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The Mark of Zorro (1940 film)
Encyclopedia
The Mark of Zorro is a 1940 American adventure film directed by Rouben Mamoulian
and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck
for 20th Century Fox
. The action movie stars Tyrone Power
as Don Diego Vega (Zorro
), Linda Darnell
as his love interest, and Basil Rathbone
as the villain. The cast also includes Gale Sondergaard
as the scheming wife of the corrupt local governor, Eugene Pallette
as Zorro's local friar, and J. Edward Bromberg
as the governor, along with Montagu Love
, Janet Beecher, Robert Lowery
, and Chris-Pin Martin.
The film was Nominated for Academy Award for the Best original score in the 1941 Academy Awards
. In 2009, it was named to the National Film Registry
by the Library of Congress
for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant and will be preserved for all time.
, the movie's story is set in Southern California during the early 19th century. The plot deals with the apparently fop
pish son of a wealthy ranchero, Don Alejandro Vega (Montagu Love
) who returns to California after a sojourn at school in Spain
, only to be horrified at the way the common people are being mistreated by alcalde Luis Quintero (J. Edward Bromberg
). Don Diego Vega (Tyrone Power
) adopts the guise of El Zorro ("Fox"), a Robin Hood
-like outlaw who becomes a defender of the people. In the meanwhile, he romances the governor's beautiful niece, Lolita (Linda Darnell
), and also flirts with the governor's wife Inez (Gale Sondergaard
), filling her head with all the pleasures of Madrid
and raising her desire to move there with her corrupt husband. He also has to fend off the governor's ablest henchman, the malevolent Captain Pasquale (Basil Rathbone
).
The hero's calling card is the letter "Z" slashed with a saber into whatever surface is handy.
This film's biggest claim to fame is the climactic duel toward the end between Zorro (Power) and Captain Pasquale (Rathbone). Rathbone was known already in Hollywood as an outstanding Classical fencer
, but moviegoers were treated to the surprise of Power being excellent in his own right. The fight duel is extremely ornate and full of finesse, as opposed to Rathbone's more famous duel with Errol Flynn
in Robin Hood, and the duel in The Mark of Zorro is considered by many movie buffs to be the finest swordfight in cinema. Staged by Hollywood's resident fencing master Fred Cavens and atmospherically shot by cinematographer Arthur Miller and director Rouben Mamoulian, the scene takes place in a single room and forces actors to fight rather than jump around in the scenery. In key shots, Cavens' son, Albert, doubles for Power (such as the shot where he plunges his saber through the bookcase). Scenes of fast fencing are undercranked to 18-20 frames per second, which means all the sound for the scene was post-synchronized. Rathbone suffered two scratches on his forehead during its filming, and later said of Power, "He could fence Errol Flynn into a cocked hat."
of a lavish 1920 smash hit silent version
starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
and Noah Beery, Sr.
, in which Zorro's costume originated before short story
author Johnston McCulley
incorporated the iconic outfit into his additional future Zorro stories. The influential original The Mark of Zorro
was the first in an extremely popular array of swashbuckler
action pictures starring the acrobatic Fairbanks, who'd previously specialized mainly in comedies.
continuity it is established that The Mark of Zorro was the film which the young Bruce Wayne had seen with his parents at the cinema, moments before they were killed in front of his eyes by an armed thug. Zorro is often portrayed as Bruce's childhood hero and an influence on his Batman
persona. There are discrepancies regarding which version Bruce saw, The Dark Knight Returns claims it was the Tyrone Power version whereas a story by Alan Grant claimed it to be the silent Douglas Fairbanks
original. Moreover Bob Kane was himself inspired by Fairbanks' Zorro, including similarities in costumes, the "Bat Cave" and Zorro's cave, and unexpected secret identities.
