The Mark of Zorro (1940)
- kbroer
- Jun 14, 2024
- 2 min read
Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone
Directed by Rouben Mamoulian
Available to stream on Prime Video
Our next swashbuckling film features a classic hero who has appeared many times on film and television throughout the years -- Zorro. By night Don Diego (Tyrone Power) is the masked hero Zorro, fighting for his Spanish California countrymen against their tyrannical governor - but by day he is a bored and lazy "caballero," afraid to fight and always complaining of being "fatigued." No one guesses that the two are one and the same until he meets lovely Lolita (Linda Darnell).
Why we love it: Zorro and his "mark of the Z" has been a favorite adventure story from the silent movie era through the 1950's television version. Tyrone Power is great as the handsome hero, with Basil Rathbone as the sword-wielding villain and Eugene Pallette as the priest. It's always fun to watch Zorro in action, fighting his enemies and leaving a "Z" on the wall - and even more fun to see how surprised everyone, including his father, is to find that the lazy Don Diego is really our hero.
Fun facts:
The film is based on the story The Curse of Capistrano written by Johnston McCulley in 1919 which had first been made into a movie in 1920 with Douglas Fairbanks as Zorro.
Watch the famous duel between Tyrone Powers and Basil Rathbone in the clip below. The duel was staged by fencing master Fred Cavens. Rathbone, who was an accomplished fencer, did all of his own swordfighting. Tyrone Power was good with a sword, but Fred Caven's son doubled for Powers in the trickier parts of the duel.
Basil Rathbone and Eugene Pallette take on similar roles to the ones they had in The Adventures of Robin Hood. Basil Rathbone once again appears as the villain and shows off his fencing skills against Tyrone Power and Eugene Pallette is once again a friendly friar.
The score, composed by Alfred Newman, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Tyrone Power was one of the biggest stars of the late 1930's and early 1940's. This film cemented his status as one of the great adventure leading men. He continued to act until his death in 1958, taking a small break during the Second World War to enlist in the Marine Corps and serve in the Pacific Theater during WWII.
Linda Darnell was only 17 when she made this film. This was, however, already her fifth film and her third with Tyrone Power. She had lied about her age and had started modeling at the age of 11 and had begun her Hollywood career at the age of 15. She was known as "the girl with the perfect face."
For reviews and articles from the time, go to the Fan Magazine Reviews page.
Featured Cocktail:
Mexican Mule
Mules are members of the cocktail family known as bucks. The common factor is ginger beer. The Mexican Mule is quite similar to the Moscow Mule, substituting tequila for vodka.
2 oz (60 ml) tequila blanco or reposado
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lime juice
3-4 oz (90-120 ml) ginger beer
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