Blu-ray Review The Mark of Zorro Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

matt-hough

The Mark of Zorro Blu-ray Review

Arriving now on Blu-ray, the sparkling studio production and top flight cast of actors in The Mark of Zorro continue to weave a spell of old California with its peons and peasants at the mercy of a dastardly Spanish governor and his lethal henchmen.

[review]
Click here to read the original article.

 

[atfree]

Thanks Matt! I watched my copy last Sunday, enjoyed it greatly. Hoping to see a lot more of these Fox B&W catalog titles coming from KLSC.

 

[Virgoan]

Huzzah!

 

[Darby67]

Another excellent review, Matt!

 

[Capnvid]

Santa Maria! It has slipped onto my shelf!

 

[B-ROLL]

Santa Maria! It has slipped onto my shelf!

Just make sure it isn't his evil twin brother ... Ramon

 

[JeffT.]

Don't get me wrong I thoroughly enjoy this marvellous film but there are a couple of aspects that have always disappointed me about it.

The first issue may stem from the "child" in me but in this so-called Zorro film we tend to see far more of Don Diego than we do of Zorro.

The problem being one can hardly expect a top flight romantic screen presence like Tyrone Power to hide his handsome facial features behind a mask for any lengthy duration but that's precisely the problematic rub here.

Zorro is a "masked" avenger-crusader-hero. It's like having a Batman movie where the caped and cowled Batman only makes a cameo. Who really wants to see Bruce Wayne more than Batman?!

They tend to do this with Iron Man too. We're always annoyingly shown repeated inserts of Robert Downey, Jr.'s face seen inside the Iron Man helmet much more than full views of the actual "Golden Avenger" himself in his awesome invincible, metallic, helmeted regalia.

For myself in THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) there is nothing more exciting than when the fully costumed Zorro (finally) makes his first appearance on his magnificent black stallion.

My second disappointment is to witness the great Basil Rathbone once again tiresomely relegated to yet another villainous role.

By this time Mr. Rathbone had already made two exceptional Sherlock Holmes films for Fox Studios which innovatively broke this negative typed mold and the gentleman made for a most convincing hero indeed. In his own initial enthusiasm Basil Rathbone was (justifiably) elated to refreshingly have the opportunity to portray one of the great heroes of all time.

In truth, Basil Rathbone was widely considered to be the nicest, kindest and friendliest of screen actors in the "Golden Age" Hollywood. A far cry from the despicably ruthless, callous villains that he all-too-frequently found himself to be lamentably cast.

My last observation is that by comparison to the lavishly mounted and handsomely colour produced THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) the black-and-white filmed THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) looks somewhat modestly less grand and could have benefited tremendously having made the extra effort as a colour vehicle. Doing a black-and-white adventure epic especially after the awesome wake of ROBIN HOOD is somewhat of a step backwards. A missed opportunity here.

Jeff T.

 

[commander richardson]

matt-hough

The Mark of Zorro Blu-ray Review

Arriving now on Blu-ray, the sparkling studio production and top flight cast of actors in The Mark of Zorro continue to weave a spell of old California with its peons and peasants at the mercy of a dastardly Spanish governor and his lethal henchmen.

[review]
Click here to read the original article.

Excellent review...............and one of my top movies of all time..............have waited so long for it's eventual release.................BUT..........no English Sub-titles ...........means NO BUY.......Thank you Kino Lorber for your usual crappy service.......

 

[Steve...O]

Thanks, Matt!

I agree with the above poster that the lack of SDH on what appears to be a growing number of Fox films released by KL is very disappointing and I'm also not buying these. I've asked Mr Lime respectfully a couple times in the Kino thread to weigh in on this but he's ignored me. These films have easily obtainable SDH streams from the Fox DVD releases that should be ported over, but aren't.

Given that Fox's other partner, TT, always includes SDH where available suggests that the problem isn't with Fox.

 

[Robert Harris]

Don't get me wrong I thoroughly enjoy this marvellous film but there are a couple of aspects that have always disappointed me about it.

The first issue may stem from the "child" in me but in this so-called Zorro film we tend to see far more of Don Diego than we do of Zorro.

The problem being one can hardly expect a top flight romantic screen presence like Tyrone Power to hide his handsome facial features behind a mask for any lengthy duration but that's precisely the problematic rub here.

Zorro is a "masked" avenger-crusader-hero. It's like having a Batman movie where the caped and cowled Batman only makes a cameo. Who really wants to see Bruce Wayne more than Batman?!

They tend to do this with Iron Man too. We're always annoyingly shown repeated inserts of Robert Downey, Jr.'s face seen inside the Iron Man helmet much more than full views of the actual "Golden Avenger" himself in his awesome invincible, metallic, helmeted regalia.

