but is on friendly terms with Diego.
Naturally, there's plenty of sword fighting, but it seems to adopt a more slapstick tone. That might not be your thing, but I personally love it. There's one notable fight scene in a marketplace in which Zorro battles with Sergeant Garcia. While evading Garcia's soldiers, Zorro makes use of someone carrying a large plank to utilise a "Laurel and Hardy" combat style. Or another moment involves using the canvas of the market stalls as trampolines. In a more ridiculous scene, Zorro is infiltrating a prison and delays guards by rolling barrels down a staircase like Donkey Kong, later hiding in one of the barrels to sneak past them.
If there's any issue I do have, it's with the finale before the fight between Zorro and Huerta. As the people begin to rebel, Huerta shoots and kills Brother Francisco. Zorro - who never actually kills anyone he fights - decides that the priest's death absolves him of his vow. It's all well and good, but it was kind of arbitrary and came out of nowhere. I would have liked to see some build-up to that. There are also a fair few scenes that don't add much, mainly involving Miguel's aunt Carmen and his Prussian bodyguard Fritz von Markel (both of whom largely serve as comic relief). Hortensia seems like an interesting character with her outspoken nature, but ends up being a damsel in distress.
All in all, I love this film. It's not the most well-produced film around, but I find it enjoyably silly. It's worth at least one watch. Try and find an uncut version if possible, since many cuts have left out a lot of important backstory. Some of it could have been cut, but other bits really should have been kept in.
Also, is that dog dubbed?
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