MovieChat Forums > The Mark of Zorro (1940) Discussion > Complaint and question(s)

Complaint and question(s)

posted 18 years ago by jason031572
15 replies | jump to latest

Someone in another post said the same thing that I have a complaint about--don't get me wrong, I thought this is a great movie and one of the few from this era that I enjoyed every scene), but I thought it would be better to have Zorro (that is, in the black costume) more in the movie especially towards the end. I think the last scene with Zorro is when he reveals he is Diego to Lolita.

This brings up two questions: first, did they decide it would have been too dangerous for Powers to wear a mask while doing the fight scene with Rathbone?

Secondly, why did Zorro have two masks? He had the one covering his head and eyes (the one that I think most people would say is his usual mask) and then he had the bandit mask that he wore a couple of times.

[–] Dr_Miklos_Rozsa 17 years ago

I think it's cooler to have Don Diego duel Esteban than Don Diego in his Zorro identity. Besides, Diego was there for a reason--so he could eventually reveal his identity by killing Esteban, go to jail, and free Padre Philippe. Plus, we see Diego act like a real man in those scenes rather than a flowery f@g in the earlier scenes.

I guess the two masks are there as to confuse witnesses. For example, Zorro wears his regular Zorro mask and the usual mask of a highwayman. If the guards were looking for Zorro, they could accidentally come across a highwayman and not Zorro.

[–] erin375 16 years ago

One thing I noticed, when Diego held the mask up to his face to clue in the Padre, as that the mask he had could be worn both ways--with the bigger end hanging down like a bandit mask, or the big end pulled back over his head, more like Wesley in The Princess Bride. Am I right on this? I can't remember if he had a separate one that was a thinner strip of cloth like in the Legend of Zorro, but he could have just had the "full-scalp" cloth on and cover it with his hat.

[–] nebka23 15 years ago

This is a good movie there is one thing i like better in the 1974 remake where he leaves the mask on so the people outside never find out that Diego and Zorro are one and the same.

[–] wrfarley 15 years ago

Interesting post. Everybody's comments are insightful. The one thing I find interesting is that there is no "metamorphorsus" (sp) into Zorro. One minute he's Don Diego; in the next scene he's riding down the road in full Zorro regalia. I like it this way. If they made this today, the filmmakers would've spent a half hour showing him sewing the cape and inventing the mask.

[–] zintar2001 15 years ago

I agree that everyone's comments are insightful, but I found your comment also interesting. I was quite jarring when Zorro comes from out of nowhere. It would have been nice to have just a brief scene where Don Diego gets the idea of becoming Zorro, perhaps watching some children playing with mask and cape, just before Zorro's grand entrance. It's just a small criticism, because the movie a stunning adventure from beginning to end.
I was amused by your comment though of showing Don Diego spend half an hour sewing the cape :D
Another interesting note is that I've heard that Basil Rathbone was one of the best fencers in Hollywood at the time, if so, it's ironic he nearly always played villains and thus ultimately fell by the hero's blade.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and every plate of vegetable soup is filled with vegetables.

[–] wrfarley 15 years ago

My Dad, who loved this film, was disappointed by the lack of another scene. Don Alejandro is so disappointed in his "worthless, trick-playing off-spring" that he practically dis-owns him. My father thought there should've been a scene of their reconciliation.

What do you think?

[–] lee-stamm 15 years ago

I think that the look on their faces as they are fighting together, shoulder to shoulder, in the closing battle scene takes care of the reconciliation thing.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] vpilutis 13 years ago

Re: Complaint and question(s)
by nebka23 (Tue Mar 17 2009 09:41:10)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply
This is a good movie there is one thing i like better in the 1974 remake where he leaves the mask on so the people outside never find out that Diego and Zorro are one and the same.

The reason for that is ABC wanted this to be the pilot of a show but Frank Langella didn't want to do a weekly series only TV movies every so often.
Look at that Frank played TWO of the THREE men in black:
Dracula and Zorro, too bad he never got to do Batman.

http://vbphoto.biz
http://santaathome.biz

[–] liscarkat (16476) 6 years ago

Modern-day tortured, miserable, unshaven, emo-Batman is a man in black (with fake plastic muscles), but traditional Batman was in shades of blue and gray.

[–] k-mann 12 years ago

This is a good movie there is one thing i like better in the 1974 remake where he leaves the mask on so the people outside never find out that Diego and Zorro are one and the same.

This movie is based on the original Zorro book, in which Diego does indeed reveal his dual identity.

Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!

[–] Icelander67 12 years ago

I'm new to this film (which I _loved_, btw) and hence to this whole forum, but I thought I'd add yet one more point about the no-mask-swordfight issue:
Aside from any logistic reasons & plot points within the film's story, I thought having them fight in true identity gave the scene a very nice sense of authenticity. I mean, for the _viewer_ it's very satisfying to see a pretty good acting performance backed up with one helluva _skill_ with the weapon, don't you think? At least it was for me. By contrast, in almost any action scene in the modern Banderas version, I kept being 'taken out of the film' thinking "no way that's actually him!" because he was always masked. This scene here, this was the 'real deal' all the way... and what a deal it was!! :)

====
"Never finish what you can't start!" ;)

[–] wrfarley 12 years ago

I agree completely. The duel works much better with Don Diego fencing Esteban. Zorro dueling the Captain might've made a fun action scene, but much of the drama (and comedy) would be lost. Diego would've played the fop for nothing. And don't forget, this was done in an age before automatic sequels so, I'm sure, no one in the production considered withholding Zorro's identity.

[–] MrEdnablackadder 8 years ago

While I see the reason behind Diego's choice, Esteban must have been really obtuse to see him dueling that way and think he was simply being lucky. It would've been nice to see him realizing that he was fighting Zorro (not that it would've made too much difference plot-wise).

If they made this today, the filmmakers would've spent a half hour showing him sewing the cape and inventing the mask

While nobody needed to see that, my biggest complaint about the movie is that Zorro's story was handled too rushedly and sometimes unbelievably. For example, Diego decides to pose as a fop and pretend it to be horrified by physical combat the very moment he meets Esteban and is informed that his father is no longer Alcalde. It's rather strange and forced that he would've already planned his masquerade in such little time and with such little information. Also, it seems quite unlikely that Alejandro wouldn't have written him that Quintero had replaced him as Alcalde? In most portrayals, Diego returns to California before he'd finish his studies because his father has written to him that trouble has arisen.

I generally find the secret identity theme to be the most unsatisfyingly developed one in the film. Otherwise, it's fine. I enjoy it more as a swashbuckler than a proper Zorro film, however.

[–] liscarkat (16476) 6 years ago

I, too, noticed how quickly Diego came up with the fop ruse, but I figured he was just a fast thinker and I accepted it. As for the dual, I think Esteban went into it overconfident, amused that Diego would fight him. He soon realized, of course, that he was up against a serious adversary, but by then his game was off and he wasn't able to recover.