In the animated series Justice League Unlimited
, a flashback of the fateful night establishes that for DCAU continuity, the young Bruce and his parents also were attending The Mark of Zorro, though there is nothing to indicate which version.
form, as part of 20th Century Fox Studio Classics
Collection. The second was released on October 18, 2005 as a Special Edition
, and featured both a new restored black-and-white version as well as a colorized
one, prepared by Legend Films
. Both versions contain "Tyrone Power: The Last Idol" as seen on Biography on the A&E Network, and a Commentary by film critic Richard Schickel. A trailer for the Special edition can be seen at http://www.legendfilms.net under Family Classics.
Rouben Mamoulian
Rouben Mamoulian was an Armenian-American film and theatre director.-Biography:Born in Tbilisi, Georgia to an Armenian family, Rouben relocated to England and started directing plays in London in 1922...
and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck was an American producer, writer, actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors...
for 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. The action movie stars Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
as Don Diego Vega (Zorro
Zorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
), Linda Darnell
Linda Darnell
Linda Darnell was an American film actress.Darnell was a model as a child, and progressed to theater and film acting as an adolescent. At the encouragement of her mother, she made her first film in 1939, and appeared in supporting roles in big budget films for 20th Century Fox throughout the 1940s...
as his love interest, and Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
as the villain. The cast also includes Gale Sondergaard
Gale Sondergaard
Gale Sondergaard was an American actress.Sondergaard began her acting career in theatre, and progressed to films in 1936. She was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her film debut in Anthony Adverse...
as the scheming wife of the corrupt local governor, Eugene Pallette
Eugene Pallette
Eugene William Pallette was an American actor. He appeared in over 240 silent era and sound era motion pictures between 1913 and 1946....
as Zorro's local friar, and J. Edward Bromberg
J. Edward Bromberg
Joseph Edward Bromberg was a Hungarian-born American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s....
as the governor, along with Montagu Love
Montagu Love
Montagu Love , also known as Montague Love, was an English screen, stage and vaudeville actor.Born Harry Montague Love in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and educated in Great Britain, Love began his career as an artist and military correspondent. His first important job was as a London newspaper...
, Janet Beecher, Robert Lowery
Robert Lowery (actor)
Robert Lowery was an American motion picture, television, and stage actor who appeared in over seventy films.-Early life:...
, and Chris-Pin Martin.
The film was Nominated for Academy Award for the Best original score in the 1941 Academy Awards
14th Academy Awards
The 14th Academy Awards honored American film achievements in 1941 and was held in the Biltmore Bowl at the Biltmore Hotel. The ceremony is now considered notable, in retrospect, as the year in which Citizen Kane failed to win Best Picture. Best Picture of the year was awarded to How Green Was My...
. In 2009, it was named to the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant and will be preserved for all time.
Plot
Based on the story The Curse of Capistrano written by Johnston McCulley, originally published in 1919, which introduced the masked hero ZorroZorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
, the movie's story is set in Southern California during the early 19th century. The plot deals with the apparently fop
Fop
Fop became a pejorative term for a foolish man over-concerned with his appearance and clothes in 17th century England. Some of the very many similar alternative terms are: "coxcomb", fribble, "popinjay" , fashion-monger, and "ninny"...
pish son of a wealthy ranchero, Don Alejandro Vega (Montagu Love
Montagu Love
Montagu Love , also known as Montague Love, was an English screen, stage and vaudeville actor.Born Harry Montague Love in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and educated in Great Britain, Love began his career as an artist and military correspondent. His first important job was as a London newspaper...
) who returns to California after a sojourn at school in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, only to be horrified at the way the common people are being mistreated by alcalde Luis Quintero (J. Edward Bromberg
J. Edward Bromberg
Joseph Edward Bromberg was a Hungarian-born American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s....
). Don Diego Vega (Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
) adopts the guise of El Zorro ("Fox"), a Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
-like outlaw who becomes a defender of the people. In the meanwhile, he romances the governor's beautiful niece, Lolita (Linda Darnell
Linda Darnell
Linda Darnell was an American film actress.Darnell was a model as a child, and progressed to theater and film acting as an adolescent. At the encouragement of her mother, she made her first film in 1939, and appeared in supporting roles in big budget films for 20th Century Fox throughout the 1940s...
