Silver Screenings

You wouldn’t think a swashbuckling movie from the 1940s would be timely for us today, but Hollywood is surprising sometimes.

Exhibit A: The Mark of Zorro (1940) is the story of the famous Californian Robin Hood who steals from crooked politicians and gives to the over-burdened taxpayer.

We’re quickly introduced to the politics in this film, because they drive the plot. A benevolent landowner is forced out of his position as alcalde (mayor) by the evil Basil Rathbone, a political operative who sets up a puppet leader.

(Rathbone & Co. are the type of ne’er-do-wells who enter public office to line their own Pockets. We all know this kind of politician is rare, and we’d be shocked – Shocked! – to discover anybody in real life using public office for personal gain.)

The handsome Tyrone Power is the hapless landowner’s son, arriving home from Madrid to find his father ousted from power, and the populace despondent. People are starving because corrupt officials take their money, then beat them for not having more assets to confiscate.

Well. Tyrone Power is having None of This, and he gets to work Righting Wrongs. He dons a black mask and swishy cape, and confronts these political criminals at night. In case they don’t think he’s serious, he sends a Message by engraving a “Z” with his rapier sword, whether it be in the furniture or someone’s flesh.

Rathbone & Co. have placed a price on our hero’s head, but he’s too crafty to be caught. This is why the character is named “Zorro”, meaning “fox”.

Everything about The Mark of Zorro is marvelous. Travis Banton’s costuming is scrumptious, especially Power’s suits – but we’ll get to that in a minute.

This film is perfectly cast. The portly Eugene Pallette plays an outraged priest barely able to restrain himself from violence. Gale Sondergaard is superb as a bored, unhappily married woman who flirts outrageously with Power.

A seventeen-year-old Linda Darnell plays Power’s love interest in this, her fifth Hollywood film. It’s largely a thankless role, but Darnell brings more to the role than one might expect.

Of course, Basil Rathbone is a joy to watch as Power’s nemesis. He’s a smooth, calculating power broker who’s never without a contingency plan. He sees the worst in Everyone, which tells you everything you need to know about his character.

Then we have Power, playing a man playing a dual role. He’s a caped crusader by night, stealing plunder from the corrupt, and giving it to Pallette to disperse to the needy.

But by day, Power plays a spoiled, effeminate man, a clever ruse to discourage people from guessing his True Identity. Not even his parents know his secret, and certainly not the lovely Darnell, who views him with scorn. Power’s daytime character is vain and petulant, given to long-suffering sighs: Why must I endure this provincial atmosphere?

In one scene he explains why he’s late for dinner. “They heated the water for my bath too early. It was positively tepid! By the time more was carried and properly scented…” – dramatic sigh – “Life can be trying, don’t you think?”

To complete the day/evening transformation of Power’s character, costume designer Banton gives us everything we expect of a legend. Nighttime Zorro wears dignified, Social Justice attire, while the daytime fop adorns his fashions with sequins and pearls.

Notice his suit in the above photo, and how it’s far more ornate than Darnell’s gown. His daytime wardrobe is always more bedazzled than anyone else’s, including the women’s.

Power plays these two sides of his character with relish.

If you think The Mark of Zorro storyline resembles The Scarlet Pimpernel, we agree. Both are tales about brave vigilantes who pose as dandies, risking love and friendship in the process.

American novelist Johnston McCulley published his first Zorro story, The Curse of Capistrano, in 1919 as a magazine serial. It was adapted to the big screen, starring Douglas Fairbanks, in 1920.

McCully would pen Zorro adventures, in print and for the screen, until his death in 1958.

(Get this: Wikipedia says his first work, The Curse of Capistrano, has sold more than 50 million copies, which could make it one of the best-selling books, ever?)

Nearly 40 movies about Zorro have been made worldwide over the years, in addition to an American television series that ran from 1957-1959. The Mask of Zorro was nominated for Best Original Score at the 1941 Academy Awards, but lost to Pinocchio.

We heartily recommend The Mark of Zorro for two reasons: (1) Tyrone Power’s engaging performance; and (2) Travis Banton’s stellar wardrobe design. We think you’ll really enjoy this one.

The Mark of Zorro starring Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone. Directed by Rouben Mamoulian. Written by John Taintor Foote, Garrett Fort & Bess Meredyth. Twentieth Century-Fox, 1940, Colourized, 79 mins.