Review of Zorro: The Gay Blade

I've never been a big fan of the Zorro films, or the TV series for that matter, but I loved this movie. Zorro, the masked avenger, takes up for the downtrodden peasantry being exploited by the evil alcalde (played with delicious maliciousness by Ron Leibman). When the Zorro character injures his ankle and is unable to wreak havoc on the oppressors, his twin brother Ramon appears on the scene to take over where Zorro has left off, with a couple of slight differences. Ramon has joined the British Navy and changed his name to Bunny Wigglesworth (and all that the name implies), and he uses a whip instead of a sword to smite his enemies. Oh, and he's a snappy dresser as well--instead of a boring black cape and hat, he wears color coordinated outfits--purple, green, yellow, orange. A wonderful supporting cast (Brenda Vaccaro and Lauren Hutton) and witty dialogue make this a very enjoyable romp. It is pure fluff, but very funny and worth watching. George Hamilton is wonderful as he skewers the Zorro legend and his own lady-killer persona as well.