For myself in THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) there is nothing more exciting than when the fully costumed Zorro (finally) makes his first appearance on his magnificent black stallion.

My second disappointment is to witness the great Basil Rathbone once again tiresomely relegated to yet another villainous role.

By this time Mr. Rathbone had already made two exceptional Sherlock Holmes films for Fox Studios which innovatively broke this negative typed mold and the gentleman made for a most convincing hero indeed. In his own initial enthusiasm Basil Rathbone was (justifiably) elated to refreshingly have the opportunity to portray one of the great heroes of all time.

In truth, Basil Rathbone was widely considered to be the nicest, kindest and friendliest of screen actors in the "Golden Age" Hollywood. A far cry from the despicably ruthless, callous villains that he all-too-frequently found himself to be lamentably cast.

My last observation is that by comparison to the lavishly mounted and handsomely colour produced THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) the black-and-white filmed THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) looks somewhat modestly less grand and could have benefited tremendously having made the extra effort as a colour vehicle. Doing a black-and-white adventure epic especially after the awesome wake of ROBIN HOOD is somewhat of a step backwards. A missed opportunity here.

Jeff T.

Fox seems to have used Technicolor for one Power production per year. It was used for larger productions -- Jesse James, Blood and Sand, and The Black Pirate.

Limited number of cameras, being shared among the studios, limited print production capacity.

 

[B-ROLL]

Fox seems to have used Technicolor for one Power production per year. It was used for larger productions -- Jesse James, Blood and Sand, and The Black Pirate.

Limited number of cameras, being shared among the studios, limited print production capacity.

and wasn't Natalie Kalmus "required" for approval to licence Technicolor?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Kalmus

 

[Matt Hough]

Fox seems to have used Technicolor for one Power production per year. It was used for larger productions -- Jesse James, Blood and Sand, and The Black Pirate.

Limited number of cameras, being shared among the studios, limited print production capacity.

Fox was also giving Betty Grable the Technicolor buildup during those years. After Tin-Pan Alley, most of her musicals were filmed in Technicolor.

 

[David_B_K]

My last observation is that by comparison to the lavishly mounted and handsomely colour produced THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) the black-and-white filmed THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) looks somewhat modestly less grand and could have benefited tremendously having made the extra effort as a colour vehicle. Doing a black-and-white adventure epic especially after the awesome wake of ROBIN HOOD is somewhat of a step backwards. A missed opportunity here.

Jeff T.

while we "ooh" and "aah" over the glorious technicolor of The Adventures of Robin Hood, I doubt we would have had that opportunity had The Mark of Zorro been shot in the same process. The beautiful technicolor would have doubtless been lost after Fox's ill-advised attempt to back up their technicolor holdings to film stock which faded while disposing of the technicolor originals. RAH's "A Few Words" article would have then covered how the restorers did what they could with what they had, and how the resulting color, while pleasing is nothing like what was seen in 1940. Frankly, I am grateful that this classic swashbuckler was shot in B/W.

 

[Dick]

My last observation is that by comparison to the lavishly mounted and handsomely colour produced THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) the black-and-white filmed THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) looks somewhat modestly less grand and could have benefited tremendously having made the extra effort as a colour vehicle. Doing a black-and-white adventure epic especially after the awesome wake of ROBIN HOOD is somewhat of a step backwards. A missed opportunity here.

Well, there are those of us who consider black and white to be preferable in most instances to color. It creates an entirely different mood, obviously, and for an epic adventure like THE BLACK SWAN color is an asset. MARK OF ZORRO is mainly interiors and small sets, and hasn't the scope that would benefit greatly from the added budget of color stock. I find the B&W in this film to be awesome (given a good transfer), and I'm glad they didn't decide to go all the way with Technicolor. Apply the adage "Pick your battles" when it comes to the decision of whether or not to go with color, a lesson that has been lost with 1.85:1 vs. 2.35 aspect ratio. If the film ain't gonna benefit from color (or 2.35:1), don't use it. Think first about atmosphere and composition. So, I disagree with your assessment, but, then, I'm a huge fan of great black and white cinematography

 

[Bob Gu]

Color Zorro fans should track down, THE BOLD CABALLERO-1936. It was the first Zorro sound movie, the first Zorro color movie, and the first color movie from Republic Studios, using the Natural/Magnacolor process, an early version of Trucolor.

The Bold Caballero was actually released with a nice restored color print in 1998, by Republic Home Video, on VHS. (The color uploads on youtube, I believe are from a lesser print used for the Alpha DVD release.)

