Highly Overrated But Still Good

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

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.

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".

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

The only ingredient missing here is a Fox budget that would have provided Technicolor photography as a part of the film's lush production values. However, even without three-strip Technicolor, this B&W version of the famous legendary outlaw is acted to perfection by the entire cast.Tyrone Power goes with great ease from the fop to the swashbuckler Zorro, all the while displaying a great deal of charm and good looks. The romantic role of "the girl" goes to Linda Darnell who is more than adequate in the looks department herself.In the chapel scene and "The White Sombrero" dance routine they have a chance to show the kind of sparks that made them popular movie stars of the '40s. Linda was just about to break out of her virginal roles and about to play more tempestuous heroines, but she does an excellent job as Power's love interest.Basil Rathbone is at his finest for the final dueling scene, surely even more robustly performed than the one he shared with Errol Flynn in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD--and that's really saying something. Power seems to be evenly matched with Rathbone in his skilled swordsmanship.Alfred Newman's fitting pseudo-Spanish background music provides just the right amount of excitement to make this a most entertaining show. And the supporting cast--including Gale Sondergaard, J. Edgar Bromberg, Eugene Palette, Montagu Love, Janet Beecher and others is excellent.By all means worth watching anytime for sheer entertainment.