O Signo do Zorro

'The Sign of Zorro' is good fun.

I've always heard of Zorro, with his famous mark et al., though have never seen anything directly about him. This makes for a strong first impression. It is a compilation of a number of the television show episodes, but it's edited together nicely to the point I didn't even notice.

Guy Williams is great as Zorro, bringing the required amount of charisma and smartness to the role. Henry Calvin is also impressive, as comedic character Sgt. Garcia - he gives the laughs. Britt Lomond also gives a notable performance, as Monastario. It's all well acted in general.

I have nothing negative to note, everything makes for entertaining viewing.

"The Sign of Zorro" is a full-length film made up of 8 episodes of the popular "Zorro" series from television. And, it uses the same catchy tune to begin the film as the show.

Guy Williams plays Don Diego, a young man who has been studying abroad. However, his father begs for him to return...though Don Diego doesn't know exactly why. Well, it's soon apparent, as the latest man appointed as the Comandante in Mexican-ruled California is robbing folks blind in order to become the wealthiest man in the state. But attacking the Comandante directly is ill-advised and Don Diego poses as an ineffectual intellectual instead of the macho crime fighter. Additionally, his sidekick who is mute also pretends to be deaf in order to better spy on the crooks. As 'Zorro', Don Diego fights evil...righting wrongs and battling injustice.

As you'd expect, in this compilation there are many instances where Zorro gets the better of the Comandante and his troops....as well as narrow escapes. No major surprises here...especially since it was taken from a childrens' show.

So is it any good? Yes. The acting is nice and despite being filmed in black & white, it is an enjoyable production. My only complaint is that the Sergeant is an obvious dunderhead...perhaps too much so to have any sense of realism.

By the way, the film uses the term 'deaf & dumb'...an old fashioned but inaccurate way to describe deaf folks. This is because 'dumb' in this case means unable to talk...and deaf people can talk, just often not that well. Plus 'dumb' has many other very negative connotations. I am glad it was left in the film, as I hate censorship, though I was taken aback by it as well.

I love this movie! The costumes are excellent, actors are excellent, fencing and shooting are excellent and cast and crew are excellent. But even tough, this movie is good, it's also old. So it has this old fashion in it, but that doesn't matter.

Guy Williams (Don Diego de la Vega and Zorro) is my favorite actor of all time. Henry Calvin (Sgt. Garcia) is also an excellent actor, and he is very funny. Which makes him perfect for his role. Gene Sheldon (Bernardo) is an even better actor, and just as funny! He makes an excellent man servant.

Plot: After 3 years of study in Spain, Don Diego de la Vega returns to California because he father sent a message for him. When he arrives in Los Angeles, he finds that a dictator named Captain Monasatario, has taken over control. He is the most cruel man in all California, and arrests everyone that can not pay the taxes. Diego decides to do something about it, and makes the Zorro outfit. And with his man servant Bernardo and the horse Tornado, he fights for freedom and justice!

Yes, the Tyrone Power film Zorro was very good ... the sword fight one of the best on screen. But Guy Williams was the perfect Zorro --- he was more dashing and handsome than Power / Banderas, etc. (although these actors also did the character much justice), and looked and moved the part. His costume was the best, too, as was the theme song. And he pronounced "Tornado" like it should be, unlike Banderas' mistake "Tor NAY doe" .... As Don Diego, Williams (Armand Catalano) was also the best in the humor dept. (Powers comes close "So fatiguing") along with Bernardo. It's quite a feat that something from TV was this good, and competed with big budget films. If Williams was in his prime today, he would have been the greatest!

Very convenient, it's not my favorite hero by far, but I liked the movie, the plot entertains, I loved to see Zorro trolling the villain, a light hint of humor, heroism, fencing, nostalgia, romantic...