Ep. 18 - The Mask of Zorro
It has sword fights. It has romance. It has Anthony Hopkins questionably cast as a Mexican noble. It’s The Mask of Zorro (1998), perhaps the height of the nineties blockbuster. Adam and Nate revisit this action adventure gem alongside “E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)” (S11E5), our first Simpsons episode to showcase the titular Springfield Googolplex cinema.
Also in this episode:
Nineties Zorro = Batman + James Bond + Mexican Revolution?
The death, rebirth and consolidation of the swashbuckler genre
The irresistible star power of Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones
Tomacco, one of the most memorable gags of Simpsons season 11—and a real thing!
Next time, Adam and Nate step into the ring with Rocky (1976) and “The Homer They Fall” (S8E3)!
Every Simpsons Reference to The Mask of Zorro
By our count, The Mask of Zorro has been directly referenced twice in the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons, including one character appearance and one full scene parody. The first reference appears in 1999, 1 year after the release of the movie.
In our research for this episode, we found one new reference that hadn’t been recorded yet on IMDb, Wikipedia, Simpsons Wiki, or Wikisimpsons.
Scene Parodies
NEW • Maximum Homerdrive (S10E17): Marge and Lisa’s misadventures involving a broken doorbell finally end when the Señor Ding Dong fixes the doorbell with his whip.
While the timeline is tight for this reference, Zorro may have been on the writers’ minds after the first TV spot for the movie aired during Super Bowl XXXII on January 25, 1998, 14 months before the episode’s air date. The trailer that played before Godzilla (1998), which hit theaters 10 months before the air date, included a shot of Zorro’s whip disarming a rifle. (Unconfirmed)
E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt) (S11E5): This episode opens with the Simpson family visiting the Springfield Googolplex cinema to watch “The Poke of Zorro,” which parodies several scenes in this movie, as well as other swashbuckler reboot movies of the era.
Extra Credit
Looking for more like this or an interesting double feature? Here are our recommendations.
From Adam: The Princess Bride (1987), The Shadow (1994) & The Mummy (1999)
From Nate: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
On the Watchlist: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Further Reading & Viewing
Video: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) - Walker Threatens April & The Turtles,“ Movieclips (YouTube), August 4, 2023. This movie features actor Stuart Wilson (Don Rafael Montero) in a wildly different villain role.
Article: Kevin Polowy, “‘The Mask of Zorro’ at 25: Antonio Banderas recalls Steven Spielberg's prescient words on set of 1998 blockbuster,“ Yahoo! Entertainment, July 14, 2023.
Video: “Jackie Chan Training-Snake in the Eagle Shadow,“ Steve Nelius (YouTube), October 10, 2019. Director Martin Campbell took inspiration from Jackie Chain, including one shot of the hero doing pushups over candles while his master puts his feet up on him, taken directly from Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1978).
Article: Horatia Harrod, “Simpsons Stories: The Tomacco Man,“ The Telegraph, January 5, 2010.
Book: Jonathan Gray, Watching with The Simpsons: Television, Parody, and Intertextuality, Taylor & Francis, November 27, 2005. TL;DR? Check out Jonathan’s book talk instead.
Featurette: Laurent Bouzereau, Unmasking Zorro, Columbia TriStar Home Video, 2001.
