Film & Water #175 – The Mark of Zorro

THE FILM & WATER PODCAST

Episode 175 – The Mark of Zorro

As part of The Fire and Water Network’s Zorro Month, Rob, Max, and Chris discuss the 1940 classic THE MARK OF ZORRO, starring Tyrone Power!

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13 responses to “Film & Water #175 – The Mark of Zorro

  1. Kinda surprised you didn’t mention the book ending scenes of the movie.

    At the beginning Don Diego throws his swords into the ceiling and says
    “Leave it there.

    And when you see it, think of me, in a land of gentle missions, happy peons, sleepy Caballero, and everlasting boredom.
    Wine!
    A toast, seores. To California, where a man can only marry, raise fat children, and watch his vineyards grow.”

    And at the end

    Diego :” Not for some time, I’m afraid.
    We’ll follow the customs of California.”

    Inez Quintero :” What do you mean?”
    Diego :” We are going to marry and raise fat children and watch our vineyards grow.”

    Throws sword into ceiling

  2. To me it seems you can tell the exact moment that Tyrone Power shows when Don Diego decides to do the charade. When he first meets Captain Esteban Pasquale right between the two times he says I see
    Diego :Tell me, why has my father turned his home into a barracks?”

    Captain Esteban Pasquale:” Conditions have changed since you left, Don Diego. Your father… resigned.

    Age, you know. Since then, the peons have become more, uh… more industrious.

    As to the caballeros, they’re encouraged to think oftheir own affairs. We take care ofthe government.”

    Diego : “I see.

    I see.”

    1. Sontaron, this podcast made the film sound so good my wife and I rented it last night. I paid special attention to these scenes you highlighted, as well as all the ones Rob, Max, and Chris did. I agree with your analysis of the decision.

      And it is a wonderful film. Mrs. Entropy especially enjoyed the chapel scene, and we both enjoyed the poetic bookends. Thank you all for the recommendation!

      1
  3. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen The Mark of Zorro before, but I can’t be positive. If so, it was decades ago, and I’m not sure if the scenes I’m recalling in my mind are from this movie or from the TV series. I guess I’ll have to watch the movie (again?) to make sure.

    Thank you for continuing coverage of Zorro Month.

  4. Impressive podcast. Most Impressive. Ah sounds like a good movie. I think I saw the first of this as a kid, but never the whole movie. I’ll have to rent it at some point. Yep Basil was the best fencer in Hollywood. In fact, Captain Basil Rathbone was twice the British Army Fencing Champ. During WW1. He taught Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power the finer art of swordsmanship. Or so Wikki and another source said. This was during WW1. In fact he was a spy for the Britts back then. And went on many dangerous assents. Or so Wikki and a few other sources say. For me he’s always the definitive Sherlock.

    This sounds like a cool movie. And yep there are a lot of Bat Man and Zorro cross overs er in the back ground. I.E. actors that went from both. Bats being inspired by Zorro and the Shadow. Like supes was inspired by the Gladiator book and Doc Samson.

    1. Liz, I looked up the Wikipedia article you mentioned and saw that Rathbone served with Claude Rains. I bet the Germans never even got that guy in their sights!

        1. Thanks, Paul! And I get your reference to a fun MCU character beat.

          Clearly, my need for validation is visible to everyone. Guess I’m pretty transparent in that way.

  5. Tyrone Power is such a charmer in the lead that I completely understand having him unmask at the earliest opportunity. The Mark of Zorro is such a joy from start to finish, and I am frankly surprised (and dismayed) they never found a way to make more Zorro stories with Tyrone Power.

    The Lone Ranger and Zorro do co-star in some comics out there, but never in a movie. I’m not sure we want to encourage anyone to do a Pulp Cinematic Universe though.

    Rob you mentioned Silk Stockings, my ears perked up because it’s marked as a never-erase movie on my DVR – I love that musical to bits, which is perhaps irrational of me (if Film & Water were a more regular concern, I’d be pitching it). You also mentioned The Rains Came, which I watched for Myrna Loy, but if it must be seen, it’s for the big flood sequence in the middle of it, which is amazing. Like Max, I spend a lot of time on TCM…

    1. Ultimately the Mark of Zorro 1940 is one of the better Zorro movies in terms of quality, but I do agree what it needs is just more Zorro. Thankfully the 1974 version did fix that, even if just a little.

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