Zorro (1975) - film review

When Miguel de la Serna is murdered, his friend Don Diego takes his place as the new governor of the South American state of Nueva Aragon.  Having sworn to uphold Miguel’s ideals of morality and justice, Diego immediately runs up against the sadistic Colonel Huerta.  Adopting the guise of a local hero, Zorro, Miguel sets out on a one-man crusade to end Huerta’s tyrannous regime...

One of the best, and certainly the most popular, of the Zorro films - adapted from the popular serialised stories of Johnston McCulley – is this sumptuous Franco-Italian production starring French film icon Alain Delon.  With its mix of swashbuckling adventure, romantic intrigue and tongue-in-cheek comedy, it is a film with a wide appeal - beautifully shot, witty, well-paced and bursting at the seams with impressive action sequences.    It’s a pity that Stanley Baker comes across more as an inept pantomime villain than a worthy opponent for Zorro, but as the masked hero with a penchant for swords and tight-fitting black apparel (there might just be a Freudian subtext there), Alain Delon strikes exactly the right balance between tough machismo and likeable folk hero.  The film is a fast and funny romp, which, mercifully, doesn’t take itself too seriously.   Amazing what they could achive in the good old days, without CGI special effects...

© James Travers 2007

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