The invinsible figure leaps across the screen, combating oppression and injustice where ever it is found! Yet without his disguise, his true love does not notice him. Superman you say? No! It's the mighty and fearless Zorro!
"The Mark of Zorro," starring Hollywood legend Douglas Fairbanks, delighted a surprisingly large Spaulding audience with some pointed one-liners and an amazing acrobatics display.
Don Diego Vega hopes to marry the lovely Lolita Pulido, but she has eyes only for our masked hero in black, who is actually Diego Vega! Meanwhile, Sergeant Gonzalez and his hapless forces of evil relentlessly chase the dashing swordsman all over town but to no avail.
The film could best be described as a mixture of Abbott & Costello, Superman, and The Three Amigos. Made in 1920, the primitive camera endows Zorro with superhuman speed and agility. He leaps rooftops, swings from windows, and scales walls with amazing ease, while his pitiful pursuers stumble over each other to the audience's delight.
In courtyards, bars, and living rooms, Zorro's lightening blade foils his opponents in legendary fencing contests.The loser, of course, scurries away with a "Z" on his rear and as the butt of our jokes.The duels are simply hilarious!
While Zorro the hero entertains with his carefree antics, Don Diego the dolt summons the laughs with his perpetual fatigue and foolish personality.
When he isn't yawning to impress Lolita, Diego is either practicing his shadow figures on the wall or performing sad tricks with his hankerchief. Director Fred Niblo portrays an amazing dual personality, providing the viewer with twice the amusement.
Bob Merrill performed an excellent piano accompaniment to the silent film, deftly shifting the notes to coordinate the audience's mood with the action on screen.
"The Mark of Zorro" gave many of the younger viewers a look at one of the first gods of the silver screen -- Douglas Fairbanks. Although his popularity far surpassed that which today's stars enjoy, Fairbanks is unknown to most modern movie-goers.
He went on to help found United Artists and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927."The Mark of Zorro" is an unforgettable tribute to the actor and was a real treat for his audience.
