The Mask of Zorro

Composed by James Horner

Orchestrated by James Horner and Thomas Pasatieri

Conducted by James Horner

Produced by Simon Rhodes and James Horner

Released by Sony Classical Records on July 7th, 1998

Total Running Time: 77:16

     The Mask of Zorro has remained a favorite film of mine since I first popped in the original DVD release over seven years ago (December 1, 1998 to be exact). Now, three DVD releases and a sequel film later, the film still remains strong (though not worth owning three DVDs of it…two maybe, but definitely not three). As for its sequel, I thoroughly enjoyed The Legend of Zorro, but Mask decidedly comes out on top. I am more keen on the villains and storyline from the first film (Legend suffers from touching on elements of conspiracy theories that seem out of place in a film like this), and Catherine Zeta-Jones is just a lot sexier in the first film (though I guess being married to Michael Douglas can pull down anyone’s sex appeal).

     James Horner scoring a Zorro film was an interesting choice, but who really knew how it would eventually go down? For a composer who had ridden the wave of public opinion with Titanic, his only follow up score between that monstrosity (in terms of the size of the sales, not the content) and Zorro was the lackluster Deep Impact. It seems that having scored two disaster movies in a row gave Horner the inspiration to go all out for something more fun and lighthearted, and all out he went. Digging out the album and listening to it wowed me all over again with the intensity and fervor that this score possesses, to say nothing of Horner’s great themes.

     Beginning with a strong guitar hit and the sound of dancing feet, Horner opens us into the “Plaza of Execution”. This opening moment builds itself up until finally exploding into a rousing performance of the main theme. This cue then continues to follow the action closely, all the way up to the denouement of the first sequence and the arrival of Zorro back to his estate where the love theme in “Elena and Esperanza” has its first appearance, even if only for the moment. The cue turns quite dark and effectively takes the romantic moment and turns it on its head.

     The following cue marks one of the problems I have with this album and that is in placement of the tracks. It was quite a usual practice back in the day to have albums structured for “listenability”, with cues being placed out of chronological order in order to ostensibly enhance the listening experience. While not the next cue in the timeline of the film, “The Ride” is nevertheless one of the highlights of this score. It serves as staple for what Horner was accomplishing in this work, mixing the adventure elements (in this case, the main Zorro theme providing that), along tongue-in-cheek side that perfectly matches the film’s sense of humor.

     This playfulness adds an element of sexuality as the dancing flamenco moments return for “The Fencing Lesson”. This is another great cue, and provides a nice break from the rousing adventure. The excitement then continues with “Tornado in the Barracks” and comes to a head with the climactic “Leave no Witnesses…” This cue takes a while to get started, but once the orchestra has risen to full force, this is a third act rising action and climax like only Horner can score. The finale in “Diego’s Goodbye” is appropriate fitting and ties everything together nicely.

     As for the song, after “My Heart Will Go On”, Horner definitely wouldn’t achieve that level of success again, and “I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You” wasn’t going to change that (and boy does it need a shorter title), but, aside from a few corny sound effects at the beginning, it works well enough.

     A great score for a great film, this album comes highly recommended to anyone who has an interest in film music. This is one of James Horner’s best scores and one that should be owned. It’s just that simple.

Reviewed on December 19, 2005

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