The part of Fray Felipe, the abused Franciscan monk, is played by Walt Whitman. He gets whipped so badly by the corrupt governor of early California that he almost become Flay Felipe. I'd thought Walt Whitman was long dead, but no. This guy actually LOOKS a lot like Walt Whitman in his age. The movie was directed by Fred Niblo who, along with Van Heflin and Vera Miles, was one of the few contributions made to the art of cinema by the state of Oklahoma.
Douglas Fairbanks is Zorro as what may be the movies' first swashbuckler. I don't think he did such a hot job as Zorro. The choreography of the action scenes is fine, but Fairbanks smiles too much, no matter what the threat is. He grins and laughs in the face of danger. It would be no joking matter to me if I had ten swarthy ruffians rushing at me with upraised sabers. But then -- well, the "fencing" sucks, but Fairbanks does these fantastic leaps, almost inhuman in their character. If you're not aware of how primitive the technology was, you'd think he was suspended by wires as in some recent chop-socky movies.
He does better as Don Diego, the effete son of one of the caballeros, recently come from Spain. He projects great boredom and fatigue without ever suggesting any femininity. As Don Diego he slouches from place to place, his shoulders slumped, patting his face with a hankie.
The movie is a genuine original, copped from a short story in a nowhere magazine. It's full of zest. I much prefer the Tyrone Power version from 1940. Power was quite good, although he wasn't quite as acrobatic, and he did well in both disguises. Furthermore, the 1940 version had Basil Rathbone as the evil captain, who was an expert swordsman himself. He'd taken up fencing in real life. And nobody is better at snorting insults through his nasal passages than Basil Rathbone. The saber duel between Power and Rathbone towards the end of the movie is a classic of staging, choreography, and acting skill.
Nobody gets to dance to "El Sombrero Blanco" here because it's a silent movie. Too bad. There is a nice romantic theme to accompany Zorro's courtship of Lolita though. It may be from Manuel de Falla's "Nights in the Gardens of Spain" but I'm not sure.
Not a total loss by any means, but the later version is an improvement.
Douglas Fairbanks is Zorro as what may be the movies' first swashbuckler. I don't think he did such a hot job as Zorro. The choreography of the action scenes is fine, but Fairbanks smiles too much, no matter what the threat is. He grins and laughs in the face of danger. It would be no joking matter to me if I had ten swarthy ruffians rushing at me with upraised sabers. But then -- well, the "fencing" sucks, but Fairbanks does these fantastic leaps, almost inhuman in their character. If you're not aware of how primitive the technology was, you'd think he was suspended by wires as in some recent chop-socky movies.
He does better as Don Diego, the effete son of one of the caballeros, recently come from Spain. He projects great boredom and fatigue without ever suggesting any femininity. As Don Diego he slouches from place to place, his shoulders slumped, patting his face with a hankie.
The movie is a genuine original, copped from a short story in a nowhere magazine. It's full of zest. I much prefer the Tyrone Power version from 1940. Power was quite good, although he wasn't quite as acrobatic, and he did well in both disguises. Furthermore, the 1940 version had Basil Rathbone as the evil captain, who was an expert swordsman himself. He'd taken up fencing in real life. And nobody is better at snorting insults through his nasal passages than Basil Rathbone. The saber duel between Power and Rathbone towards the end of the movie is a classic of staging, choreography, and acting skill.
Nobody gets to dance to "El Sombrero Blanco" here because it's a silent movie. Too bad. There is a nice romantic theme to accompany Zorro's courtship of Lolita though. It may be from Manuel de Falla's "Nights in the Gardens of Spain" but I'm not sure.
Not a total loss by any means, but the later version is an improvement.