Mikel3 Since I was a boy I've been a fan of the swashbucklers; Errol Flynn was in most of my favorites with a few exceptions...like this gem 'The Mark of Zorro'. It just doesn't get any better than this. Tyrone Power was near perfect in the role. He seems to relish playing his character's dual personality, pretending Diego is pompous, ornately dressed, frail and pampered, or as his secret identity, the brave and daring swordsman Zorro. It's the type of tale common to these films yet still intriguing...a man is called back to his home only to find the once happy people there are now cruelly mistreated by a greedy tyrant. As Zorro, he robs the tax money back from the tyrant to give to the poor and punishes the abusers. For some reason, not clear to me, he lets his father and mother think his time away has changed him into the delicate man described above. Other people like the local padre and the woman he falls for do learn his secret rather early on...so I'm curious as to why he kept his parents in the dark. Two alumni from another swashbuckler gem 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' are in this movie...Basil Rathbone and Eugene Palette. Their characters are much the same here. Mr. Palette is basically playing a Hispanic version of Friar Tuck and Mr. Rathbone is a variation of the Sheriff of Nottingham, with the lovely Linda Darnell in the Maid Marian type role. The actors are all perfect in their parts so it's fine that we've seen it before. The rousing music added to the experience; I believe it was partly composed by Alfred Newman. The ending will leave you smiling.I would like to add that I watched this in the colorized version for the first time. I'd seen it in the original B/W many times before. I know the valid arguments against colorizing classics, still I have to say this looked stunning in color. For me it added a new dimension to a favorite. Here the color bought out the beauty of the women and detail of the intricate costumes and scenery. I found myself looking at the detail of the uniforms, even the shining silver of the belt buckle on Mr. Rathbone's guard uniform and such.I rate this film a 10 out of 10 stars.

Leofwine_draca THE MARK OF ZORRO is certainly a lively and entertaining film for its era, a movie that manages to surpass THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD in terms of spectacle and excitement. And it absolutely destroys the modern-day adaptations of the story starring Antonio Banderas that seem positively dreadful by comparison.The simple storyline sees Hollywood star Tyrone Power playing a double role: he's a mild-mannered aristocrat by day, and a vengeful, Robin Hood-style outlaw by night. Of course, this kind of narrative is entirely predictable, but the film's format is kept strong thanks to decent black and white cinematography and some good characterisations that feel reminiscent of a spaghetti western.Power proves himself a likable and athletic hero - it was the first time I'd seen him in action - and he's more than matched by the excellent Basil Rathbone as a villain. THE MARK OF ZORRO also contains the best bit of fencing ever put on film, an extended duel that easily becomes one of the best fight scenes ever put on film, a real highlight of a good-natured and thoroughly enjoyable movie.

davidarai The silent Douglas Fairbanks version is a classic, but this Tyrone Power edition is the the best of all. The proportions of action, romance and comedy are perfect and allow the story to simply flow with ease. The story is told quickly with no scene containing material not essential to the telling. Casting is also expertly done with Rathbone a wonderful villain to Power's hero. The sword fight between Esteban and Zorro is the best ever .. and makes subsequent remakes of the story a waste. Indeed, the TV show and other big screen attempts only make me want to watch this movie even more! Also, not always appreciated is the Alfred Newman score .... for which he was unbelievably "uncredited".

babykaren I have loved this movie since I was a little girl. This was one of the movies my Father sat us kids down to watch during Sunday Family Classics. The fencing scene here is as thrilling to watch as the ones in Captian Blood, SeaHawk and Robin Hood - those three starring Errol Flynn. Watching Basil Rathbone in roles other than Sherlock Holmes shows the range of roles and the skills they needed to learn to be a star. While Tyronne Power was the lead - all the top say 10 roles shared the storyline - almost equally in screen time and lines of dialogue. It remains a balanced and strong storyline. The black and white photography in this movie helps the mood and the scene with the large shadow of Zorro would definitely not work in color.