The Mark of Zorro

This 1974 Zorro is true to previous films. The best part for me was the use of 1940's film score. The music ties the film to the classic performance of Tyrone Power. Frank Langella was destined to play remakes, Dracula and Zorro. Ricardo Montalban, Yvonne deCarlo, and Gilbert Roland are consummate actors that bring the film above its humble TV budget. The film follows the 1940's script, which makes the film enjoyable to watch. Later versions because of their modern thirst for gore can't compare. Watch it on Starz or buy the DVD.

I haven't seen this TV film for years and would really like to see it again. I think I fell in love with Frank Langella because of it - OK, OK, so I was much younger and more impressionable at the time but, well, he was beguiling. As suggested in one or two other commentaries on this, I felt it was as effective a version, if not even a tad better than the 1940 one - perhaps because of both the eponymous hero's sexual magnetism and the charming, intelligent and spirited Anne Archer's Teresa. From what I remember, the film was to a large extent faithful to Tyrone Power's vehicle, and added a J-ne-sais-quoi to it.

Dashing as Power undoubtedly was, to my taste Langella's rich chocolatey voice, commanding height and seductive gaze made this viewer long to be the object of his affections. I admit it, I'm shamefacedly still a bit in love with the character!

Don Diego returns from Spain to his family in California to find that his father has been replaced as ruler of the area by the dastardly and cruel Don Luis Quintero. Despite being a bit of a swordsman, Diego downplays his skills in front of the wicked Captain Esteban and shows himself to be a bit of a clown in front of his family. However secretly Diego picks up the sword of justice as Zorro and fights to return justice to the region and his people.

I taped this film because I honestly expected it to be a silly film at best; at worst I feared it would be an awful mess of a film that would hopefully make me laugh. However I was very pleasantly surprised to find a film that, although a little cheesy and dated, was actually quite good fun to watch in an unassuming way. The film has a sort of cheesy tone to it that reminded me of badly dubbed movies from Europe in the 70's but this was actually much better without taking itself too seriously.

The story is pretty faithful to the original films and it has recognisable parts in spades. While it is never funny it does manage to be enjoyable in the way it is playful as well as having a bit of swash and buckle about it. While the majority of it only hints at action, the final swordfight between Zorro and Esteban is more fun than I expect it to be (as one who has grown accustom to CGI and so on).

The cast really helps the whole thing to be as much fun as it is. Langella has a habit of being a bit too heavy and serious but here he gets everything just right. His Diego is a comic fop while his Zorro is suitably heroic and upright without being dry or dull. Middleton is reasonable enough but it is the wonderful Montalban who enjoys the best villain role. He doesn't have that much to do at times but he has a good presence about him and has real charisma. It was a surprise to find Anne Archer in the support cast but she is good as well.

Overall this film quite took me by surprise because I enjoyed it. Of course it's not perfect and of course it's all a bit cheesy and silly at times but it enjoys itself and has a real sense of fun about it. The short running time plays to it's quick pace and to it's benefit as I think much longer and the faults would have begun to impose themselves, however as it is it is short, punchy and a lot more fun than I expected it to be!

Much as I hate to sound sacrilegious about the 1940s version, I have to honestly say Langella surpassed Tyrone Power. How Langella did it is with his voice. As another previous poster described it, Langella with that chocolatey voice. In the same way we gents enjoy Peggy Lee's sultry voice on her song, "Fever," so does Langella's voice project the perfect air of foppishness. Note Langella's use of the aristocratic handheld monocle that he uses when he gazes at Captain Esteban. In the hands of another actor it would look artificial. But combined with Langella's lazy-eyed look, it looks so natural.

Frank Langella makes you forget both Tyrone & Fairbanks - his Zorro is quieter, more serious, more sensual, whereas the other two played the role for laughs at times. And Langella's take on Don Diego the fop is not as effeminate or funny, more like lazy and yawning. And his eyes are very expressive and always moving.

Ricardo Montalban does pretty well as the villain, but can't compete against Basil Rathbone (1940). But the winsome, young Anne Archer is a big improvement over stiff Linda Darnell. Nice to see the still-fit, silent star Gilbert Roland as Zorro's dad.

The dialogue and script of this is very similar to the 1940 version, and it uses the same stirring theme and soundtrack composed by Alfred Newman.

You can catch this version on TV sometimes -- it's worth videotaping.