The Mask of Zorro
	The Mask of Zorro is an adventure film intertwining romance and honor, danger and audacity, tragedy and triumph. The story takes us to Mexico during the war for independence from Spain. Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), otherwise known as the legendary righter of wrongs named Zorro, has just been released from prison where he served 20 years. His hate for Governor Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson), had caused him to loose his wife, liberty and daughter who was abducted…
De la Vega must now find his successor in order to right this injustice. He meets a young rogue who also has some matters to take up with the Governor. De la Vega trains Alejandro (Antonio Banderas) to become the new legendary Zorro. His protégé is ready and he places the mask on his face, the sword in his hand and sends him off to encounter the Governor and stop his evil doings… The Legend Zorro has been galloping in the imaginations of children via comic books since 1919. In the beginning, he fought off the oppressors in order to defend a widow and an orphan. The Mask of Zorrow draws from the character created by Johnston McCulley, a journalist who specialized in police affaires. According to McCulley, Zorro comes from the Spanish word for fox. Zorro was brought to the screen in 1920 in a silent version starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. entitled Z for Zorro. Twenty years later Tyrone Power took the role in a remake by Rouben Mamoulian. Walt Disney brought the series to the television in 1957. In 1975, it was Alain Delon who played Zorro by Duccio Tessari. The Mask of Zorro marks the legend's return to Hollywood after 40 years of absence. To bring this fox back to life, Amblin Entertainment - Steven Spielberg's production company, and TriStar Pictures bought the rights from the Gertz family, who had obtained them from McCulley in 1950. Shooting of The Mask of Zorro began in 1997 in the center of Mexico at Churubusco Studios and lasted four months Martin Campbell, director Martin Campbell is an action film specialist, including the James Bond Goldeneye.,BR> Originally from New Zealand, Campbell moved to Britain in 1966 where he began his career in cinema as a cameraman for television. Much more attracted to directing than production, he began with the police series The Professionals. He worked on many subsequent projects for the BBC and won several British prizes. In 1988 he crossed the Atlantic and began working for NBC and finished his first feature Criminal Law followed by Defenseless in 1991, No Escape in 1994 and Goldeneye in 1995.
Antonio Banderas Antonio Banderas was born in Malaga, Spain in 1960 and was decided from the age of 15 to be an actor. In 1981 he moved to Madrid where he joined to the prestigious National Theatre troupe until 1986. It was Pedro Almodovar who first brought Banderas to the screen in Labyrinth of Passion and he soon became a fetiche actor for Almodovar: Matador, Law of Desire, Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Tie Me Up! Banderas also worked with other Spanish directors such as Carlos Saura and Felix Rotaeta.In the 90's, Banderas began his international career: In Bed with Madonna, Mambo Kings, The House of the Spirits by Billie August, Philadelphia by Jonathan Demme and Evita in which he showed his talents as a singer. At the present, he is in Canada working on Eaters of the Dead by John McTiernan. Banderas made his directing debut with Crazy in Alabama, starring Melanie Griffith, his wife.

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FILM CREDITS
Producer	Doug Claybourne
Director	Martin Campbell
Screenplay	John Eskow, Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio
Photo	Phil Meheux
Art Director	Michael Atwell
Costume	Graciela Mazon
Decor	Cecilia Montiel
Editor	Thom Noble
Music	James Horner
Cast	Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta Jones, Stuart Wilson, Matt Letcsher
Running Time	137 min
International Sales	Columbia TriStar Films