Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

disinterested_spectator My first introduction to the character Zorro was in an old serial they showed on television in the early 1950s when I just a kid, to wit, "Zorro's Fighting Legion" (1939). Needless to say, I was fascinated by the parts where Zorro was all decked out in his black outfit, complete with cape, sword, and whip. The television station followed up by presenting an earlier serial, "Zorro Rides Again" (1937), and though I didn't care for his mask, I still paid more attention to the parts where he was in costume and not so much to the parts where he is in ordinary dress pretending to be weak and lazy. And I was thrilled when Disney studios produced a television series entitled simply "Zorro" in 1957. As before, it was the parts where I got to see Zorro gallivanting about that I was interested in, not so much the part where he is Don Diego de la Vega.Whether I preferred the parts where Zorro is doing stuff was because I was a child or whether it was because these two serials and the television series were juvenile in nature, I cannot say. But it was quite a surprise for me when, as a college student, I saw "The Mark of Zorro" for the first time. Of course, it had the star quality of such actors as Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone, as well as the production values of a major studio, all of which were bound to make it much better than what I had seen previously. But what really struck me was the fact that the parts of the movie featuring Zorro constituted a relatively small amount of screen time, which was greatly exceeded by the amount of time devoted to Don Diego. The emphasis on Don Diego in this movie even went so far as to have him fight the climactic duel as Diego and not as Zorro. In this, the movie followed the 1920 version with Douglas Fairbanks. But most movies do not do this, choosing instead to have the climactic duel fought by Zorro. For example, the made-for-television version starring Frank Langella has the actor in full Zorro regalia in the final showdown.The amount of screen time given to Zorro versus Diego determines the kind of movie it is. A costumed character is exciting to watch, but he is all action and external appearance. He must be in constant motion, running, riding, fighting, and so forth. If he stands still for too long, he begins to look silly, especially if he is wearing a cape. It is with his secret identity, Diego in the case of Zorro movies, that we get to know the man, to learn what he thinks and feels. Moreover, we get to watch him acting a part in order to keep people from suspecting that he is the one who wears the mask. In this case, the part is that of a fop. It is a pretense also used in "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1934), starring Leslie Howard as the title character and as Sir Percy Blakeney, but Howard's performance in that role was over the top and irritating. Diego's foppery as performed by Tyrone Power, on the other hand, is so good that we find ourselves impatiently waiting for the Zorro scenes to end so that we can have more Diego.

davidarai The silent Douglas Fairbanks version is a classic, but this Tyrone Power edition is the the best of all. The proportions of action, romance and comedy are perfect and allow the story to simply flow with ease. The story is told quickly with no scene containing material not essential to the telling. Casting is also expertly done with Rathbone a wonderful villain to Power's hero. The sword fight between Esteban and Zorro is the best ever .. and makes subsequent remakes of the story a waste. Indeed, the TV show and other big screen attempts only make me want to watch this movie even more! Also, not always appreciated is the Alfred Newman score .... for which he was unbelievably "uncredited".

Alex da Silva It's 1820 and Tyrone Power (Diego) is summoned back from his military training in Spain. His father Montagu Love (Alejandro) has sent for him and so he arrives back in Los Angeles, which is basically a town of Mexicans. Overseeing the territory is J Edward Bromberg (Quintero) who keeps the tax money for himself and shares it with his bodyguard Basil Rathbone (Captain Pasquale). These guys are bad, especially Rathbone, and his wife Gale Sondergaard (Inez) is super scheming. What can Tyrone do to help the people……? Well, Zorro shows up……..This is good entertainment and Power is very good in the lead role. As Diego, he is wonderfully camp as he complains of his bath water being tepid amongst other things. There is no way this guy can fight. Well, Rathbone learns different in a memorable fencing sequence towards the end of the film. Power also has a couple of good scenes with Linda Darnell (Lolita), eg, in the chapel when she comes across Zorro disguised as a priest but doesn't realize who he is. There is an amusing bit where she repeatedly bends down to try and look at his face but he is wise to this and bends down with her. The cast is rounded off with Eugene Palette as the likable Padre and George Regas as the nasty Gonzales.As coincidence would have it, I came across the Antonio Banderas version of Zorro in the evening on TV after I had watched this version in the afternoon. As far as I can see, no comparison. The 1940 version wins. Watch out for a crazy stunt as Zorro and horse jump off a bridge into a river – woah!

TheLittleSongbird Where to begin praising The Mark of Zorro(1940)? An immensely fun film that never fails to put a smile on my face, and while the Douglas Fairbanks version is a classic and one of his best films and the Antonio Banderas film is entertaining it is this that comes across as the definitive version. The period detail has a great deal of charm and authenticity and the film is shot beautifully, serving the action scenes really well rather than cheapening them. The action sequences themselves are simply terrific, edge-of-your-seat quality and so entertaining to watch. The highlights are the chase sequences and especially the sword fight between Diego and Pasquale, the swordplay expertly choreographed and played without ever becoming clumsy. Alfred Newman's score adds a huge amount, very rousing with a main theme that gives off a once heard, never forgotten vibe. The dialogue is appropriately witty and the story is ceaselessly engaging, complete with emotional impact, exciting energy and tension. There is nothing obvious in the direction that comes across as a fault, and the acting is fine. Linda Darnell brings genuine beauty and pathos to the female lead, Eugene Palette is suitably craggy Gale Sondergaard is equally memorable. But the acting honours do go to Tyrone Power, whose dashing, charismatic performance is a career-best and Basil Rathbone on superbly evil form and in a way that is quite distinctive. Summing up, a classic, definitive version and a wonderful film in its own right. 10/10 Bethany Cox