Zorro (I) (1975) User Reviews

European version about famous character well played by Alain Delon

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 23 September 2008]

The inimitable Alain Delon is Don Diego De la Vega , a foppish governor and look-alike gay , but he dons a black outfit and becomes the Zorro , the legendary masked , hero of oppressed . Zorro riding in the hoof-prints , relishes his secret identity in cape and blade and help the good people who are mistreated , thwarting the ambitious plans of the meanie official . He battles colonel Huertas (last feature movie by Stanley Baker) and a botcher sergeant (Moustache). Zorro's helped by a deaf and dumb servant (Enzo Cerusico) . Zorro unites forces to Father Francisco (Albertini) and a beautiful aristocrat (Ottavia Piccolo). Zorro-Delon fight evildoers and greedy colonel oppressor, while saving damsel in distress from a fate worse than death . The film is set in salty flavour of Old South American , New Aragon , rather than Old California , though it was filmed in Spain.

Derring-do , feats , adventures , humor and action find this agreeable swashbuckler . Alain Delon runs and jumps , bounds and leaps all over the images and overacting outrageously when plays the queer governor . Delon requested to make this film after enjoying his role in the swashbuckler The Black Tulip (1964) by Christian Jaque . A nice cast keeps the picture moving at a rapid clip, special mention for Giacomo Rossi Stuart as grumpy German lieutenant Von Merkel and Moustache as bungler sergeant Garcia . The exciting final sword duel was inspired by the 1952 swashbuckler Scaramouche by George Sidney . Most of the crew was from Italy and the filming took place in Spain , though studio work was done in Rome , Italy . The motion picture was well-mounted and fast paced by Duccio Tessari , a Spaghetti Western expert.

Other versions about this known personage , as television series starred by Guy Williams during the 60s and the 90s starred by Duncan Regher , as cinema the classic silent version (1920) by Douglas Fairbanks and 'The mark of Zorro' (1940) starred by Tyrone Power and directed by Robert Mamoulian . And , of course , modern rendition titled 'The mark and legend of Zorro' starred by Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones and directed by Martin Campbell .

Great European version, wonderful climactic duel

[grendelkhan · 7/10 · 29 April 2006]

I saw this version on television in the 70's. It was fantastic then and still holds up well now. Sure, it has a few slow moments, but Alain Delon and Stanley Baker appear to be having so much fun that you forgive the slow parts. I read somewhere that Delon did this movie as a present for his son, who was a huge Zorro fan. Well, it was a fine present for all of us.

The story is a bit different than the American versions, which works in its favor. The fights are well staged, with great comedic moments. Delon cuts a dashing figure as Zorro and carries the right tone. He brawls and slashes with soldiers in the finest of swashbuckling traditions.

Stanley Baker is properly evil and totally understands his role. His eyes illuminate plots and schemes.

The final duel is one of the best, on par with the Power version and the duel in Scaramouche. Swords clash all over stairs, furniture, balconies, beams, and rooftops, until the villain is slain.

This one is definitely a keeper.

He makes the sign of the Z

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 17 December 2015]

I was introduced to Zorro by the Guy Williams version which were regularly repeated when I was a kid. Those Disney Zorro's will always have a special place for me.

Alain Delon starred in a curious Italian version filmed in Spain and set in South America.

Delon is Don Diego. When his friend Miguel is killed in the eve of his departure to the New World, Diego takes his place as the new governor who has arrived from Spain in order to avenge his friend's death.

Diego plays the Governor as prissy and fey in order not to be seen as a threat. He finds the people are oppressed by the cruel and corrupt Colonel Huerta (Stanley Baker) who has plans to become the new Governor and was involved in the death of Miguel

Inspired by the tales of the masked black fox by street kids he dons the mask of Zorro and fights for justice which enrages the Colonel and his militia.

Alain Delon enjoys playing the dual roles as foppish Diego and the devilish and dashing Zorro. He is matched in one of his last film roles by Stanley Baker as the mean villain but an expert swordsman which leads to a terrific and thrilling final duel between the two.

Minor characters provide humour such as the mute sidekick and Seargent Garcia.

The film does come across like a curious and campy B film with a diverse cast. The French actor Delon as the Main hero, Welsh actor Baker as the villain and the rest of the cast seem to be mainly Italian.

However the action scenes are well choreographed and it does feel like a Zorro movie and it is very unpretentious.

Loved it!

[maserati-2 · 11 October 2002]

For us that grew up in the '70's... THIS was our Zorro film!

It was kinda campy, but then again... so was Batman reruns. Watching it again now, it's hard to compare with films made nowdays, but I still enjoyed it. This time around I got the subtle jokes (Zorro sticks his foot in front of Garcia and says, "Have a nice trip").

The common themes of Zorro are there - The freeing of the slave labor, the little boy that assists Zorro in slapping the soldiers around, the priest, the Diego character. Also all the familiar swordfighting cliches (i.e, the candle cut, the jump up on the table).

I recently found this at Wal-Mart for $4.99, so I bought it not expecting much. From the moment I heard the silly Zorro theme song, I knew that this was the Zorro movie from my youth!

Get this and enjoy it!

Worth every penny I paid for it

[nachtswerg · 7/10 · 14 August 2006]

Okay, so I paid $1 for it as a masked double feature DVD. The other film was Clayton Moore's The Lone Ranger, even though the cover featured the '81 Spilsbury schlock-fest. I was mislead by the use of the artwork from the later version of the masked rider of the plains' flick.

However, it was fun. I, like others, actually found the title song addictive in an annoying way.

The cast is good and the action satisfying. I don't mind the movement of Diego as returning son to indebted friend. However, since the villagers all know the mark of Zorro, does this film act as a sort of sequel to a previous version?

Now, if only they could get rid of the overdubbed dog!

Fun swashbuckling flick with charismatic Alain Delon and cutie Ottavia Piccolo

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 22 December 2017]

RELEASED IN 1975 and directed by Duccio Tessari, "Zorro" stars Alain Delon as a new Spanish governor in Mexican California in the 1820s. With the populace of Nueva Aragón under the oppressive rule of corrupt Colonel Huerta (Stanley Baker), the foppish governor becomes the masked adventurer, Zorro, to bring justice. Ottavia Piccolo plays the noble hottie; Enzo Cerusico Zorro's mute servant; and Moustache a bumbling fat bastage soldier.

The version I viewed cut out an entire half hour, so I might raise my rating if I eventually see the longer version. Nevertheless, there's enough good in the short version to make this colorful European rendition of Zorro worth catching if you like swashbuckling adventure flicks with joie de vivre ("joy of living"), like "The Musketeer" (2001), "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981) and, of course, "The Mask of Zorro" (1998).

I'm familiar with protagonist Delon from a couple of his prior films, "Texas Across the River" (1966) and "Red Sun" (1971), where he struck me as a striking, charismatic actor; unfortunately, he's not well known in the USA. Regardless, he's just perfect for the role of Zorro. Meanwhile, Piccolo is mind-blowing as the honorable senorita. The closing elongated sword fight is possibly the best bout of fencing put to celluloid, next to the one at the end of "Rob Roy" (1995).

THE MOVIE RUNS 2 hours (with a widely circulated 87 minute version) and was shot in Almería & Madrid, Spain. WRITERS: Giorgio Arlorio (story) and Giorgio Arlorio (screenplay).

GRADE: B

Zorro 1975

[caprice1221 · 6/10 · 12 July 2006]

Alain Delon as Zorro Stanley Baker as The Evil Colonial At the beginning of Zorro, Alain Delon has discovered that his friend is in danger, fights the bandits with ease with his sword. His friend lays dying begs him not to kill, but go in his place as governor of California, you must have my ideals of peace and goodness not to go there to killor revenge my death.

Once he is in California, he discovers that the people are suffering under the Evil Colonial and that other governors were secretly assasinated. There is love and romance he falls in love with his friend's niece. She could be placing herself in danger by speaking against the cruelty's of the Colonial who really controls this city. It is fun to see the children help Zorro when he is in need. The best line is "He took the Hook Line and Sinker." The singing will go on and go on Zorro is Back! Ignore it the best you can.The End Battle the Duel Scene is worth the wait it is very dramatic and realistic.

The eminently palatable Italian Zorro

[Cristi_Ciopron · 7/10 · 4 January 2008]

Within the frame of the eminently savory European swashbucklers, Delon's Zorro is more kindred to Sandokan or to the B. Spencer buccaneers flick The Black Pirate than to the French Fanfan, Cartouche, etc.. It doesn't so much come from the French swashbucklers made by Philippe, Marais, Belmondo, Gérard Barray,etc.,but it certainly plays as a worthy contemporary of the Sandokan movies.

"Zorro" is first of all a comedy and an adventure movie. The camp note is intended. They did not want a straight swashbuckler, but a comedy. Stupid, but likable in an unpretentious way. None of these funny and moderately thrilling films is very intelligent; Sandokan isn't, the rest of them aren't. It's goofy but yummy because it has a certain warmth and brio and flair; this is called craftsmanship. It is noticeable that if the Americans had I. Allen, the Europeans had, in the '60s and '70s, many such craftsmen.

Delon has all the glamor required by the role and does a highly likable physical part. The rest of the cast is as incompetent as it gets, but Delon was man enough to keep the adventure moving.

For me the cinema genres reached their best in these European films of the '60s and '70s—and in all the domains—swashbucklers, adventure, Sci—Fi, horror, erotica, thriller, crime, western, etc.. Even the slapdash was amusing and funny; "Zorro" is rather slapdash, yet it has this hugely enjoyable Italian gusto, the fine score, the sense of the comedy. In fact, the Delon "Zorro" is a comedy, a comical swashbuckler. It was very lucky that they have got Delon for the main part. Delon's Zorro is usually passed under silence when Delon's roles are discussed—as if it was something shameful. On the contrary, I find his performance here to be very

Such a cinema will not be very much enjoyed by those who don't like exaggerations—a certain type of exaggerations—the purposeful ones—the same class of man, I believe, who don't like, for the same reason—the exaggerations—albeit meaningful ones—the Turkish poetry and music. In "Zorro" everything is goofy and exaggerated—yet everything is yummy ,and few things are phony.

Delon was given, as Zorro, little room for his well—known narcissism, so he obeyed the spirit of the film and gave a joyful and comical performance, almost uncharacteristic of him, and immensely adding to the movie's sense of joy.

Great movie

[johan_kjellstrom · 10/10 · 14 November 2005]

Having grown up with the Disney/Guy Willimas Zorro and become a Zorro fan I have tried watching as many versions of the Zorro movies that have been made. I really enjoyed this one. I think Alain Delon makes a great Zorro and while it doesn't stay true to the original novel (and let's face it most of the Zorro movies that have been made as well as the Zorro TV shows, very few followed the book) it is full of action, great settings and an entertaining cast. I have to confess I am very partial to the European Zorro productions from the 60's and early 70's. They are rather campy but very entertaining. I'm surprised this Zorro movie has not been released in a good DVD version as Alain Delon is a well know actor.

Sit down and enjoy an evening with Alain Delon as Senor Zorro in a great swashbuckling movie.

Not Bad For $0.50!

[elephant_range · 7/10 · 26 December 2008]

Yes, the 'Hollywood DVD Classics' from Double-D print of _Zorro_ is overexposed and awful, but I didn't expect much to begin with. In fact, the DVD quality was so bad that I used it to test DVD drives and video software. However smoothly it ran gave an excellent indication of how well the buffering in a system I played it on was! Anyway, you can't go wrong if you think of this as just a rainy day DVD. The movie has nearly continuous and lavish action sequences, the acting is good, and it was worth every penny. The 'Zorro's Back' song by Oliver Onions is scarily contagious. There is also a good amount of humor more generally, but sometimes you will be laughing 'at it' as much as 'with it'.

Spaghetti Zorro

[deerwalkby · 3/10 · 1 November 2019]

Like a live action cartoon, with strange closeups, silly music, and too many overly wide grins. Also, it looks like they probably killed some horses driving them off a high cliff. This might be fun for children, but hard to take as an adult without lots of fast forwarding.

I loved it!

[shazza_dee86 · 10/10 · 6 March 2006]

When i first watched this flick - i was thinking it wasn't gonna be that good - it was a midday flick on an obscure channel (this was in 2005) - but i wound up enjoying every last second of it - i loved it - i was so surprised about how good it actually was.

OK - granted - some of the effects (sound or otherwise) aren't the greatest - but we are talking about a flick that was made over 30 years ago - not last month - so you do have to give it some credit - but even considering that it was made so long ago - it out does alotta movies that were made very recently - in my opinion anyways.

if you're a Zorro fan (or just a fan of sword fight movies) you have to see this one - highly entertaining and one of my current favourites - i so want to get this on DVD.

Spaghetti Zorro reminiscent of Trinity western spoofs

[adrianovasconcelos · 6/10 · 30 September 2023]

I have been a fan of Alain Delon as long as I can remember. So, back in the 1970s I watched him don Zorro's black attire and embark on the task of restoring dignity and law to a Mexican pueblo in the face of the nefarious Colonel Huerta and his band of merry cut-throats.

At the time, I let my teenage fascination with Delon, a man about whose trysts with some of the planet's greatest beauties I had read about and envied, override the dire poverty of the script, and all other aspects one analyzes in a good movie. This one rates well beneath good, its action scenes so stagy and repetitive that I came darned close to just switching off the computer.

Photography is very clear in efficient color - that, and Delon's magnetic presence, in spite of appearing to imitate Terence Hill as Trinity four years earlier, make the main graces in an otherwise rather hollow, slapstick movie in which an actor of Stanley Baker's stature, for instance, is very reductively used. 6/10.

Typical of its kind

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 11 December 2018]

ZORRO is a familiar Italian action-adventure movie, a swashbuckling version of the popular character that owes plenty to the success of THE THREE MUSKETEERS at the beginning of the 1970s. Alain Delon gives a routine performance as the titular character, a quiet, classy regional governor by day, a masked hero by night. The film is ably directed under the sure hand of Duccio Tessari but suffers from a bloated running time and a play-it-safe feel that goes through the motions without ever really burning up the screen. The most interesting part of it lies in the casting of Stanley Baker as the chief villain of the hour; this was his last role for cinema and he's as imposing as you'd expect. Elsewhere, expect broad laughs, exaggerated characters, and energetic if slapdash fight scenes.

Can't Stop the Music...

[Shield-3 · 20 December 2000]

It's not the slickest Zorro movie ever, or the most faithful version of the Zorro legend, but Alain Delon's "Zorro" is a lot of fun. In a way, its lack of polish works in the movie's favor and gives it a certain amateurish energy and charm, like an energetic high school play.

Alain Delon makes an appropriately aristocratic Diego, and he (or his stuntman) provide an athletic, agile Zorro. The villain, Colonel Huerta, is grandiose in the comic book tradition, and Moustache as Sergeant Garcia is nice and bumptuous. The heroine, Hortensia (wow, what a name) is adequate, and the mute servant is good for a few laughs.

The only complaint I have with this movie is that Zorro theme music. If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about - it's this weird upbeat pop song that they play almost every time Zorro is onscreen: "Here's to you and me / Flying high and free / La la la la la la / Now that Zorro's back!" Now I can't get that song out of my head!

Really good fun.

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 7/10 · 20 April 2024]

I'm not quite sure why there weren't more Zorro movies starring Alain Delon, because he's absolutely perfect in the title role. I've also watched this before seeing any other version of the character on screen, including the Antonio Banderas ones. As a result, if I ever see either of those, I'm going to be comparing him to Delon (sorry, Banderas).

To get the bad out of the way first, Zorro has a terrible theme song and they play it a lot. It sounds a bit like The Kinks actively tried to make something annoying. Additionally, I think the film is slightly too long and it ends a little abruptly.

But other than that, Zorro is tons of fun. It has a unique tone, being kind of silly without being overly comedic, and it's equal parts swashbuckler and spaghetti western. They're two contrasting genres I don't think I've seen co-exist within one film before, and the approach works shockingly well. If you like this type of western, or if you like movies with lots of swordplay, or, better yet, if you like both, then you'll probably dig Zorro.

It's also got an amazing one-on-one sword fight at the very end that just goes on and on in the best way possible. And though the story is simple, it does a good job at making the titular character likable and cool, and it's fun to see him tackling injustices while hardly breaking a sweat. There are some flaws to be found here, but for the most part, it's really good.

Not a bad zorro movie

[retrozoid · 6/10 · 24 May 2022]

A little slow and stiffly acted. It's pretty faithful to the source material, but that means it's yet another origin story. It stumbles along gamely enough, and it's worth the time just for the final sword fight, which is energetic and brutal.

GREAT FILM!!

[f.gimenez · 10/10 · 23 June 2001]

A film´s quality cannot be reduced in its main title track...

I even may agree that the song "Zorro is back" is not the best composition made by the Italian brothers Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, but the rest of the film score is very good.

Alain Delon performance is just great along with the other actors. The plot, the script, the photography, the direction and everything is just fine.

For what I´ve read in different places, it seems as European films go really bad when they´re dubbed in English... gee that´s bad luck!. But that has nothing to do with the film... I can´t complain about the Spanish version of "El Zorro". It´s fine.

This is a very amusing, non-stop action film, so take my advice and don´t miss it... you´ll have a wonderful time... because...

ZORRO IS BACK!!

(10 out of 10)

Amuzing Z

[Apollo15AnnoPianoCatDogSnailAnt · 5/10 · 23 April 2020]

Zees movie is....zuper. Ok. I think just the monologuing gets overly with the characters saying stuff ''for the people'' while ...a crowd of people surround, also that song is kinda cheesy, however great scope, great Delon, an ezact Zorofski, zayonara, zeehee. Zzzz

I like that his dual identity in here is unlike other movies for a change where he is a regular guy(poet? count?) in here he's Governor. Although I also like the other Z. As the dual identity he is just whimsically funny. My favorite Zorro is the crossovers with 3 Musketeers/Maciste from '63 but this '75 is great. Z me.

The greatest thing of all is he at the end is going off into the sunset himself free.

As much fun as a Jackie Chan flick

[Chuck-188 · 8/10 · 8 December 2005]

Tongue in cheek romp, clever action shots, slap stick comic relief, silly theme song, great scenery and lavish costumes, what more can one ask from a $1 DVD?

I found this DVD in the dollar bin at Big Lots along with several others. The rest were not saving, but Zoro is a keeper.

The interplay between Zoro (Alain Delon) and Col. Huerta (Stanley Baker) is excellent. They spar verbally in the first half of the film, which climaxes in a long sword fight between the two. Incidentally, Stanley Baker died the year after completing Zorro, at age 49.

Ottavia Piccolo plays the female role to perfection.

Abominable

[zorro2a · 1/10 · 26 January 2006]

This is an insult to the Zorro legend, it is just awful, the filming is overexposed, the acting by some of the cast is way over the top, Alain Delon for most of the time walks about with a few days growth of beard, and poor Stanley Baker, not a good film to nearly end his career on, and l don't think the director Duccio Tessari knew what he was doing, and that awful awful music every time Zorro appears, if you ever have to see this film you will know what l mean, to many deep closeups, and added sound effects of swords clashing together spoilt this films, well for me it did I don't like giving a film a low mark, but as Zorro is my favourite film character this is a disgrace so 1 out of 10

Here's To You and Me... Z-Z-Zorro's Back

[C_K_DexterHaven · 8/10 · 6 January 2006]

Yes - I actually like the strange song featured throughout this film.

As others have commented - growing up in the seventies, this was THE Zorro film, probably my favorite Zorro film... slightly campy, but thoroughly entertaining - reminiscent of the Three & Four Musketeer movies, also from the early seventies.

Alain DeLeon is as good as can be - the film covers all the classic Zorro elements and delivers far better than average fight scenes - especially the finale. Simply fun to watch.

One warning: I purchased a cheap VHS copy and was very disappointed to find it re-edited from the original (which I remember very clearly) - a few scenes are completely botched. Where's the DVD release... with extras?

Zorro's back and Alain's got him!

[Poseidon-3 · 13 December 2002]

Falling in between Guy Williams' and Antonio Banderas' renditions of the legendary masked figure is this oddball, campy, yet somehow still watchable Spanish-made entry. Delon wears the cape and the mask this time around and does an admirable job for the most part. He disguises his way into the role of governor to a South American province which is riddled with corruption, much of it at the hands of slimy colonel Baker. While Delon (who, in his prime, was one of the most gorgeous men ever created) does well as Zorro and looks dashing in his costume--his blue eyes jutting from behind the mask, he wildly overplays the foppish role of the governor. It's meant to be funny, but it falls short of humorous and winds up rather annoying. In fact, a lot of the humor doesn't seem to translate from what the Spanish consider funny to what American audiences will enjoy. For example, the film offers up a goofy, dim-witted mute, a rotund, hairy guard whose pants rip open and a little "Buckwheat"-style kid for comic relief. None of these is remotely amusing. The strength of the film lies in the animosity and rivalry of Delon and Baker (put to good use as the villain.) The movie is helped immeasurably by some gorgeous locations and a lot of authentic and regal settings. The costumes tend to be pretty decent as well. Also, there are several elaborate stunt sequences. These aspects cover up some of the lack of budget in the picture. Piccolo, as the heroine resembles Linda Blair, excepting that Piccolo can actually act. She makes a lovely damsel in distress. The story is really a duel between the two men. First it's a battle of wits and then an extended, well-executed and staged battle of swords. This creative, elongated battle is the highlight of the film. Unfortunately, the very, very end of the film is choppy, disjointed and unsatisfying. The theme song (heard over and over) is sung by Oliver Onions (!) and should be used in CIA interrogations. It's hellacious lyrics, vocals and music attack the brain and cling on for hours and hours after the film has been viewed.

Extraordinary

[devisme_christine · 10/10 · 10 August 2006]

Scenario well done, Magnificent realization. Alain DELON is masterful role in the role of Zorro.

Humor, and fight in the magnificent sword. The last Duel is long but of an excellent beauty and a precision. Decorations very beautiful with a perfect stage setting. Role main things are interpreted with a lot class and of professionalism. Difficult to resist to a film of this scale for time and even even today. Not need of special effects as today with the Zorro of Antonio Banderas to appreciate the high quality of this film.

A film to be seen emergency.