The Mark of Zorro (1920)

OK, I confess. Kids today believe any movie made before 1990 is old-fashioned and not worth their time. When I was a kid, I loved the old B&Ws from the 30s and 40 -- treasures abounded! -- but pretty much drew the line at the silent films. Lawdy, Lawdy, how can you possibly make a film without sound? A funny thing happened on the way to that belief system. I was telling a friend how Disney's Zorro with Guy Williams was the best Zorro of the era -- matched only by the sheer exuberant bravado of Tyronne Power in the 1940 MARK OF ZORRO -- and it was suggested to me, in return, that I should check out the Fairbanks Sr. version, the silent version, the fountainhead of Zorros, as it were. (No comments here on the Hopkins version - abomination!) OK, I said I would and I did. And now the confession -- it is the only silent film I have seen beginning to end, it was mesmerizing, and I loved it. I was told, but could not believe, that the athletic ability of Fairbanks exceeded that of any subsequent Zorro, sound or no sound. I did not believe it. I was wrong. Wrong happens. I watched in awe as this amazing actor, denied the ability to use his voice, conveyed by eye movement, facial expression, and gestures what was happening. And the stunts! I swear, in several scenes he moved like he was weightless. These were not special effects, please note, these were stunts. Fairbanks could almost float, it seemed. The version I saw had all the piano music in the overdub which presumably matched what audiences might have heard in theatres. It was fun. It was entertaining. It was as promised. Great film.

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!!!!!!!!!

I consider Douglas Fairbanks Sr to be kind of the "Patron Saint" of the modern-day blockbuster spectaculars and I can picture him looking down and smiling every summer when the latest crop of these action epics are released. THE MARK OF ZORRO, THE THREE MUSKETEERS, ROBIN HOOD, THE THIEF OF BAGDAD, THE BLACK PIRATE and THE GAUCHO always strike me as the cinematic forerunners of the feel-good, two-fisted, special-effects-laden works that today's studios unleash for summer and Christmas. With DON Q,SON OF ZORRO and THE IRON MASK he could even be considered the "Patron Saint" of blockbuster sequels. To be sure those who have followed in his footsteps lack his mastery of the medium and debatably only RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK has the true "Fairbanks Aura" around it. THE MARK OF ZORRO is a masterpiece for any filmmaking era and is a perfect film to use to introduce people to silent films. Always a shrewd showman Fairbanks pounced on the rights to Johnston McCulley's story THE CURSE OF CAPISTRANO, the tale that introduced "The Robin Hood of Old California" to the world. No matter what heights he'd go on to scale in his later films this one may represent Fairbanks' artistry in it's purest form. So much praise is heaped on the action scenes in this classic that viewers often overlook Doug's terrific job portraying both the foppish Don Diego and his athletic alter ego El Zorro. (When I first saw RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK the contrast between Harrison Ford's bookish, awkward mannerisms for Dr. Jones in the classroom and his agile, confident body language as the whip-wielding Indy reminded me of Fairbanks in THE MARK OF ZORRO.) Younger viewers who might otherwise sneer at silent movies like this might be persuaded to give it a chance by pointing out to them that no less an action star than Jackie Chan often praises Douglas Fairbanks in the same breath with Buster Keaton as one of his influences. THE MARK OF ZORRO all by itself earned Douglas Fairbanks his title as cinema's Swashbuckler-In-Chief.

The amazingly athletic Douglas Fairbanks was the first man to play Zorro on the silver screen in this legitimate silent-era masterpiece. Fairbanks does his best to win the girl (Marguerite De La Motte) and keep the people of California safe from evil military officials Noah Beery and Robert McKim. Eventually Fairbanks learns that the only way he can stop the evil tyranny is to rally the rich landowners to join him and take back the land that is rightfully theirs. The exciting chase sequence near the film's finale is still a sight to behold over 80 years later as Fairbanks does death-defying stunts to elude the bad guys. Followed by a slightly better remake in 1940 and several other versions in more modern years. For some reason Zorro films just work so well on the silver screen. 4.5 out of 5 stars.