VARIOUS: Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones pair up again in "The Legend of Zorro"

Stars Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones offer up no surprises in "The Legend of Zorro," which for fans of the masked swordsman is a good thing as the pair recapture their chemistry in the sequel to the 1998< blockbuster, "The Mask of Zorro." In "The Legend of Zorro," Antonio Banderas fights the dark forces in 19th century California along with wife Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and 10-year-old son Joaquin (Adrian Alonso). The Mexican-born youngster is a genuine find, and no red-blooded male will object to the sight of Zeta-Jones in lacy, elaborate 19th century finery, paring and thrusting with a fine sword. The actress herself, credits the script for helping the film work on a number of< levels. "It spans the generations and I think with this movie, I can take my son, who is five-years-old and my nanny," explained Zeta-Jones, "and because it has all the elements there is something for everyone." The story unfolds in 1850 California, where the territory is poised to become the 31st state in the union. A referendum opens the movie, which gives Alejandro de la Vega, disguised as Zorro (Banderas), the opportunity to recover a stolen ballot box from the clutches of marauding baddie Jacob McGivens (a sneeringly villainous Nick Chinlund). The referendum for statehood passes and happy crowds cheer. Almost immediately, a quarrel between Alejandro and Elena leads to her filing for divorce, the estrangement of Alejandro from his son and comic jealousy that has Alejandro hit the bottle in reaction to the attention paid to his wife by French aristocrat and wine grower Armand (Rufus Sewell). The film turns on a secret agenda that plays out under a succession of fights, rescues, skullduggery and chases that keep the screen busy. Banderas said the film is helped by the obvious on-screen chemistry with his co-star. "So, it's something that happens naturally that I don't like to analyze it too much because you can lose it if you do," Banderas told Reuters. "We just let ourselves go and< it seems to be working." The film, with its built in audience is expected to perform well at the box office. "The Legend of Zorro" opens nationwide on October 28.

ITN Source | November 5, 2005

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