The Mark of Zorro

Diego Vega is a young nobleman being educated in Madrid; summoned back to California, he learns his father has been removed as governor and replaced by a tyrant. Diego makes a decision: in public he will be a useless, fussy coward. At night he is Zorro. The subject is not heroism but disguise. The role Diego plays by day is so convincing that his own father is ashamed of him, and the best scenes are not the fights but the moments when he cannot defend himself to anyone. The form is fast and elegant: black and white, hard shadow, brisk cutting. The duel at the end is among the most cited passages in the genre; Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone largely performed it themselves, and Rathbone was in fact an accomplished fencer. Alfred Newman's score sets the film's rhythm. Rouben Mamoulian directs, working in the shadow of the 1920 silent version and rebuilding the story through sound and tempo. Linda Darnell plays the woman he loves and Basil Rathbone the governor's swordsman captain. Who it is for: viewers who like classical Hollywood adventure and swashbucklers. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a complex narrative; the plot is simple and over in ninety minutes.