Josephina
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
st-shot
The original movie swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks is in fine form as the enigmatic avenger of the oppressed in The Mark of Zorro. Playing the dual role of the acrobatic swordsman and the wimpish Don Diego, Fairbanks is equally adept at evoking thrills and laughter in this rollicking action adventure that doesn't take itself too seriously.The son of a well to do family in Spanish ruled California, Don Diego returns from Spain unknown to no one that he has become an expert swordsman. Using his talent to defend the weak against a brutal military government he carves the scarlet letter (courtesy of their blood) Z on the faces of his victims. It is as much a game as a crusade to Zorro though as he takes every opportunity to make fools of his pursuers and humiliate braggarts with enough time in between to fall in love. Gliding breezily along on his charm and daring do Fairbanks must have wowed the audiences in 1920 with his athletic swordplay while supplying a wry confident smile in the midst of it. At the same time the hilarious nuance he brings to the meek Don Diego provides the film some with some of its funnier moments and respite from the brawling. Noah Beery is wildly over the top as Sgt. Gonzales and the rest of the cast is less than memorable but it matters little with Doug Fairbanks coming to the rescue in scene after scene.
Steffi_P
In justifying his placement of Douglas Fairbanks among his "five greats" of cinema, the British director Michael Powell said, "His personality is in every foot of film he made. He was our first ballad-maker. Our first conjuror." A worthy assessment, but it was not until Mask of Zorro, five years and thirty-odd pictures into his career that he achieved that status and a reputation that persisted long after his death.Up until this picture, Fairbanks was known purely as a comedy actor, popular and successful in his own right, but far from being a legendary genius like his pal Charlie Chaplin. His speciality, the one thing that really set him apart from his contemporaries, was blending physical comedy with his extreme athleticism. With The Mark of Zorro he revitalised his screen persona simply by reversing the pattern. Now the acrobatics were the main attraction and the comedy was the embellishment. But this is not simply an action flick with a bit of comic relief to spice up the "quiet moments"; the action sequences are simultaneously exciting and funny, and in fact there is very little comedy outside of the fights and the chases.The Zorro fable is now very much in the public consciousness, but it was this version, adapted from an obscure short story, which made the character famous. It's been remarked that he can be seen as the first superhero – a weak and unassuming man who dresses up to become a dashing, confident and indomitable warrior, as do Batman, Spiderman and the like. Almost all Fairbanks' swashbucklers (and even some of his comedies, especially The Mollycoddle) feature some kind of transformation from wimp to wonder, but Zorro is different in that he is a disguise that Fairbanks's character puts on and takes off. There's a key difference here between this and the 1941 Tyrone Power version. Power is given a more developed backstory, and is actually shown inventing the foppish Diego out of necessity, while his Zorro is a disguised version of the real Diego as he was back in Spain. In 1941, the fop Diego is the creation whereas Zorro is the real man. In the Fairbanks version however, it's implied that the fop is Diego's real personality, and Zorro is an act he has to put on to become everything he wishes he was. And I think it may have been this aspect which attracted Fairbanks to the story. He was himself not an exceptionally attractive man, but he achieved charisma through the roles he adopted.The director here is Fred Niblo, one of the exceptional craftsmen of the silent era, although his style does show the extent of Cecil B. DeMille's influence over film form at this point. Like DeMille, Niblo makes use of "Rembrandt" lighting, close-ups of hands, feet and faces to define characters and set scenes, and tight control over pacing and rhythm from scene to scene and shot to shot. The latter comes in very handy in giving the action sequences the right punch, a good example being the first entrances of Diego and Zorro which are played for their element of surprise. Crucially, Niblo is able to direct mass action, making the grand finale effective, striking that all-important balance between comedy and excitement.After the resounding success of Mask of Zorro, Fairbanks would abandon his contemporary comedies to concentrate on a series of period swashbucklers, eventually donning the costume of all the great romantic heroes. The pictures that followed this one would be grander and more polished, and would contain far more depth in terms of story and characterisation. However, the Mark of Zorro, while weaker on many levels, does have a pace and directness that makes it one the most watchable of all Fairbanks features.
Bucs1960
Hooray for Doug!!! He is the epitome of the dashing swashbuckler and set the standard for all that followed.......and some of them were damn good but Fairbanks had it all. He flashed those teeth and swung from tree to building, across tables and onto the backs of horses......and without a stunt double. What a guy.The film tells the story that we all know due to remakes and a successful TV series (with a great theme song). The foppish Don Diego, is a terrible disappointment to his father and to his intended wife. He appears to be always "fatigued" and uses a silk handkerchief to indicate his ennui. It's a perfect cover for his alter ego, Zorro, the Robin Hood of old California.The acting in this silent is overall quite good even though Noah Beery Sr. is a little over the top in a couple of scenes......well, most of his scenes are rather hammy. (It must have run in the family for I found his brother Wallace pretty hammy himself). But Fairbanks is the reason for seeing this film. He is a ball of fire and looks like he had a great time playing this part......and you'll have a great time watching him. He's "that bold renegade, carves a Z with his blade, a Z that stands for Zorro". What fun!!!!!!!!!
franciscosilva_3
A classic!!Fairbanks'stunt work is superb with excellent action scenes,Marguerite De La Motte is very good as the lovelly Lolita. The plot follows the book and I think that is an important thing in an adaptation. "The Mark of Zorro" was the first movie that Douglas Fairbanks did in his own studios after he married Mary Pickford. For me,Douglas Fairbanks is one of the greatest heros in the history of the cinema,he was brilliant in all his works. 10/10
