In the chase about town, I noticed Zorro performing a number of moves that today we'd call parkour. At risk of sounding like Tweety Bird, I thought I saw a saut de chat.
Is this the earliest use of parkour in film?
Nothing is new under the sun. It always happens: young people think the world begins with them and dont know how many things they dont know. But it is normal because "parkour" is a new word in right now. We call it acrobatics...
shareFairbanks' prodigious athletic prowess and tremendous enthusiasm made this movie a great success, leading to a whole series of similar swashbuckler roles for Fairbanks, including The Three Musketeers (1921), Robin Hood (1922) and The Thief of Bagdad (1924). Fairbanks' astonishing acrobatics amaze even modern audiences, particularly in the climax of The Mark of Zorro. A sequel, Don Q, Son of Zorro, with Fairbanks reprising his role as Don Diego and also playing Don Diego's son, Don Cesar de la Vega, was released in 1925.
http://www.beststuntaward.com/2013/01/1920-best-stunt-award.html
Donovan Montierth
Brothers' Ink Productions