The Mark of Zorro from 1940 probably has the best fencing scenes of any Zorro film before or since. With Tyrone Power as Don Diego Vega/Zorro, and Basil Rathbone as the film’s leading villain, Captain Esteban Pasquale, this should come as no surprise, as they constituted two-thirds of the trinity of Hollywood’s greatest swordsmen at the time (Errol Flynn being the third). The climactic scene of the film is a breathtaking display of swordsmanship and drama as the two enemies duel, and it stands as one of the greatest single scenes in the history of swashbuckling films. In the tradition of its greatest forebearers, stunt doubles were neither used nor required in the fencing scenes.
In some ways, the film is standard Hollywood fare, although not offensively so. It manages to be inventive and spirited, despite a reliance on certain predictable conventions. Eugene Pallette, playing Fray Felipe, unfortunately reprises his role as Friar Tuck from 1938′s The Adventures of Robin Hood, which is perhaps the worst of the film’s imperfections. J. Edward Bromberg’s portrayal of the corrupt Don Luis Quintero, the despotic Alcalde, is a bit on the clownish side, but manages to be adequate.
The romantic scenes are a great improvement over the film’s silent predecessor, with Linda Darnell giving a fine performance as Lolita Quintero; the stunts are impressive without being over-the-top; and the banter is witty, but not distractingly so. All in all, it is an excellent bit of escapism, and the fencing is unforgettable.
- Writing: Fair
- Directing: Good
- Acting:
FairGood - Cinematography: Fair
- Stunts: Good
- Swordplay: Superb
- Panache: Great
Overall Rating: Good
Swashbuckling Rank: Great
Tags: swashbuckling
Thanks for the review of “The Mark of Zorro.” Errol Flynn was not considered in any way in a league with Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone in swordsmanship. “Ty Power could fence Errol Flynn [Robin Hood] into a cocked hat” — Basil Rathbone. Also, I found the acting a lot more than fair. I thought the performances, especially by Tyrone Power, were terrific.
Thank you for your comments. My own comment about the three best swordsmen in Hollywood was based on a comment I heard that was attributed to Rathbone. Power (and Rathbone) may have been far superior to Flynn, but I don’t doubt that Flynn was probably above most other Hollywood swordsmen. I agree that Power (and Rathbone, and Darnell, too) gave excellent performances, but I thought the performances of some of the cast were mediocre. Nonetheless, I probably should have weighted it a bit more in favor of the principal players. Therefore, I am amending my previous rating in the acting category. Thanks again for your input!