The Mark of Zorro

Starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Sidney De Gray, Marguerite De La Motte, Robert McKim
Directed by: Fred Niblo
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Adventure, Western
1920

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Zorro (Douglas Fairbanks) fights oppression and corruption in Spanish California.

Review:

Tim: This is an interesting film, and noteworthy because it's the first Zorro movie ever made. This silent, 1920 black and white film is an early example of the swashbuckling adventure movie. I didn't love this film, but it's a solid, entertaining movie. It is actually quite an achievement for the period in which it was released.

While this film obviously is based on its source material, it's still incredibly influential in how Zorro would be portrayed on screen. Watching this film, you can easily see how its visual depiction of the characters and story influenced future films. It is an adventure movie first, but there's a good deal of humor to be had in the film as well. It is fun to watch the carefree Zorro, with his superior intellect and abilities, fight on behalf of the poor and oppressed.

A great deal of this film's quality does belong to Douglas Fairbanks. He starred in the film, and produced it through his Douglas Fairbanks Pictures label. This is actually the first Fairbanks film I ever saw. I was torn between being impressed and unimpressed with his performance. On the positive side, it's pretty amazing how he was able to play the effeminate, weak, cowardly Don Diego Vega and the confident, suave, courageous Zorro. He certainly delivered a performance with a great deal of range, and that is very impressive. On the other hand, there was just something about him that I did not love. His acting was good, but he never made me care about his character. Perhaps his scenes as Zorro were a little too carefree, and maybe bordering a little too much on arrogant. Maybe he seemed a little too cruel as Vega. I still honestly struggle with my thoughts on Fairbanks- I recognize his performance was strong, but I still wasn't overly impressed with his performance.

Now, the film itself certainly feels epic, to an extent. The scope of the film is impressive for 1920- we have chases on horseback, several well choreographed sword fights, and a whole host of other scenes. One of the most impressive is the scene where Zorro is running around a large estate, escaping capture. I assume that was actually Fairbanks, and it's quite amazing at some of the physical feats he pulls off- climbing, diving, throwing himself this way and that way- it was pretty amazing to see on screen, and I was engaged during these sequences. It was pretty fun to watch.

While I might not have loved The Mark of Zorro as much as I expected, I have to admit this is a well-made, entertaining film. The scope of the film is impressive, and it's been influential in the world of Zorro and outside of it. This is definitely a film that is worth tracking down, and I enjoyed it.


Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Don Q, Son of Zorro