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:

Gallantry | Sword | Reward | Magic Trick | Taxation

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)
Rafael Corio	...	Diego's Manservant (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)
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		(director of photography) (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 Video (video)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)

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:

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

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Like most of the actors who portrayed Zorro at around this time, 'Tyrone Power (I)' was not of Hispanic heritage (he was of British descent).

Quotes:

Don Diego Vega: I must please ask you to change the subject. His Excellency objects to talk of throat-cutting.
Captain Esteban Pasquale: Quiet, you Popinjay! I have no reason to letting you live either.
Don Diego Vega: What a pleasant coincidence. I feel exactly the same way about you Capitan.
Captain Esteban Pasquale: You wouldn't care to translate that feeling into action would you?
Don Diego Vega: I might be tempted. If I had a weapon.
Captain Esteban Pasquale: Would you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1995) (V)

my favorite superhero movie

I like to be an iconoclastic jerk sometimes, so whenever I'm asked to name the best superhero movie, I always say "The Mark of Zorro." Then I have to specify that I mean the Tyrone Power movie, not the Fairbanks one and certainly not the Banderas. Ah, elitism can be amusing sometimes...

Seriously, though, this is one heck of a motion picture. The best part is the pacing; it's deliciously slow, in the most effective way. Characters are developed fully, tensions heighten gradually, and just when you're on the verge of getting bored - BOOM! A fantastic chase scene or swordfight perfectly repays your patience. Well, my patience, anyway. Maybe you were bored the whole way through?

Tyrone Power is simply awesome in this flick. He's hilarious as the fey Don Diego, and he cuts an impressive figure as Zorro. It's easy to see that Batman was patterned on Zorro, as he also pretends to be a stupid playboy, but Bruce Wayne was *never* this cool.

Basil Rathbone makes a great villain, as always, and his close-quarters duel with Zorro is, as I'm sure you've heard, one of cinema's great action scenes (I think the confined setting actually enhances the suspense). Even J. Edward Bromberg, who plays a slightly dated and silly character, somehow manages to come across well - it's interesting to see his character come into his own as the main villain at the end of the movie.

Even the romance isn't a dud. Lots of amusing flirting goes on, and Linda Darnell certainly is easy on the eyes.

Why can't they make action flicks like this anymore? To paraphrase a certain famous political catchphrase, "it's the characters, stupid." Everybody in this movie is colorful and cool, and through them I get wrapped up in the plot. When the biggest complaint I have is a bit of rear-screen projection during a boat ride, you know the movie's almost perfect.