 

[Alan Tully]

It's a great film, & has been shown in HD on TV a few times (Film Four UK), I'll certainly buy it if it gets a UK release (the French release was a wee bit to expensive), but to be honest, it's not the 1940 b/w swashbuckler I've been hoping for (I think we all know what that is). The Zorro film that really hit it with me was the serial Zorro's Fighting Legion, I can still remember seeing it in the late fifties, I've got it on DVD somewhere, I'm going to have to dig it out. And I understand that Basil Rathbone was an expert at fencing (Olympic standard I understand), & he said that he could have easily seen off Errol Flynn & Tyrone Power.

 

[John Hermes]

It's a great film, & has been shown in HD on TV a few times (Film Four UK), I'll certainly buy it if it gets a UK release (the French release was a wee bit to expensive), but to be honest, it's not the 1940 b/w swashbuckler I've been hoping for (I think we all know what that is). The Zorro film that really hit it with me was the serial Zorro's Fighting Legion, I can still remember seeing it in the late fifties, I've got it on DVD somewhere, I'm going to have to dig it out. And I understand that Basil Rathbone was an expert at fencing (Olympic standard I understand), & he said that he could have easily seen off Errol Flynn & Tyrone Power.

In his 1995 book, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE SWORD, Nick Evangelista rates the MARK OF ZORRO duel as "the finest example of movie swordplay Hollywood has ever produced." But although Rathbone called Power "the most agile man with a sword I've ever faced before a camera," former Olympic fencer Richard Cohen, in his 2002 book BY THE SWORD, says Power was often doubled in ZORRO's fencing scenes by Albert Cavens, the son of Belgian swordmaster Fred Cavens, and he's credited as such in other reference books (and on IMDB), though not in the film itself. Rathbone was 48 at the time the ZORRO duel was filmed, and, according to Cohen, the elder Cavens said of him "I doubt that he would do well in competition, but for picture purposes he is better than the best fencer in the world." Rathbone considered Power an expert swordsman and said, "Tyrone Power could duel Errol Flynn into a cocked hat."

 

[Alan Tully]

There's a terrific book on swashbuckling films, Swordsmen Of The Screen by Jeffrey Richards, it's been around for a few years now, but it's well worth tracking down.

 

[JeffT.]

I have absolutely nothing against black-and-white but the innovation of colour in film really opened up vast new dimensions of possibilities to be explored. Just like sound did.

The dusty, sun baked, existential minimalism of the impoverish peon barrio certainly lends itself appropriately to black-and-white photography.

However this is a costume adventure which seemingly would demand colour. They could have adapted this film just fine to colour if they really wanted to.

I've never understood why another film produced around the same time THE SEA HAWK (1941) wasn't also lensed in colour. Maybe the current mounting global war put limitations on things. I never understood why Basil Rathbone wasn't in this film to again challenge his regular screen adversary Errol Flynn.

Just to cite an example of contrast consider the SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) which looks impressively awesome with its lush black-and-white multi-textured photography. However it was originally conceived as a colour production with all the sets and costumes designed with this specifically in mind. The point being it looks so good in black-and-white that it's difficult to envision it in colour but likely could have been done and done very well indeed. So never say never!

My first exposure to Zorro was the Guy Williams tv series. In this it was Zorro who was mainly involved in all of the action aspects of the stories and not Don Diego. This more-or-less shaped my conception of the character and his dominating importance.

The main thrust of THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) is Don Diego vindicating himself to everyone that he is not the ineffectual foppish dolt that he pretends to be. Zorro in the film is just a passing phase of his crusade targeted against the current governing regime's tyranny which Diego not Zorro ultimately defeats.

Basil Rathbone in a 1967 interview published in CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN magazine confirmed that he was indeed a master swordsman of professional caliber. He always had a concern in seriously injuring his less-than-skilled opponents. There was also the danger, due to their ineptitude (or inexperience), that they in turn could seriously injure him. So Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power are more on the offensive while Basil tended to be primarily on the defensive. But as mentioned these actors also had stand-in replacements who were similarly, like Mr. Rathbone, skilled fencers.

One has to really admire and sympathize with Basil Rathbone because in film he always lost in the contrived duel with his screen opponents when he could actually handily make short work of them. Furthermore he was relegated to villainous roles more than he cared to be when in truth he was nothing of the kind.

A real fine trooper if ever there was one.

Lastly, yes I really like the 12-chapter Republic Pictures movie serial ZORRO'S FIGHTING LEGION (1940) very much and have it on DVD to enjoy whenever I want to.



Jeff T.

 

[SuperClark]

I love this movie and Linda Darnell.I have recently been re watching the disney 2 season tv series
with Guy Williams on D + in full HD.