), and also flirts with the governor's wife Inez (Gale Sondergaard
Gale Sondergaard
Gale Sondergaard was an American actress.Sondergaard began her acting career in theatre, and progressed to films in 1936. She was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her film debut in Anthony Adverse...
), filling her head with all the pleasures of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and raising her desire to move there with her corrupt husband. He also has to fend off the governor's ablest henchman, the malevolent Captain Pasquale (Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
).
The hero's calling card is the letter "Z" slashed with a saber into whatever surface is handy.
This film's biggest claim to fame is the climactic duel toward the end between Zorro (Power) and Captain Pasquale (Rathbone). Rathbone was known already in Hollywood as an outstanding Classical fencer
Fencer
Fencer may refer to:* Fencer, a person who participates in the sport of fencing* Fencer, a person who makes fences* Fencer, the device which energizes an electric fence* Fencer, the NATO reporting name of the Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jetSee also:...
, but moviegoers were treated to the surprise of Power being excellent in his own right. The fight duel is extremely ornate and full of finesse, as opposed to Rathbone's more famous duel with Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
in Robin Hood, and the duel in The Mark of Zorro is considered by many movie buffs to be the finest swordfight in cinema. Staged by Hollywood's resident fencing master Fred Cavens and atmospherically shot by cinematographer Arthur Miller and director Rouben Mamoulian, the scene takes place in a single room and forces actors to fight rather than jump around in the scenery. In key shots, Cavens' son, Albert, doubles for Power (such as the shot where he plunges his saber through the bookcase). Scenes of fast fencing are undercranked to 18-20 frames per second, which means all the sound for the scene was post-synchronized. Rathbone suffered two scratches on his forehead during its filming, and later said of Power, "He could fence Errol Flynn into a cocked hat."
Original version
The movie is a successful remakeRemake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of a lavish 1920 smash hit silent version
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
and Noah Beery, Sr.
Noah Beery, Sr.
Noah Nicholas Beery was an American actor, who appeared in films from 1913 to 1945.-Early life:His parents originally came from Switzerland. Beery was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He and his brothers William C. Beery and Wallace Beery became Hollywood actors...
, in which Zorro's costume originated before short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
author Johnston McCulley
Johnston McCulley
Johnston McCulley was the author of hundreds of stories, fifty novels, numerous screenplays for film and television, and the creator of the character Zorro...
incorporated the iconic outfit into his additional future Zorro stories. The influential original The Mark of Zorro
The Mark of Zorro (1920 film)
The Mark of Zorro is a 1920 silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks and Noah Beery. This genre-defining swashbuckler adventure was the first movie version of The Mark of Zorro...
was the first in an extremely popular array of swashbuckler
Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler or swasher is a term that emerged in the 16th century and has been used for rough, noisy and boastful swordsmen ever since. A possible explanation for this term is that it derives from a fighting style using a side-sword with a buckler in the off-hand, which was applied with much...
action pictures starring the acrobatic Fairbanks, who'd previously specialized mainly in comedies.
Cast
- Tyrone PowerTyrone PowerTyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
as Don Diego Vega/Zorro - Linda DarnellLinda DarnellLinda Darnell was an American film actress.Darnell was a model as a child, and progressed to theater and film acting as an adolescent. At the encouragement of her mother, she made her first film in 1939, and appeared in supporting roles in big budget films for 20th Century Fox throughout the 1940s...
as Lolita Quintero - Basil RathboneBasil RathboneSir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
as Captain Esteban Pasquale - Gale SondergaardGale SondergaardGale Sondergaard was an American actress.Sondergaard began her acting career in theatre, and progressed to films in 1936. She was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her film debut in Anthony Adverse...
as Inez Quintero - Eugene PalletteEugene PalletteEugene William Pallette was an American actor. He appeared in over 240 silent era and sound era motion pictures between 1913 and 1946....
as Fray Felipe - J. Edward BrombergJ. Edward BrombergJoseph Edward Bromberg was a Hungarian-born American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s....
