The Mark of Zorro (1940)

Regisseur:

Rouben Mamoulian

Drehbuchautoren:

John Taintor Foote (screenplay)
Garrett Fort (adaptation) ...

Premierendatum:

8. November 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Abenteuer | Romanze | Western

Werbezeile:

Ride With Zorro . . . The Dashing Don Of California's Most Adventurous Era !

Plot:

A young aristocrat must masquerade as a fop in order to maintain his secret identity of Zorro as he restores justice to early California.

Plot Keywords:

Justice | Gallantry | Magic Trick | Taxation | Fop

Filmpreise:

Nominated for Oscar.

Nutzerkommentare:

Delightful piece of swashbuckling fun

Besetzung

Tyrone Power	...	Diego
Linda Darnell	...	Lolita Quintero
Basil Rathbone	...	Captain Esteban Pasquale
Gale Sondergaard	...	Inez Quintero
Eugene Pallette	...	Fray Felipe
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Don Luis Quintero
Montagu Love	...	Don Alejandro Vega
Janet Beecher	...	Senora Isabella Vega
George Regas	...	Sergeant Gonzales
Chris-Pin Martin	...	Turnkey
Robert Lowery	...	Rodrigo
Belle Mitchell	...	Maria
John Bleifer	...	Pedro
Frank Puglia	...	Propietor
Eugene Borden	...	Officer of the Day

Alternativ:

The Californian (USA) (working title)
Im Zeichen des Zorro (Österreich) (Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

94 Min | Portugal:90 Min (censored version)

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch | Spanisch

Farbe:

Schwarzweiss

Seitenverhältnis:

1.37 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Altersfreigabe:

Canada:G (Manitoba/New Brunswick/Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island/Quebec) | USA:Approved (certificate #6597) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Firma:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Dies und das:

Basil Rathbone, being a well known fencer in his own right, was asked how well 'Tyrone Power (I)' did in their scenes in which stunt doubles were not used. Rathbone responded, " Tyrone Power could fence Errol Flynn into a box!"

Dialogzitate:

Don Diego Vega: [as Esteban repeatedly stabs a piece of fruit with a knife at the dinner table] Captain, you seem to regard that fruit as an enemy.
Captain Esteban Pasquale: A rival!

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Ausschnittsweise enthalten in 20th Century-Fox: The First 50 Years (1997) (TV)

Delightful piece of swashbuckling fun

Great action and at the same time one of the most hilarious roles ever to come out of Hollywood. Tyrone Power is great in the title role, not only when in full swashbuckling action as Zorro, but also as the effeminate dandy Don Diego Vega, fanning his handkerchief, sneezing, and performing ridiculous magic tricks upon stupid prison wardens, when not courting the beautiful Alcalde's daughter Inez Quintero. You gotta love Zorro, the good old-fashioned hero of LA county, always prepared to fight for justice, fight poverty and save damsels in distress, occasionally engraving the mark "Z", preferably on men's chest or cloth.

There's enough innuendo and snappy dialog in here to keep adult audiences entertained as well as enough action for younger audiences to cherish this film (and even enough romance with dashing Power to keep the ladies satisfied). Basil Rathbone, as Captain Esteban Pasquale, makes a superb villain, always prepared to draw his sword, either for serious business or sadistic amusement. "Most men have objects they play with. Churchmen have their beads; I toy with a sword."

Wit Tyrone Power's undisputed comedic talent, he adds so much wit into his character (and to the already hilarious lines), the film is a real hoot. It's a shame Power embarked on more serious roles later in his career. With most of the lines ranging from the outright hilarious to marvelously corny, like Don Diego Vega's courting of the young lady Inez: "You're more lovely, more radiant than a morning in June," it's hard to take it all very serious, but when the fencing starts, playtime is over. Basil Rathbone, one of Hollywood's most skilled swordsmen, knows how to handle a sword like no-one else and Tyrone Power was quick to learn. The climactic swashbuckling scene between the two arch enemies in the small confined room of the Alcalde (brilliantly choreographed) is - till this very day - the best sword fight ever put on film, even surpassing the final fight between Rathbone and Errol Flynn, two years before in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938).

Camera Obscura --- 9/10