Cast:
Douglas Fairbanks (Don Diego Vega/Señor Zorro), Marguerite De La Motte (Lolita Pulido), Noah Beery (Sergeant Pedro Gonzales), Charles Hill Mailes (Don Carlos Pulido), Claire McDowell (Doña Catalina Pulido), Robert McKim (Captain Juan Ramon), George Periolat (Governor Alvarado), Walt Whitman (Father Felipe), Sidney De Gray (Don Alejandro Vega), and Tote Du Crow (Bernard) Directed by Fred Niblo.
Review:
Admittedly, one could likely do no better in trying to find a more diverting time for the age of cinema than the 1920s. It has now been a century since that era, but one can still see the seams of its past now more than ever. Douglas Fairbanks proved to be one of the era's innovators and stars in that time, although he had an early start in the previous decade. The Denver native had begun acting from a young age, but his star started its rise after he had turned 30 with D. W. Griffith and Triangle Pictures in the mid-1910s, with his films generally falling as comedies (although there were occasions of his athleticism being shown); it was not long after that he soon formed his own production company to help produce and/or write movies as well. It would set the stage for a key moment in 1919 within the film industry when he joined together with Griffith and fellow stars Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford to form their own joint venture company in order to combat attempts to control contracts and work by exhibitors. The result was United Artists, and Fairbanks would star in the first film produced by UA with His Majesty, the American (1919). His next two films also fell into the realm of comedy, but he was soon inspired to make his biggest gamble yet - channeling his athleticism into a swashbuckling adventure role, and he co-wrote the scenario with Eugene Miller. Zorro was created in 1919 by pulp writer Johnston McCulley for the novel The Curse of Capistrano (which was serialized in All-Story Weekly). As it turned out, what was meant to be one tale only ended up being the first of a string of stories done by McCulley, which would be spurred on by the demand of the public because of the film, and he would do a variety of novels and short stories for four decades before his death in 1958 (he lived long enough to see Zorro on a new screen of media with the television series, famous in its own right despite its quick life). A semi-sequel followed this film in 1925 with Don Q, Son of Zorro, although that was re-tooled adaptation of a different work with Zorro, and several films have followed with the character since, such as the 1940 adaptation of the same name. The stories generally took place within pre-statehood California (Spain and Mexico each had control of the state in the late 18th century before 1848); supposedly, the exploits of Joaquin Murrieta (an outlaw in the time of the Gold Rush) proved an inspiration to McCulley, and it should only be fitting that Murrieta was thought of as akin to Robin Hood, since one could also make the connection for Zorro as well, but the double act of Zorro would prove an inspiration to Bob Kane in his collaboration with Bill Finger for the character of Batman in 1939.
One shall not forget to mention its director with Fred Niblo, who managed to direct over forty films in the span of sixteen years. The Nebraska native started directing when he was 42 after having done years of vaudeville and theater. He would work with Fairbanks the following year with another swashbuckler in The Three Musketeers (1921), although it is his work with Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) that is perhaps most memorable. At any rate, The Mark of Zorro proved to be the first of numerous movies for Fairbanks that fell into the historical action adventure genre, which would go all the way until The Iron Mask (1929). If Robin Hood (1922) is one of his grand highlights, one has to at least give credit to this film for being the first in its attempts at generating grand entertainment that will generally hit most of its marks in its own manner. For 90 minutes, it makes for an efficient magic trick that has the passion required in elevating a fight against oppression into a charmer that showcases Fairbanks playing a worthy balancing act. He gets to play the foppish mild-mannered nobleman that likely hones well to the comedy films he had done in the past, and he does pretty good with that in mind, silly but never too out of depth for when it comes time for the main man to show up. When playing as Zorro, he proves adept at playing to the action required while proving a capable hero without bloat - the stunt action looks real without making a mockery of what one likes to appreciate about the fine art of dashing through folks that makes it almost seem like a game without forgetting about the key focus of adventure in freedom. Truly he had a comfortability to handling the costuming and sets that overrides any fear of hammy acting. De La Motte was still fairly fresh in acting, having made her debut in support with Arizona (1918), which had Fairbanks as the lead. She does fine, playing well to having to balance interest and passivity when with Fairbanks that results in a few curious moments. There is a trio of adversaries with Beery, Periolat, and McKim. Berry (older brother of Wallace and son of Noah Beery Jr, who each also became actors) is probably the most memorable, one that plays the fool at times to Fairbanks that does his best with a swordfight that has him get marked in a friendly placed with the trademark from Zorro. The others do well, reasonably seeming fierce while making their mark on action scenes seem useful. Having fun in the hay while running from folks never seemed so freshly interesting, when you think about it. No matter how many Zorro films you have seen, there is still something to behold about the spectacle generated from this movie. While it isn't a greatly consistent story, it certainly still stands as an early winner for the decade and for what was to come in the action adventure genre, where the spectacle and costumes could only go in varying directions from there, for which Fairbanks and Niblo would be key contributors.
Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.
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