as Don Luis Quintero - Montagu LoveMontagu LoveMontagu Love , also known as Montague Love, was an English screen, stage and vaudeville actor.Born Harry Montague Love in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and educated in Great Britain, Love began his career as an artist and military correspondent. His first important job was as a London newspaper...
as Don Alejandro Vega - Janet BeecherJanet BeecherJanet Beecher born Janet Meyersburg was a stage and screen actress. Was a supporting player and lead on the Broadway stage. A near beauty, she later moved into motion pictures in the 1930s as a character actress. Her sister was actress Olive Wyndham. She was married twice first to Harry R....
as Senora Isabella Vega - George RegasGeorge RegasGeorge Regas was a Greek actor.Born in Sparta, Greece, he was the brother of actor Pedro Regas. He was a stage actor in Athens before coming to the U.S. In New York he played Romeo in a Grecian version of Romeo and Juliet.In 1921 Regas acted in his first motion picture: The Love Light with Mary...
as Sergeant Gonzales - Chris-Pin Martin as Turnkey
- Robert LoweryRobert Lowery (actor)Robert Lowery was an American motion picture, television, and stage actor who appeared in over seventy films.-Early life:...
as Rodrigo - Belle MitchellBelle MitchellBelle Mitchell was an American film actress. She appeared in over 100 films between 1915 and 1982.She was born in Michigan and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.-Selected filmography:...
as Maria - John Bleifer as Pedro
- Frank PugliaFrank PugliaFrank Puglia was an Italian film actor. Puglia had small but memorable roles in films including Casablanca and 1942's The Jungle Book. Born in Sicily, the actor started his career as a teen on stage in Italian operas. He emigrated to the U.S...
as Proprietor - Eugene Borden as Officer of the Day
- Pedro de CordobaPedro de CordobaPedro de Cordoba , was an American actor.Pedro de Cordoba, who appeared in his first film, a 1915 version of Carmen, was actually a classically trained theatre actor who confessed he did not enjoy appearing in silent films nearly as much as he liked working on stage...
as Don Miguel - Guy D'Ennery as Don Jose
Batman connection
In the DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
continuity it is established that The Mark of Zorro was the film which the young Bruce Wayne had seen with his parents at the cinema, moments before they were killed in front of his eyes by an armed thug. Zorro is often portrayed as Bruce's childhood hero and an influence on his Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
persona. There are discrepancies regarding which version Bruce saw, The Dark Knight Returns claims it was the Tyrone Power version whereas a story by Alan Grant claimed it to be the silent Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
original. Moreover Bob Kane was himself inspired by Fairbanks' Zorro, including similarities in costumes, the "Bat Cave" and Zorro's cave, and unexpected secret identities.
In the animated series Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
, a flashback of the fateful night establishes that for DCAU continuity, the young Bruce and his parents also were attending The Mark of Zorro, though there is nothing to indicate which version.
Home media
This version of Zorro has come out twice on DVD. The first was released on October 7, 2003 and featured the movie in its original black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
form, as part of 20th Century Fox Studio Classics
20th Century Fox Studio Classics
20th Century Fox Studio Classics refers to a collection of films ranging from the late 1920s to the late 1960s released on DVD by 20th Century Fox.-Features and pricing:...
Collection. The second was released on October 18, 2005 as a Special Edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
, and featured both a new restored black-and-white version as well as a colorized
Film colorization
Film colorization is any process that adds color to black-and-white, sepia or monochrome moving-picture images. It may be done as a special effect, or to modernize black-and-white films, or to restore color films...
one, prepared by Legend Films
Legend Films
Legend Films, a San Diego-based company, was founded in August 2001. The company specializes in the conversion of feature films, both new release and catalog titles, and commercials from their native 2D format into 3-D film format utilizing proprietary technology and software...
. Both versions contain "Tyrone Power: The Last Idol" as seen on Biography on the A&E Network, and a Commentary by film critic Richard Schickel. A trailer for the Special edition can be seen at http://www.legendfilms.net under Family Classics.