{"id":3672,"date":"2007-07-14T08:05:47","date_gmt":"2007-07-14T15:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3672"},"modified":"2020-11-26T18:05:47","modified_gmt":"2020-11-27T01:05:47","slug":"zorro-the-gay-blade-1981","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3672","title":{"rendered":"Zorro, the Gay Blade (1981)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Remember, my people: there is no shame in being poor, only in dressing poorly!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Gay-Blade-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Gay-Blade-Poster-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-23364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Gay-Blade-Poster-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Gay-Blade-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Gay-Blade-Poster.jpg 362w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen the greedy new alcalde of Los Angeles (Ron Leibman) demands exorbitant taxes from local peasants, Don Diego Vega (George Hamilton) decides to wear his late father&#8217;s Zorro outfit and save the day. When he hurts his ankle jumping from a ledge, his long-lost effeminate twin brother, Bunny Wigglesworth (also Hamilton), conveniently arrives from Britain and takes over the role of Zorro &#8212; adding his own unique, flamboyant touch.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Folk Heroes<\/li>\n<li>George Hamilton Films<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Satires and Spoofs<\/li>\n<li>Twins<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAfter the success of his vampire spoof, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5767\"><em>Love at First Bite<\/em> (1979)<\/a>, George Hamilton produced and starred in this affectionate homage to the masked avenger of pulp fiction lore. It&#8217;s a surprisingly enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek romp, thanks in large part to Hamilton&#8217;s portrayal as both Don Diego and Bunny &#8212; he&#8217;s convincing enough in these dual roles to make you forget he&#8217;s really just one actor. The script is clever, with plenty of juvenile yet amusing one-liners, and the action moves at a quick pace. As with all broad comedies, <em>Zorro <\/em>may not be for all tastes, but I think it&#8217;s a delightfully innocuous diversion. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>George Hamilton, endearingly campy in his multiple roles<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro2.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro2.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3671\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ron Leibman&#8217;s over-the-top performance as the Alcalde (though his yelling eventually becomes tedious)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Alcalde.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Alcalde.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-55168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Alcalde.jpg 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Alcalde-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Alcalde-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Alcalde-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Alcalde-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Brenda Vaccaro as the Alcalde&#8217;s sexually rapacious wife, Florinda<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Vaccaro.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Vaccaro.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-55169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Vaccaro.jpg 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Vaccaro-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Vaccaro-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Vaccaro-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Vaccaro-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Bunny&#8217;s flamboyant outfits<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Rose.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Rose.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-55170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Rose.jpg 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Rose-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Rose-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Rose-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Rose-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The Alcalde trying to get Don Diego to &#8220;act like a sissy&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Convince.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Convince.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-55171\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Convince.jpg 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Convince-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Convince-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Convince-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Zorro-Convince-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many giggle-inducing lines: &#8220;What do the people need roads for? They never go anywhere.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s recommended. Listed as a Sleeper in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0083366\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1981\/07\/24\/movies\/george-hamilton-comic-zorro.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/screened.blogspot.com\/2005\/12\/zorro-gay-blade.html\">Latin America on Screen<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/zorro-the-gay-blade\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Remember, my people: there is no shame in being poor, only in dressing poorly!&#8221; Synopsis: When the greedy new alcalde of Los Angeles (Ron Leibman) demands exorbitant taxes from local peasants, Don Diego Vega (George Hamilton) decides to wear his late father&#8217;s Zorro outfit and save the day. When he hurts his ankle jumping from a ledge, his long-lost effeminate twin brother, Bunny Wigglesworth (also Hamilton), conveniently arrives from Britain and takes over the role of Zorro &#8212; adding his&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3672\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3672"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55173,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3672\/revisions\/55173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}