The Mark of Zorro (1940) was a feature film produced by 20th Century Fox based on the Johnston McCulley story The Curse of Capistrano, originally published in 1919, which introduced the masked hero Zorro. The film starred Tyrone Power as Don Diego de la Vega (Zorro), Linda Darnell as his love interest, Lolita Quintero, Gale Sondergaard as the haughty Inez Quintero, Eugene Palette as Fra. Felipe, and Basil Rathbone as the villainous Captain Pasquale. J. Edward Bromberg was the corrupt governor. The film was directed by Rouben Mammoulian and produced by Raymond Griffith and Darryl F. Zanuck.
The story, set in California in the early 19th century, deals with the foppish son of a nobleman who returns to California after a sojourn in Spain, only to be horrified at the way the people are being mistreated by Governor Quintero. Don Diego adopts the guise of Zorro ("the Fox"), a Robin Hood-like outlaw who becomes a defender of the people. Meanwhile, he romances the governor's beautiful niece, Lolita, and fends off the governor's ablest henchman, the malevolent Captain Pasquale.
This film is essentially a remake of the 1920United Artists silent version, which starred Douglas Fairbanks.
Zorro arrives at the mission and sheds his disguise.
Don Diego appears in Quintero's office and relates a story of a case in Madrid similar to Zorro in which a man left a cross as a mark and slits the throats of 40 people.
When Zorro jumps into the bush to remove the priest's robes, the scene parallels the 1920film when Zorro jumps into the stack of hay and removes the priest's robes.
Feeds |
Contact