Douglas Fairbanks—the greatest swashbuckler of them all—stars in Hollywood’s first action movie.
The Film
Known to the world as the comically effete young nobleman with a taste for tasselled sombreros, Don Diego Vega (Douglas Fairbanks) hides a secret. For when danger calls, and the citizens of Spanish California are terrorised by their colonial masters, Diego swathes himself in black, straps on his sword, and transforms into the mysterious Zorro. Slicing his trademark Z into the faces of his enemies, he pauses only to boldly romance the woman (Marguerite De La Motte) to whom his shy alter-ego can hardly summon the courage to speak.
The Mark of Zorro changed movie history, inaugurating the action-adventure film and turning Fairbanks into the world’s first action star. His athletic, daring stunts and swashbuckling swordplay became wildly popular, leading to a slew of further action films including Robin Hood, The Black Pirate, and The Three Musketeers.
The Music
Pianist Jonny Best will bring the action alive with an improvised piano score, plus percussion from Trevor Bartlett.
Music: Jonny Best (piano), Trevor Bartlett (percussion)
Director: Fred Niblo
Year: 1920
Country: USA
Length: 80 mins
Screened courtesy of FPA Classics, Paris
