The Mark of Zorro (1920 film)

showing a scene from the film, 1920 The Mark of Zorro tells the story of Don Diego Vega, the outwardly foppish son of wealthy ranchero Don Alejandro Vega in the old Spanish California of the early 19th century. Seeing the mistreatment of common citizens by rich landowners and the oppressive colonial government, Don Diego dons the mask of the Robin Hood-like rogue Señor Zorro ("Mr. Fox"), champion of the people, who appears out of nowhere to protect them from the corrupt administration of Governor Alvarado and his henchmen, the villainous Captain Juan Ramon and the brutish Sergeant Pedro Gonzales (Noah Beery, Wallace Beery's older half-brother). With his swift swordplay and an athletic sense of humor, Zorro scars the faces of evildoers with his mark, "Z". When not in the disguise of Zorro, Don Diego courts the beautiful Lolita Pulido with bad magic tricks and worse manners, though she cannot stand him. Lolita is also courted by Captain Ramon; and by the dashing Zorro, whom she likes. In the end, when Lolita's family is jailed and impoverished by the machinations of Governor Alvarado, Don Diego throws off his masquerade, wins over the soldiers to his side, forces the wicked governor to abdicate, and wins the hand of Lolita, who is delighted to discover that her effeminate suitor, Diego, is actually the dashing hero. ==Primary cast==

• Douglas Fairbanks as Don Diego Vega / Señor Zorro • Marguerite De La Motte as Lolita Pulido • Noah Beery Sr. as Sergeant Pedro Gonzales • Charles Hill Mailes as Don Carlos Pulido • Claire McDowell as Doña Catalina Pulido • Robert McKim as Captain Juan Ramon • George Periolat as Governor Alvarado • Walt Whitman as Father Felipe • Sidney De Gray as Don Alejandro Vega • Tote Du Crow as Bernardo, Don Diego's mute servant • Noah Beery Jr. as Boy • Charles Stevens as Peon Beaten by Sergeant Gonzales • Milton Berle (uncredited child) ==Reception and impact==

The New York Times gave The Mark of Zorro a mixed review. Fairbanks biographer Jeffrey Vance, assessing the film's legacy in 2008, writes: "The Mark of Zorro is a landmark, not only in the career of Douglas Fairbanks, but also in the development of the action-adventure film. With this, his thirtieth motion picture, Fairbanks was transitioning from comedies to the costume films for which he is best remembered. Instead of reflecting the times, The Mark of Zorro offers an infusion of the romantic past with a contemporary flair ... Beyond reenergizing his career and redefining a genre, Fairbanks's The Mark of Zorro helped popularize one of the enduring creations of twentieth-century American fiction, a character who was the prototype for comic book heroes such as Batman; In fact, The Mark of Zorro is the canonical movie that the Waynes watched before being murdered." The Mark of Zorro was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012. ==References==