The Mark of Zorro (1940) Reviewed

The Mark of Zorro from 1940 probably has the best fencing scenes of any Zorro film before or since. With Tyrone Power as Don Diego Vega/Zorro, and Basil Rathbone as the film's leading villain, Captain Esteban Pasquale, this should come as no surprise, as they constituted two-thirds of the trinity of Hollywood's greatest swordsmen at the time (Errol Flynn being the third). The climactic scene of the film is a breathtaking display of swordsmanship and drama as the two enemies duel, and it stands as one of the greatest single scenes in the history of swashbuckling films. In the tradition of its greatest forebearers, stunt doubles were neither used nor required in the fencing scenes.

In some ways, the film is standard Hollywood fare, although not offensively so. It manages to be inventive and spirited, despite a reliance on certain predictable conventions. Eugene Pallette, playing Fray Felipe, unfortunately reprises his role as Friar Tuck from 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood, which is perhaps the worst of the film's imperfections. J. Edward Bromberg's portrayal of the corrupt Don Luis Quintero, the despotic Alcalde, is a bit on the clownish side, but manages to be adequate.

The romantic scenes are a great improvement over the film's silent predecessor, with Linda Darnell giving a fine performance as Lolita Quintero; the stunts are impressive without being over-the-top; and the banter is witty, but not distractingly so. All in all, it is an excellent bit of escapism, and the fencing is unforgettable.

Writing: Fair
Directing: Good
Acting: Fair Good
Cinematography: Fair
Stunts: Good
Swordplay: Superb
Panache: Great

Overall Rating: Good
Swashbuckling Rank: Great


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 5 August 2006.]


Addendum

Written by: John Taintor Foote, Garrett Fort, and Bess Meredyth
Based on: The Curse of Capistrano by Johnston McCulley
Directed by: Rouben Mamoulian
Performed by: Tyrone Power, Basil Rathbone, Linda Darnell, et al.

The Mark of Zorro (1920) Reviewed

The Mark of Zorro from 1920 is one of the great film classics of the swashbuckling genre, starring that immortal master of derring-do on the silver screen, Douglas Fairbanks. The caballero Don Diego Vega, newly returned to California from Spain, is forced to disguise both his competence and his opposition to the oppressive rule of the new Alcalde in order to avoid offending his father who will not tolerate criminal behavior, and also to protect his family from retribution. As this deceptive Don Diego, Fairbanks humorously plays the snobbish, lazy fop who is bored by everything around him and finds all activities to be tiresome except when it comes to displaying his skill at sleight-of-hand. As his alter ego Zorro, however, he presents us with the iconic figure of the heroic vigilante who inspires terror in his enemies and hope in the hearts of the downtrodden. He can be menacing, as when he emerges from the shadows in the midst of his enemies, wreathed in the smoke of his cigar like a devil from Hell. He can be charming, as when he wins the heart of the beautiful Lolita Pulido (played by Marguerite De La Motte). And he can be astonishing, as when he leaps from rooftop to rooftop and over obstacles as if he could ignore gravity at will. Fairbanks, as his fans know, did all of his own stunts, and he made them all seem simultaneously easy (to him) and impossible (for everyone else). Truly, his feats of agility are jawdropping, and if the film had no other merits whatsoever, his combination of panache and superhuman stuntwork alone would make it immortal.

Writing: Mediocre Fair
Directing: Good
Acting: Fair
Cinematography: Good
Stunts: Superb
Swordplay: Good
Panache: Superb

Overall Rating: Good
Swashbuckling Rank: Great (Legendary)


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 5 August 2006.]


Addendum

Written by: Johnston McCulley, Douglas Fairbanks, and Eugene Miller
Based on: The Curse of Capistrano by Johnston McCulley
Directed by: Fred Niblo
Performed by: Douglas Fairbanks, Marguerite De La Motte, Robert McKim, Noah Beery, et al.