“That is not
a “2”, that is a “Z”…And I say it is a “Z” for “El Zorro”!”
When I started this “Flashback”
portion of the blog, my intention was to re-watch films and one see if they
still hit that nostalgia button and also see if they hold up after years and
years since their release.
After
watching “Zorro the Gay Blade” I have found a film that has done both in
spades. This comedy from 1982 is the
story of Don Deigo Vega who after getting rich off the people or “peepoles” as
he calls them finds out his father was the masked figure Zorro fifty years
ago. Now that he has passed the truth
has been revealed to Vega and he has decided (half-heartedly) to take up the
mantle of Zorro.
His first
night out, he unwittingly robs a tax-collector, and insults the acting alcalde,
the elected leader of the people in public.
Then on that same night he reveals himself to the town and proceeds to
break his ankle. This leads to him
sending for his twin brother to take over as Zorro until his leg has
healed. The comedy comes in when his
brother arrives and claims to have changed his name from Ramon Vega, to Bunny
Wigglesworth, and has essentially become a flamboyant homosexual. So Bunny takes the classic black Zorro suit
and changes it up to varying colors including plum, avocado, orange and
gold. And instead of a sword, he fancies
a whip.
This movie
is fantastic! It’s still funny with
George Hamilton playing both roles of the twin brothers, and his foil the alcalde
played by Ron Leibman is brilliant, I don’t know if he was unable to speak
after this role since most of the time he is yelling orders or even sentences
which would kill on multiple takes.
Lauren Hutton as the love interest does what she needs to though
Hamilton steals every scene she’s in.
With his pronounced accent which is even called out in the film makes listening
to everything he says funnier on repeat viewings. The sword fights are on par with “The
Princess Bride” and they feel very choreographed. But the flow of the film and the humor
completely still work and even though it follows a familiar formula, the
characters and writing keep it entertaining.
Plus the main Zorro theme is John Williams good, it’s used throughout
the film like a Superman theme. It
stayed in my head for days. If you’ve
never seen it or like me it’s been over thirty years, give it a re-watch,
you’ll miss the way comedy used to be done.
--Robert L.
Castillo
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