The Mark of Zorro

Don Diego Vega passes for an indolent nobleman in colonial California. The pose exists to hide Zorro, the masked avenger. The sword, the whip and the Z carved into a wall all start here. Directed by Fred Niblo, this is Zorro's first screen adaptation, taken from Johnston McCulley's 1919 story The Curse of Capistrano. Douglas Fairbanks stars and produces, and contributed to the adaptation under the pen name Elton Thomas. It was distributed by United Artists, which he had co-founded. Fairbanks worried audiences would not accept him in costume adventure. After the 29 November 1920 premiere, New York's Capitol Theatre took close to twelve thousand dollars on the first day, the largest opening day for a film to that point. McCulley later reissued his novel under the film's title. The Academy Film Archive preserved a print in 2012. Who it's for: Silent film enthusiasts and anyone who wants to see where the swashbuckler began. Who it's not for: The storytelling is a century old and the acting follows silent-era convention. The film's treatment of its Mexican characters also carries the stereotypes of its time.