Steven Spielberg might be a magician behind the camera, but it looks like he’s a little bit psychic, too. As The Mask of Zorro celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary, Antonio Banderas reflected on the swashbuckling blockbuster’s impact with Yahoo — and recalled an especially pertinent conversation he had with Steven Spielberg about the future of Westerns.
Recalling a conversation on the set of the ‘90s movie, Banderas explained, “Steven Spielberg said to me once when we were shooting, ‘This is probably going to be one of the last Westerns shot in the way the Westerns were shot in the old days, with real scenes with real horses, where everything is real, [real] sword fighting, no CGI.'” Everything was [practical].”
Compare that to the level of CGI we’re getting in new movies these days; you have to admit Spielberg kind of had a point… But does that mean the best movies ever made are all behind us now?
Not necessarily, but Banderas added that this conversation did give him food for thought about the legacy of The Mask of Zorro.
“And he [Spielberg] said, ‘But things are going to change. they’re going to change and they’re gonna change fast. And so you should be proud of this movie.’ And I am, probably even more now than at the time that I was doing it,” Banderas continued.
“I don’t know if I was absolutely conscious when I was doing Zorro that it was going to have an impact. The impact that it’s had, and especially after 25 years. … It was a very beautiful adventure movie with a lot of ingredients that made it shine in a very beautiful way. I have nothing but good memories.”
You can watch The Mask of Zorro as well as various Steven Spielberg movies for free now if you have a Netflix subscription. And when you’re done with those, make the most of the streaming service by checking out everything new on Netflix this month.
Or, if you’re feeling nostalgic for the old West, check out our list of the best Clint Eastwood movies or dive into the world of Yellowstone with our guides to the Yellowstone timeline, Yellowstone season 5 part 2 release date, the 1923 cast, the Yellowstone 1923 season 2 release date, the Yellowstone 1883 season 2 release date, and Yellowstone 6666 release date.