The Mark of Zorro (1940)

Director:

Rouben Mamoulian

Writers:

John Taintor Foote (screenplay)
Garrett Fort (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

8 November 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance | Western

Tagline:

Ride With Zorro . . . The Dashing Don Of California's Most Adventurous Era !

Plot:

A young aristocrat must masquerade as a fop in order to maintain his secret identity of Zorro as he restores justice to early California.

Plot Keywords:

California | Fop | Justice | Secret Identity | Spain

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Tyrone Power	...	Diego
Linda Darnell	...	Lolita Quintero
Basil Rathbone	...	Captain Esteban Pasquale
Gale Sondergaard	...	Inez Quintero
Eugene Pallette	...	Fray Felipe
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Don Luis Quintero
Montagu Love	...	Don Alejandro Vega
Janet Beecher	...	Senora Isabella Vega
George Regas	...	Sergeant Gonzales
Chris-Pin Martin	...	Turnkey
Robert Lowery	...	Rodrigo
Belle Mitchell	...	Maria
John Bleifer	...	Pedro
Frank Puglia	...	Propietor
Eugene Borden	...	Officer of the Day
Pedro de Cordoba	...	Don Miguel
Guy D'Ennery	...	Don Jose
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stanley Andrews	...	Commanding Officer (uncredited)
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Ralph Byrd	...	Student / Officer (uncredited)
Robert Cauterio	...	Manuel, Horse Groom (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	Caballero (uncredited)
Franco Corsaro	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Jean Del Val	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Art Dupuis	...	Soldier (uncredited)
William Edmunds	...	Peón selling cocks (uncredited)
Victor Kilian	...	Boatman (uncredited)
Fred Malatesta	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Francisco Marán	...	Officer (uncredited)
Ted North	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Hector Sarno	...	Moreno, Peón at Inn (uncredited)
George Sorel	...	Caballero (uncredited)
Charles Stevens	...	Jose, a Peón (uncredited)
Rafael Storm	...	Diego's Manservant (uncredited)
Paul Sutton	...	Morales, Soldier Finding Secret Wall (uncredited)
Lucio Villegas	...	Caballero (uncredited)
Harry Worth	...	Caballero (uncredited)
Frank Yaconelli	...	Don Alejandro's Servant (uncredited)

Directed by
Rouben Mamoulian

Writing credits
John Taintor Foote		(screenplay)
Garrett Fort		(adaptation) and
Bess Meredyth		(adaptation)
Johnston McCulley		(story "The Curse of Capistrano")

Produced by
Raymond Griffith	....	associate producer (uncredited)
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Alfred Newman
David Buttolph		(uncredited)
Hugo Friedhofer		(uncredited)
Cyril J. Mockridge		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Arthur C. Miller		(as Arthur Miller)

Film Editing by
Robert Bischoff

Art Direction by
Richard Day
Joseph C. Wright

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Travis Banton

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sid Bowen	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Lynn Shores	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Sound Department
W.D. Flick	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Stunts
Rex Rossi	....	stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Alfred Newman	....	musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Albert Cavens	....	fencing double: Tyrone Power (uncredited)
Fred Cavens	....	choreographer: duel (uncredited)
Ernesto A. Romero	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1958) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Fox Films (1941) (Finland) (theatrical)
• M.P.E.A. (1949) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• FS Film Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Fox Video (video)
• TV3 (1990) (Finland) (TV)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1964) (1975) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

The Californian (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

94 min | Portugal:90 min (censored version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/New Brunswick/Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (certificate #6597) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Basil Rathbone, being a well known fencer in his own right, was asked how well 'Tyrone Power (I)' did in their scenes in which stunt doubles were not used. Rathbone responded, " Tyrone Power could fence Errol Flynn into a box!"

Goofs:

Continuity: When the padre leaves the cell he has a pistol in his right hand. When he starts hitting the soldiers, he has a tree limb in his right hand. When the Alcade resigns, the padre escorts him the pistol is back in his right hand.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Inez Quintero: Oh, Diego, when may we expect you and our dear little Lolita in Madrid?
Don Diego Vega: Not for some time I'm afraid. We're going to follow the customs of California.
Inez Quintero: What do you mean?
Don Diego Vega: Well, we're going to marry and raise fat children and watch our vineyards grow.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saved by the Bell: The College Years: Kelly and the Professor (#1.12)" (1993)

Zorro, the Fox

What fun! This film has not aged a day in 63 years.....it is still a great tale of old California and the masked caballero, Zorro. Tyrone Power plays it to the hilt, and is especially good in his alter ego of the effeminate fop, Don Diego. He may not be quite as acrobatic as Fairbanks was in the original silent version but it doesn't detract from the performance. And Power was a fencer, so his sword fighting scenes certainly rang true. Put him with that elegant gentleman, Basil Rathbone, also an excellent swordsman, and you get one of the best sword fights in film history. Rathbone is the other shining star of this film. He oozes evil and was the master of the condescending sneer. The supporting cast is impeccable.....Palette, Sondergaard, Bromberg, Love, and the young, extremely beautiful Linda Darnell. It is curious to note that both Gale Sondergaard and J. Edward Bromberg were caught up in the Red Scare in Hollywood in the late 40'3, early 50's and their careers were basically destroyed by it.

This is a rousing, fun film with great dialogue and should be on everyone's "must see" list. One curious thing.......how did those very revealing tight pants worn by Power and Rathbone get by the Hays Office? These were the days when you could not even show a married couple sharing the same bed and those pants didn't leave much to the imagination!