I grew up on Zorro. I use to watch the Disney Black & White Series, collect the old films, and was major fan of The Mask of Zorro starring Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, and Catherine Zeta Jones. Zorro was like Batman of the Nineteenth Century, the Fox has a cave like The Bat, a stead instead of Batmobile, and he is a wealthy noble like Bruce Wayne is a wealthy Gothamite. The parallels are intriguing, but the spirituality of Zorro was always a constant feature. Zorro being a Spaniard, European Nobleman, or Mexican was always Catholic, and the local Priest or Monk was much like the priest who helps Daredevil, protecting him and helping him. Like Friar Tuck to Robinhood, the Monk or Priest was Zorro’s biggest supporter. Well that all has changed for Amazon’s Zorro.
The show follows a Diego le Vega who has returned to Los Angeles California after his Father was murdered by a masked man and the last Zorro was present and died as well. Diego seeks to investigate who was behind killing his Father, and at same time donning the black hat of Zorro. This is where the story spiritually differs radically from from other Zorros, it turns out the Native Americans have been Zorro, and that the sister of the last Zorro, Nah-Lin, is also playing the role of the Fox and fighting in disguise as Zorro for her people. The problem is the holy man of the Natives using his Native American Spiritism and this fox spirit animal has chosen Diego del Vega as the True Zorro rather than Nah-Lin. And thus we are introduced to a new spiritism for Zorro as he sees the spirit animal of the Fox often and consults the Native American Shaman in matters. This has never been Zorro’s spirituality, he was always what most people in Nineteenth Century were in North America, Roman Catholic. And while I am not in favor of Roman Catholicism, I believe it to be in serious error, especially over salvation as Martin Luther did, but to change Zorro from being Catholic to a Native American Spiritist who consults a Shaman rather than the traditional Monk or Priest like In The Legend of Zorro (2005), and all prior iterations of the character is bizarre, but no doubt is part of a trend to vilify anything remotely Christian, and prop up pagan beliefs.
The show is very soapish, with the cast acting very over the top especially The Governor, and while I have no issue with strong females, I love Catherine Zeta Jones’ potrayal as Elena dueling with Antonio Banderas Alejandro in The Mask of Zorro, but to have Fake Zorro/ Nah-Lin always besting Diego del Vega (Real Zorro) in a sword fight when he has military training is ridiculous and of course Diego’s true love, stand in for Catherine Zeta Jones’ character Lolita Márquez is better than any man with a musket. While it is true in Feudal Japanese noble women were well trained warriors, the Shield Maidens of Vikings were incredible warrior women, and it is conceivable a 19th Century Noblewomen could be a excellent markswomen, its just having her and Zorrorina / Nah-Lin who always wins duels against real Zorro is a bit much, and seems to fit an anti-patriarchal massage which gets frustrating when it ignores the time period would not be when women would be be predominately feminist. Even so I tried to accept these changes and enjoy the show, but what really bothered me was having Diego baptized as Zorro by Native American Paganism and becoming connected to a spirit animal fox. Zorro was called The Fox because he always eluded capture by his enemies, not that he was chosen by a spirit fox.. the fact Diego even goes out of his way to tells the Monk of the Church he isn’t helping out of piety, just to spread his funds is the writers being emphatically clear Diego is not Catholic. Which is again bizarre, because most people then were Catholic. I’d have been fine with adding the Natives and they have their customs, but making Zorro the product of Shaman witchcraft and a spirit fox is so out of the canon of Zorro it breaks the story telling and for this reason I cannot recommend the series.
It is evident all our favorite heroes, legends, and stories are being re-written to support pagan, occultic, eastern religions, and etc instead of Christianity. We are going to have to really monitor what we watch and not just trust that because its our favorite hero or story returned that it has remained wholesome, but is being re-imagined to promote the doctrines of demons, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1). Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment