The Greatest Zorro?

Over the course of my "Watch Everything I Own" project (I'm in my SIXTH year and just about done...) I have posted a couple of articles detailing some of my observations of the stuff in my collection.  I've mentioned the worst movie I own, some musings on Star Trek and other shows and done big articles on all the various incarnations of Batman and Superman on film. I probably also blathered on about other stuff on the long gone Purple Hatch forum.

I pretty much figured that only Batman and Superman had enjoyed enough various film and television appearances to warrant a comparison article.  I might relent one day and do a Spider-Man compare and contrast of the 5 live action versions (3 different movie actors, 1 American tv series and a singularly distinctive Japanese series from the 70's) and 9 animated series he's headlined.  Someday.

Right now I'm in the middle of my Zorro collection and I realize that both he and Robin Hood deserve a little compare and contrast even if they aren't technically superheroes.  They've certainly had enough versions on film and television and both can quite reasonably be considered precursors to "real" superheroes of comic book and pop-culture fame.

So who's the greatest Zorro?  Like Batman and Superman before them, there are a lot of moving parts to the Zorro franchise and it takes a bit of digging to really figure out which actors and incarnations are the "best".

Villains.

Ricardo Frickin' Montalban!

Monalban's Ramon Castillo menaced Guy Williams' Zorro in the 1961 episode of Disney's Zorro series, - Auld Acquaintance.

In 1974, his Captain Esteban was the main villain in the TV movie, The Mark of Zorro.  Frank Langella starred as Zorro and he holds a fond place in my Zorro lovin' heart for being the first Zorro I remember from my childhood but in hindsight he's not quite the dashing hero others have brought to life beneath Zorro's mask.  Montalban remains the suave, perfect foil to the Fox.  Being one of the few actors in the Zorro canon to have an authentic accent doesn't hurt either!

Honorable mention to Basil Rathbone for his version of Captain Esteban from the 1940 version of the Mark of Zorro.  The fencing between Rathbone and Tyrone Power is some of the best sword fighting ever filmed.

Extra Special Mention to the cadre of facial hair specialists that kept Rathbone and Power's mustaches sharp enough to fence with.

Don Alejandro De La Vega

Zorro's Dad.  He's been played by several men in various versions but two really stand out, for different reasons.  Interestingly, both of the actors in question have previous Zorro bona fides.

George J. Lewis

Lewis, pictured above with Linda Stirling in the 1944 serial, Zorro's Black Whip.  In the 40s, Zorro morphed into a more traditional Western hero (six guns instead of swords, though usually retaining the whip) in various serials.  I'm not a fan of the Western in general and find most of the Zorro versions from this time period to be pale imitations of the real deal.  Still, Lewis not only side-kicked for the first female Zorro-esque character (The Black Whip is NEVER called Zorro and Zorro only makes an appearance in the title, nowhere else) in the character's history but he also dons the outfit and mask for a bit.

In the 1957-61 Disney series, he plays Zorro's Dad, Don Alejandro.  In one episode he even dons a Zorro-ish outfit to hold his son at bay to prevent him revealing his identity.  

Special mention to his tailor.  In the colourized version he and Don Diego wear some of the most spectacular suits, including a couple of purple ones...

Henry Darrow.

Another great character actor who played Zorro's Dad.  In this case, he's actually played Zorro himself twice before going on to play his Dad.  Sadly, we lost Darrow only a short time ago in mid-March this year.

 

Darrow was the first Hispanic actor to play Zorro on television in the 1981 Filmation animated series.  Sadly this show only lasted a single season.  While Frank Langella might be the first Zorro I recall from my childhood, Henry Darrow's version is the one that really formed my lifelong love of the character.

 A few years later, there was a short lived revival of the character on television.  Zorro and Son only lasted 5 episodes before disappearing but Darrow stepped in to play the aged Don Diego, now struggling to keep up his Zorro form and reluctantly passing to torch to his son.  Guy Williams was originally set to reprise his Zorro from the 1950s Disney version but left over a script dispute.  While the show was supposed to be a sitcom version of the characters, there are a few fun "real" Zorro moments to be found.  It's kickin' around YouTube if you're looking to kill a couple of hours.

Finally, in the early 90s, when Duncan Regehr donned the Zorro mask for 4 seasons, Henry Darrow played is Father, Don Alejandro De La Vega for the last 3 of them, replacing Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in the role.  Darrow even gets a chance to play the (comically geriatric) Fox one last time thanks to an amnesia inducing bump on the head in Season 4.

Sgt. Demetrio Lopez Garcia.

Henry Calvin

The character of Sgt. Garcia first shows up in the Disney version of Zorro from 1957-61, played by Henry Calvin.

Usually accompanied by hapless Corporal Reyes, Calvin's Garcia provided a wonderful comic foil to Zorro's dashing figure.  Between Garcia and Gene Sheldon's Bernardo, Guy Williams' Zorro never took himself too seriously.  

The Garcia character doesn't always show up but even when he does, the often imitated Henry Calvin has never been equalled.  

Don Diamond, who played the aforementioned Corporal Reyes in the 1950s, voiced a character similar to Calvin's Garcia (Sgt. Gonzalez) in the 1981 Filmation version of Zorro.

Bernardo

Anthony Hopkins

The long suffering sidekick to the dashing Zorro doesn't always appear and isn't always quite the same character.  In the 1950s version, Gene Sheldon plays him as unable to speak and feigning deafness to allow him to spy for the boss.  In the 1990s version, the mute servant is a boy named Felipe and probably most well known from the Antonio Banderas film, The Mask of Zorro, comes a Bernardo (played by Anthony Hopkins) who is neither deaf, dumb nor Bernardo.  

 

Hopkins' Bernardo, not surprisingly, is deep, nuanced and superbly acted.  He's also the real Zorro, now aged and reluctantly passing the torch to a new Fox. 

The love interest...

This is easily the most impossible choice to make.  Since the earliest incarnation, Zorro has wooed and been pursued by some of the most beautiful women to ever grace the silver screen.  Still, there's the sad fact that most of the women in Zorro movies and shows are pretty much there to swoon and little else.

Occasionally they have a little spirit and as Zorro gets updated in later versions we start to see some ladies who can hold their own with the rogue.  The 1990s show had a regular female lead who we could call fiery and the 1981 Filmation animated show had a female pirate character who showed up a few times.  In the futuristic Zorro - Generation Z animated series, Zorro has a female sidekick and we've even seen a couple of lady Zorros, most notably the "She's not Zorro for legal reasons" Queen of Swords.

To my mind though, none of the ladies who played opposite any version of Zorro was as spirited, well acted and able to hold her own (and her own sword) against the Fox.

Catherine Zeta Jones not only was wooed and pursued but managed to fight Zorro nearly to a draw in the best single scene in any Zorro movie or television show.  

"He was very...vigorous."

Don Diego De La Vega.

Like Bruce Wayne to Batman or Clark Kent to Superman, Don Diego really is a separate character to his alter ego and the best versions of Zorro have a strong version of Don Diego.

My personal favourite Don Diego is Henry Darrow's version from the 1981 Filmation series.  He plays him languid, bored and believably disinterested. Still, as much as that version resonates in my memory, I doubt it would work over a longer series without becoming cliche.

For the best Don Diego I think it's really got to be Guy Williams.  He just plays Diego so genuine and so effortlessly charming and just naturally, honestly good.

And the outfits!  While I'm not usually a fan of colourizing old shows and films, Disney's Zorro really benefits from the 1992 colourizing, allowing all the vibrant and detailed costumes to really sing.  The story goes that Zorro had a huge budget ($8000 per episode, which translates to about $75,000 today) for a show with strictly practical effects and stunts.  I think they spent half that on embroidery.

Zorro himself.

Like Batman and Superman, Zorro has enough GREAT actors portraying him that choosing a singular portrayal as "The Best" is damned near impossible.  I've chosen three traits of the Zorro character that make it a touch easier to choose one over the other.

Fencing.

Tyrone Power

At one time, Basil Rathbone was known as the best fencer in Hollywood.  Long before cgi and plastic swords, actors like Rathbone could actually handle a sword in a fight without a team of stunt people.  While he was known as the best, he usually played villains, so he rarely won a fight on screen.  Like a talented stunt rider is needed to make a fall or a clumsy character look believable on film, Rathbone made his screen partners look good with his skills.  Few looked as good as Errol Flynn in their duel in Robin Hood or Tyrone Power in The Mark of Zorro.  

The flare.

Antonio Banderas plays Zorro in the slickest, best Zorro film.  While not totally true to the original framing of the characters by author Johnston McCully, The Mask of Zorro stands as a great entry in the character's history.  Big story, big effects, big budget.  Over the top in almost every parameter.

Still, there's one version of the character that stands over even The Mask of Zorro.  In terms of taking things over the top, Zorro - The Gay Blade is over the top of the top.

 

When George Hamilton's Bunny Wigglesworth shows up in the gold Zorro outfit at the film's denouement, it's the icing on a very, very flamboyant cake.  Few actors can be said to have had as much fun with the Zorro character and NONE can say they did it with more flare.  For all its ridiculous buffoonery, Zorro - The Gay Blade is actually a very good Zorro film.  And probably the only Zorro production to spend a bigger chunk of its budget on costumes than the Disney series...

The joy.

Guy Williams.

Unlike broody Batman or earnest Superman, the best Zorros really enjoy being the hero.  He quips, he carves playful Zs in naughty places and he takes great joy in foiling the bad guy.

Antonio Banderas, George Hamilton and to a lesser extent Tyrone Power and Duncan Regehr all play Zorro with joy and have some laughs but there's really only one clear winner in this category.

You've probably sensed that I'm a HUGE fan of the Guy Williams version of this character.  I never saw it as a kid and only discovered the colourized version a decade or so ago when I was building my dvd collection.  It's was a true revelation to me and Williams' Zorro is suave, nimble, heroic and most of all he's FUN.  Watching Williams duel just about anyone you can bet the farm he'll be grinning from ear to ear while he does it.  He just inhabits the character and his joy at playing the role is palpable.

I haven't mentioned much about the various animated versions of Zorro but to be honest, the only one I really enjoy is the oft mentioned Filmation version from 1981 with Henry Darrow.  There was a version made in the 90s that's hard to find and not bad but not great.   Also interesting is the futuristic entry in the character's bio, Zorro - Generation Z.  The character actually updates pretty well, a little high octane two wheeled Tornado here, a female sidekick there, laser whips and more, all add up to an enjoyable, if off model, Zorro.

There are also two French versions of note.  The first is a Japanese anime style version with a blonde Zorro.  I must admit this one I simply despise.  I'm not a big fan of anime and the show itself is barely comprehensible even in English.  Why French creators chose the anime style or what they thought they were proving by making Zorro blonde is anybody's guess.  

The second is a recent (2015) computer animated version.  I own it in French and it is around the 'net in an English translation that is pretty entertaining.  Still not great though.

Disney would be well served to do a Zorro movie in traditional animation and I could easily see the basic story being updated to a "Daughter of Zorro" if they wanted to go that route.  Pixar could crack it too, for that matter.  One can always hope!

As always, these opinions are mine alone and not remotely binding beyond that.  If your opinion differs, I'm happy to chat about Zorro all day, any day of the week!