The Mark of Zorro is a 1940 American adventure film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox. It 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. Don Diego's mute assistant Bernardo from the 1920 silent film is absent.

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.

Plot

Based on the Johnston McCulley story The Curse of Capistrano, originally published in 1919, which introduced the masked hero Zorro, the movie's story is set in Southern California during the early 19th century. It deals with the apparently foppish 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 Governor Quintero (J. Edward Bromberg). Don Diego (Tyrone Power) adopts the guise of 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. In one gag out-take, Power cuts the letters "DZ" into the upholstery of a stagecoach while a terrified onlooker exclaims, "The Mark of Zanuck!"

This film is essentially a remake of the 1920 United Artists silent version, The Mark of Zorro, which starred Douglas Fairbanks. Its largest 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. Rathbone suffered two scratches on his forehead during its filming, and later said of Power, "He could fence Errol Flynn into a cocked hat."

Cast

*Tyrone Power as Diego

*Linda Darnell as Lolita Quintero

*Basil Rathbone as Captain Esteban Pasquale

*Gale Sondergaard as Inez Quintero

*Eugene Pallette as Fray Felipe

*J. Edward Bromberg as Don Luis Quintero

*Montagu Love as Don Alejandro Vega

*Janet Beecher as Senora Isabella Vega

*George Regas as Sergeant Gonzales

*Chris-Pin Martin as Turnkey

*Robert Lowery as Rodrigo

*Belle Mitchell as Maria

*John Bleifer as Pedro

*Frank Puglia as Propietor

*Eugene Borden as Officer of the Day

*Pedro de Cordoba as Don Miguel

*Guy D'Ennery as Don Jose

Batman connection

In the DC Comics 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.

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.

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 white 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 under Family Classics.

References