Le tre spade di Zorro

"The Three Swords of Zorro" has resurfaced recently from well deserved obscurity, thanks to a public domain DVD release. The DVD itself sets new standards for "Low-tech" as it looks as though it was recorded from an EP VHS playback, with pathetic sound recording.

Guy Stockwell (brother of Dean) portrays the title character, orphaned son of the original Zorro (Dad's been rotting in jail for the last 15 years, and doesn't know that his abandoned son has taken up the mantle of "Defender of the oppressed"). Zorro defends the local peasantry from the evil governor's oppression, re-discovers his real father is jail and frees him and sends the corrupt Governor and his cronies to the hoosegow in the film's brief running time. He get's the girl, too!

One of the many European action flicks to flood theatres and American TV in the early 60's, "The Three Swords of Zorro" pales in comparison to more the more mainstream Zorro outings produced before and after. Tyrone Power, Antonio Banderas (and even Guy Williams) fared much better than poor Stockwell in establishing the legendary status of this famed fictional hero of Old California.

Good for a few laughs!

This average though acceptable Zorro with Spaghetti/Chorizo style is a mediocre adaptation inspired from Johnston McCulley character starred by Guy Stockwell as the dashing masked avenger named Don Diego. In 1830, the years of Mexico's independence, a governor (Antonio Prieto) supported by his underlings (Agustin Gonzalez , Alfonso Rojas , Franco Fantasia) decide to impose their brutal rule over the population of recently freed citizens . Many men of honor will rise up to fight this impostor , but one man will stand out among them , the man called Zorro (Guy Stockwell) . There appears Virginia (Gloria Milland) whom her father Marques de Santa Ana (Giuseppe Addobbati as John McDouglas) obligates to marry the despotic as well as eldest governor , but Zorro saves her and both of whom fall in love . When Zorro's friends become targets in this struggle , the full revenge of Zorrow will be unveiled. At the end appears a new governor (Santiago Rivero) replacing the tyrannical one .

This Paella/Spaghetti Zorro is filled with action , thrills , intrigue , spectacular horse pursuits by Zorro and sword-play . This Zorro is decently starred by Guy Stockwell , he took a chance and jumped from modern action and Western genre to costumed Italian/Spanish adventure ; he steals the show as foppish Zorro relishing his secret identity dressed in black ; executing bounds and leaps , twists and climbs and throughly enjoys himself . Guy became a Universal contract player in 1965 and went straight into several standard tales of adventure and intrigue, including Warlord (1965), Tobruk (1967) and Blindfold (1965). He co-starred as the villain, in The King's Pirate (1967) and he also earned the role of Buffalo Bill Cody in a remake of Cooper's The plainsman (1966) . Initially promoted as a dashing Errol Flynn type in swordplay adventures and outdoor epics, the studio had him star in the remake of Gary Cooper's French Foreign Legion classic Beau Geste (1966) . In the movie appears usual support actors as Spanish : Alfonso Rojas , Luis Marin , Antonio Jimenez Escribano , Juan Luis Galiardo , Jose Truchado , Agustin Gonzalez as Italian players as Franco Fantasia , and Giuseppe Addobbati or John McDouglas . Badly photographed by Julio Ortas , an alright remastering being necessary and filmed on location in Colmenar De Oreja , Madrid . The motion picture was middlingly directed in his ordinary style by Ricardo Blasco . This Spanish filmmaker was an assistant director and director, known for Gringo (1963), Suspiros De Triana (1955) and Armas Contra Ley (1961) and TV series as Diego Acevedo .

The motion picture was produced by Sergio Newman who produced all kind of genres as Western : "Sheriff Won't Shoot¨ , ¨Oro Maldito¨ , Drama : ¨"Romeo e Giulietta" , Wartime : "Hell Commandos" , ¨When Heroes Die" and Adventure : ¨Il magnifico Aventuriero" , "Mission in Morocco¨ and two ¨Zorro¨ movies : this one and its sequel titled ¨Oath of the Zorro¨ also by Ricardo Blasco with Tony Russel , Maria Jose Alfonso , Sancho Gracia and again Agustin Gonzalez . The first Spanish/Italian Zorros were ¨Vengeance of Zorro¨ and ¨L'Ombra di Zorro¨ (1962) by Joaquin Marchent with Frank Latimore , Paul Piaget and Robert Hundar . Zorros's producer , Eduardo Manzanos , built a Western town in Hoyo De Manzanares (Madrid) , today disappeared , called ¨Golden City¨ where filmed several Western and various Zorros . Other Zorro filmed by that time are ¨Zorro all Corte di Spaña¨ (1963) by Luigi Capuano , ¨Zorro versus Maciste¨ by Umberto Lenzi with Pierre Brice Alan Steel , Moira Orfei ; ¨El Jiuramento Di Zorro¨ by Ricardo Blasco with Guy Stockwell and Mikaela ; ¨Zorro Il Ribelle¨ by Piero Pirotti with Howard Ross ; ¨Il Figlio Di Zorro¨ (1973) by Gianfranco Baldanello and two directed by Jose Luis Merino with Charles Quiney and Maria Pia Conte as ¨Zorro the rider of vendetta¨ and ¨Zorro of Monterrey ¨ .

The best Zorro are the followings : The mute classic adaptation ¨Mark of Zorro¨ 1920, Fred Niblo, with Douglas Fairbanks, the classic ¨Mark of Zorro¨, 1940, Robert Mamoulian with Tyrone Power, Basil Rathbone and Linda Darnell), and followed by ¨The legend of Zorro¨ 2005, Martin Campbell again with Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones, Tony Amendola,Pedro Armendariz and Rufus Sewell . European version in similar style as ¨Le Tulipe Noie¨ (1964) with Alain Delon and Virna Lisi and ¨Zorro¨(1975, Duccio Tessari with Alain Delon, Octavia Piccolo and Stanley Baker .

In this Spanish-Italian coproduction, Zorro is captured when a boy is threatened. That boy grows up to be Guy Stockwell. He, along with singing sister Mikaela, run a tavern. He's also the latest Zorro, who falls in love with Gloria Milland. She's being forced to marry evil governor Giuseppi Addobbati, lest her father's lands be confiscated.

In other words, the usual stuff of romances of Mexico in the days after independence, when evil governors did as they will and the federal government was weak. Mikaela sings two songs very well, with a lot of echo. Stockwell pretends to be an idiot when he's not dashing about in black. The movie itself moves along at a lethargic pace, abetted by a couple of horseback chases that seem to go on for a long time, and a lazy main musical theme. There's a cute ending when Addobbati's minions.