L'ombre de Zorro

You would think that a spaghetti western with Zorro in it would be "can't miss" stuff. "Shades of Zorro" (that's the title under which I saw the movie) may not hit the bullseye but it does hit the target. It is a great looking movie with great locations with colors that jump off the screen. The cast is fine with one exception, Zorro. When Zorro is wearing the mask (it's actually a black bandana worn over his face train robber style) he's great. He rides a horse like it's nobody's business. He can shoot and use a sword. But when Zorro's not wearing the mask, he's kind of annoying. Although I probably won't be watching it again anytime soon, "Shades of Zorro" is worth the watch.

One of the first Paella or Tortlla Western filmed in Spain with spectacular outdoors from Manzanares Del Real and Colmenar Viejo (Madrid), locations where were filmed a lot of Westerns , pre-Almeria boom . Acceptable Iberian Western professionally realized by the best Tortilla Western director , Joaquin Romero Marchent . It packs crossfire , thrills , action , go riding , lots of shots and gun-play . This exciting western titled ¨Cabalgangando Hacia Muerte¨ (Spanish title) , or ¨L'ombra di Zorro" - Italy (original title), or "The Shadow of Zorro" - UK, USA title or "Shades of Zorro¨ has a breathtaking showdown between the protagonist Frank Latimore and the enemies as Robert Hundar , Raf Baldassarre and other hoodlums . It deals with two brothers , the slimy , menacing outlaw Billy (Claudio Undari as Robert Hundar) and Dan (Paul Piaget) who swear to carry out a bloody revenge against Zorro when in previous film titled ¨Zorro the avenger¨ at a confrontation resulted in brother's murder . As the nasty brothers disguising as ¨The Zorro¨ and execute hold-ups , killings and stagecoach assaults incriminating the real Zorro (Frank Latimore posing as Don Jose De La Torre). As Billy and Dan are relentless in their vendetta , deadly in their violence . The conflict is simple , one between two merciless revenger killers against the masked Zorro .

This moving Zorro Western contains thrills , gun-play , shimmer locations and being proceeded in American style more tan Spaghetti . This Iberian western contains a story full of vengeance , good dramatic pace and slick direction . This is a classical western before Leone's style , it is an ordinary example of American western style though it is partly Spanish and partly Italian . The Spanish westerns of this era were far more likely to try and emulate their American source material than cultivate a distinctive style of their own the way the Italians as well as Spaniards were doing but their product, if you like traditional westerns remains watchable . Interesting screenplay and story by Jose Mallorqui , a notorious writer who wrote the successful ¨El Coyote¨ series . It results to be a trilling as well as a western vengeance with lots of shots , fights and emotion . The film packs action , thrills , shootouts , drama , high body-count and entertainment . It's a decent western with spectacular outdoors and breathtaking confrontation among protagonists , as Frank Latimore who repeats his role against two implacable brothers : Paul Piaget and Robert Hundar , -pseudonym of Claudio Undari- a Sicilian actor specialized in western films , as he is magnificent as a violent gunfighter dressed in black ; he steals the show as a merciless bandit similarly to Jack Palance's Shane . Charismatic performance for whole casting , as there appears usual Italian/Spanish Western support actors , a largely secondary cast filled with familiar faces , all of them ordinary in Chorizo/Spaghetti western , such as Maria Silva , Diana Lorys , José Marco Davo , Lorenzo Robledo , Rufino Ingles , Xan Das Bolas , Carlos Romero Marchent : director's brother , and many others . Although this time doesn't appear the regular Fernando Sancho . The musician Manuel Parada composes an atmospheric soundtrack and well conducted . Regular cinematography , though being necessary a perfect remastering , filmed by cameraman Rafael Pacheco on locations in Manzanares Del Real and Colmenar Viejo , as usual ; including good sets by Jaime Perez Cubero and Jose Luis Galicia , creating a nice scenario with luminous outdoors , rocky landscapes under a glimmer sun and fine sets by these expert set designers who carried out the most Production Design on Westerns shot in Spain . They made a little town called ¨Golden City¨ where filmed several Westerns as ¨Welcome Padre Murray¨ , ¨Brandy¨ , various ¨Zorros¨ directed by Marchent and this one .

The sequel was well produced by Copercines/Eduardo Manzanos Brochero who produced various films for Marchent brothers as Joaquin Romero Marchent : ¨El Coyote¨ , ¨Venganza Del Coyote¨, and this ¨Cabalgando Hacia Muerte¨; and for Rafael Romero Marchent : ¨Quien Grita vengeance¨, ¨Two crosses in Danger Pass¨ and being also financed by PEA/Alberto Grimaldi , previously to produce his successful trilogy of dollars/Sergio Leone . The motion picture was compellingly directed and in traditional style by recently deceased Joaquin Marchent (1921-2012) . He was an expert writer and director of good Western . His first film was ¨El Coyote¨ and the sequel titled ¨Revenge of Coyote¨ shot in Mexico . After that , he filmed ¨The shadow of Zorro¨ and ¨Revenge of Zorro¨. He went go directing Western as ¨ Riding to death ¨ , ¨Adventures in the West¨ , ¨Three good men¨, ¨Sabor Venganza ¨ and the most popular and violent ¨Condenados a Vivir¨ . Plus , he wrote for his brother Rafael Romero the following Westerns : ¨Manos Torpes¨, ¨Ocaso un Pistolero¨ and ¨Garringo¨ . Rating : Acceptable ,it has its entertaining moments here and there .

Zorros's producer , ¨Eduardo Manzanos Brochero¨, ordered to built a Western town in Hoyo De Manzanares (Madrid) , today disappeared , called ¨Golden City¨ where filmed several Westerns and various Zorros . Other Zorros 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 , Antonio Prieto , Gloria Milland and Mikaela ; its sequel titled ¨Oath of Zorro¨ by Ricardo Blasco with Tony Russel , Maria Jose Alfonso , Sancho Gracia and Agustin Gonzalez ; ¨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¨.

I wish someone here had put up their comments on this movie before I sat down to watch it - I might have been warned about what I was about to see! As you've probably guessed, I found this movie to be terrible. Although the name "Zorro" is constantly pulled up, the Zorro in this movie (as well as the character imitating him) is not like the Zorro we are familiar with. He doesn't wear a mask around his eyes - he has a black bandanna over his nose and mouth. And they use firearms instead of a sword, except for one very brief sword fighting sequence towards the end of the movie! That's bad enough, but the movie has additional problems. It starts off very confusingly, like if you started a book with the third chapter. There are also a lot of confusing parts that will make you say out loud, "Huh? What just happened?" or "Huh? Why did that happen?" The movie is also very boring, even when the movie decides to throw in a little action. To make matters worse, the pan-and-scan on the movie is horrible, sometimes with all the characters in one shot completely chopped off! I guess the movie does have some worth as being one of the earliest spaghetti westerns, made a few years before the craze started in earnest. But as for a vehicle for entertainment, forget it!