Zorro, the Gay Blade

Starring:George Hamilton, Lauren Hutton, Brenda Vaccaro, Ron Leibman, Donovan Scott, James Booth, Helen Burns, Clive Revill, Carolyn Seymour, Eduardo Noriega, Jorge Russek, Eduardo Alcaraz, Carlos Bravo y FernÃ¡ndez, Roberto Dumont, Jorge Bolio, Dick Balduzzi, Ana Elisa PÃ©rez BolaÃ±os, Francisco Mauri, Julian Colman, Paco Morayta
Director: Peter Medak
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

After having a surprise hit playing Dracula in Love at First Bite, George Hamilton seized the moment and spoofed another movie hero: Zorro. In fact, he plays two characters: the heroic Don Diego, who fights Spanish tyranny in Old California in his secret identity as Zorro, and Diego's long-absent brother, Bunny Wigglesworth, a man totally comfortable with his sexual identity and unafraid of accessorizing the Zorro outfit by rendering it in purple. When the swashbuckler is injured, he turns his sword over to the swishbuckler, who is just as good a swordsman, though a few shades less fiery. Some of the gay humor is heavy-handed, but Hamilton easily handles the comedy demands of the dual roles, and has strong support from Ron Leibman as the chief bad guy. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Zorro, the Gay Blade, Forgotten Classic Comedy.......2007-05-13

Spectacular Funny movie that now-a-days the whole family can watch. Especially if you are Hispanic, you can laugh at your ancestral roots.
Both family & friends have tried to "borrow" it. Go to Amazon.com and get your own!
R. Martinez

I'll save you a search.......2007-05-13

Of all the people who rated this movie, only 4 gave it less than 4 stars. 2 could not get the DVD to work on their $29 Wal-Mart player, one would not know funny if it hit him/her/it broadside, and one was too young to understand classic humor. The rest of us thought it is one of the funniest movies ever made. A movie you could watch multiple times. George Hamilton is very underappreciated as a comedy actor. He is almost constantly funny in word or expression in this movie (Even better than Love at First Bite). This was the last generation's Jack Sparrow (Depp must have studied Hamilton). The rest of the cast is really good too, but it is George's movie. I am glad it was released on DVD. And I guess I am just one of those people who buys the movie for the movie rather than to see what else is on the disc

Always New, Always Funny.......2007-04-18

"Zorro, the Gay Blade"

Always New, Always Funny

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

"Zorro, the Gay Blade" was made in 1981, quite a while ago. This is one funny movie--it was funny then and it is funny now. Made before political correctness was so important, it says all those things we can't say today. Every time I watch it, I see something I missed before.
When the new Spanish governor begins to take control and hold the peasants in tight rein, Don Diego Vega becomes Zorro, the man who rights wrongs and proudly carries his sword. But when Vega sprains his ankle and dos not know how he can continue his campaign, his long lost twin brother--who had been sent off to the British navy to make a man of him--suddenly returns. He is flamboyant and his name is now Bunny Wigglesworth. Bunny agrees to act in his brother's place but not without making some adjustments. Instead of wearing the traditional black suit, he insists on lemon, scarlet and plum and he wants to use a whip.
I watched this Zorro again yesterday and I was surprised that it hasn't aged like I have. It is a wonderful parody of the Zorro films and TV series. As a satire it is unique in that it has its own theme, its own characters and its own plot. There is no romance, no grandiose special effects---it doesn't need them. It fascinates simply and it is wacky and accessible.
George Hamilton is Zorro and this is probably the best role he has ever played. In fact George Hamilton is Zorro and Zorro--he plays both roles--that of Don Diego Vega and that of Bunny Wigglesworth. We may find it hard to imagine Hamilton doing slapstick but he does it well--in fact he is superb just as is his supporting cast of Brenda Vaccaro, Lauren Hutton and Ron Liebman.
Stereotypes abound in the film and the idea of gay Zorro giving one liners is irresistible. There are several classic scenes in the film. One is the masked ball when the Alcalde (governor) plans to catch Zorro. All of the guests arrive in Zorro costumes and the result is like a house of mirrors.
Some of the performances are over the top. Ron Liebman as the Alcalde overacts but he can still bring a grin to the face of the viewer. When the Alcalde and Zorro go at it, you get a laugh a minute. Lauren Hutton as the love interest with a bit of liberal feminist touch but the comedy of the movie overshadows it. Brenda Vaccaro as Florinda, the wife of the Alcalde and the fact that she lusts for Zorro adds a little spice.
It makes no difference that the humor is simple and that the plot s predictable--this is a very funny movie that shows there is more than one way to tell a story and even if not totally successful, t can still be a lot of fun.
The movie is packed with sword fights, injustice and cross dressing as well innuendos, inside jokes and moments of hilarity.
The fact that Hamilton is able to make fun of himself says a lot about the film. Here is a colorful and dashing comedy so suspend the belief that whips are more powerful than rifles and that the gay Zorro can challenge an army. Just sit back and ready to laugh and enjoy the movie for what it is.
One note to think about though--does Hamilton ever lose his suntan? As for the gay blade in the title--the writers have evidently returned to the original meaning of the word gay and then gave a new meaning to the newer meaning of the word. The movie is very gay about a gay man and that fits both definitions of the word.

Hysterical movie, BUT... .......2007-02-27

This is a hysterical movie! The subject matter may offend some people, but in my opinion the biggest offense of this movie is that it is not Closed Caption, or Subtitled! I remember seeing this movie back in the 80's and laughed my butt off. So, when I saw it again on DVD at Amazon, I just had to buy it and share the laugher with my wife. Unfortunately, my wife -who is Deaf- could not share in the experience because DVD was not Closed Caption, or Subtitled. It's really sad that even after the 1990 Federal Law (ADA), which requires movies to be accessible to the Deaf, they chose not to Closed Caption, or Subtitled this hilarious movie. Shame on them! I only wish the Gay Blade could enforce justice in our modern times!!

One Of The Best.......2007-02-22

If you are easily offended, this is NOT the movie for you, but if you love spoofs and understand the humor of someone like Mel Brooks, then you'll love this movie. George Hamilton is at his best as Don Diego Vega, who returns to California and takes up his father's mantle to be Zorro, defender, as he puts it, of the 'defenseless'. Don Diego's heart is in the right place, although his foot is not, and he is forced to give up being Zorro to his twin brother, Ramon, who joined the British Navy, and prefers to go by the name Bunny Wigglesworth.

Hamilton is absolutely hilarious in the dual role, and Bunny's disguise as a woman is simply to die for. All the actors in this spoof are excellent, especially Brenda Vaccaro as the love hungry Florinda who only does 'it' once a year with her husband, the new alcalde, Esteban. Remarkably Ron Leibman did not lose his voice with all the shouting he has to do as Esteban, annoying, but also funny. Lauren Hutton plays Charlotte Taylor Wilson, a woman suffragette who has come to California to help the downtrodden. I'll never hear that name without hearing Hamilton's atrocious Spanish accent make it nearly unpronouncable.

With the old-fashioned movie score, and all the right elements of an old Hollywood swashbuckler, somehow this version goes hilariously off the rails. You're never sure how that happens, but it makes for one of the funniest movies ever produced that didn't carry the Mel Brooks name. If you're just wanting to watch a movie that is light-hearted, silly, and funny, then this is the movie to see. If you're uptight and looking to be offended, please don't buy this movie and spoil it for those of us who just want to be entertained without being preached at!

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