One thing this
movie has is impressive horse-riding chase scenes that make you grin at the
ingenuity of the director and the cinematographer. The film’s pace is so
exciting that you can’t help but tip your hat to how it was captured on
celluloid.
Basil Rathbone
(famous for playing Sherlock Holmes in the Rathbone/Bruce series, which
included 14 movies between 1939 and 1946) is a renowned Hollywood swordsman. I
also read that Tyrone Power was skilled with a sword, so I eagerly waited for
the duel scene between the two.
When the duel
finally began, the fact that it was actually the actors wielding the swords—not
just stuntmen—added to the excitement. The duel is nothing short of wonderful
and masterful. The grace and speed these two expert swordsmen displayed on
screen is something I’ll always remember, and I highly recommend others watch
it. To this day, I haven’t seen better fencing.
The movie is
full of scenes that jump out at you. There’s another chase scene where Zorro
(Tyrone Power) makes his horse leap off a bridge into a stream, then swims to
shore. It was such a sight that I raised my brow in amazement, wondering how
many takes the director needed to get that scene just right.
The Mark of
Zorro is a lot of fun, even if you can pick out plot holes and wonder how
the hero planned to achieve anything in the riot-like ending. Still, the movie
is enjoyable from start to finish. The story is based on The Curse of
Capistrano, written by Johnston McCulley in 1919. The book introduced the
masked hero Zorro, who is similar to Robin Hood in many ways. Set in Southern
California during the early 19th century, the plot follows Don Diego Vega/Zorro
(Tyrone Power), who returns home to find his town being extorted by the
Governor and his henchman, Captain Esteban Pasquale (Basil Rathbone).
Diego then
becomes the masked vigilante Zorro to defend his people from the corrupt
Governor’s grip.
The Mark of
Zorro is a true oldie. The score, in my opinion, is a bit obvious and
doesn’t blend seamlessly with the movie, though it did earn an Academy Award
nomination.
The Mark of
Zorro is worth watching, even if it’s just to see the duel between Power
and Rathbone. I read about it, and it was one of the reasons I sat through this
movie.
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