6/10
Passable Spanish/Italian Zorro regularly shot in Paella/Spaghetti style by Ricardo Blasco
21 February 2015
This average though acceptable Zorro with Spaghetti/Chorizo style is a mediocre adaptation inspired from Johnston McCulley character starred by Guy Stockwell as the dashing masked avenger named Don Diego. In 1830, the years of Mexico's independence, a governor (Antonio Prieto) supported by his underlings (Agustin Gonzalez , Alfonso Rojas , Franco Fantasia) decide to impose their brutal rule over the population of recently freed citizens . Many men of honor will rise up to fight this impostor , but one man will stand out among them , the man called Zorro (Guy Stockwell) . There appears Virginia (Gloria Milland) whom her father Marques de Santa Ana (Giuseppe Addobbati as John McDouglas) obligates to marry the despotic as well as eldest governor , but Zorro saves her and both of whom fall in love . When Zorro's friends become targets in this struggle , the full revenge of Zorrow will be unveiled. At the end appears a new governor (Santiago Rivero) replacing the tyrannical one .

This Paella/Spaghetti Zorro is filled with action , thrills , intrigue , spectacular horse pursuits by Zorro and sword-play . This Zorro is decently starred by Guy Stockwell , he took a chance and jumped from modern action and Western genre to costumed Italian/Spanish adventure ; he steals the show as foppish Zorro relishing his secret identity dressed in black ; executing bounds and leaps , twists and climbs and throughly enjoys himself . Guy became a Universal contract player in 1965 and went straight into several standard tales of adventure and intrigue, including Warlord (1965), Tobruk (1967) and Blindfold (1965). He co-starred as the villain, in The King's Pirate (1967) and he also earned the role of Buffalo Bill Cody in a remake of Cooper's The plainsman (1966) . Initially promoted as a dashing Errol Flynn type in swordplay adventures and outdoor epics, the studio had him star in the remake of Gary Cooper's French Foreign Legion classic Beau Geste (1966) . In the movie appears usual support actors as Spanish : Alfonso Rojas , Luis Marin , Antonio Jimenez Escribano , Juan Luis Galiardo , Jose Truchado , Agustin Gonzalez as Italian players as Franco Fantasia , and Giuseppe Addobbati or John McDouglas . Badly photographed by Julio Ortas , an alright remastering being necessary and filmed on location in Colmenar De Oreja , Madrid . The motion picture was middlingly directed in his ordinary style by Ricardo Blasco . This Spanish filmmaker was an assistant director and director, known for Gringo (1963), Suspiros De Triana (1955) and Armas Contra Ley (1961) and TV series as Diego Acevedo .

The motion picture was produced by Sergio Newman who produced all kind of genres as Western : "Sheriff Won't Shoot¨ , ¨Oro Maldito¨ , Drama : ¨"Romeo e Giulietta" , Wartime : "Hell Commandos" , ¨When Heroes Die" and Adventure : ¨Il magnifico Aventuriero" , "Mission in Morocco¨ and two ¨Zorro¨ movies : this one and its sequel titled ¨Oath of the Zorro¨ also by Ricardo Blasco with Tony Russel , Maria Jose Alfonso , Sancho Gracia and again Agustin Gonzalez . The first Spanish/Italian Zorros were ¨Vengeance of Zorro¨ and ¨L'Ombra di Zorro¨ (1962) by Joaquin Marchent with Frank Latimore , Paul Piaget and Robert Hundar . Zorros's producer , Eduardo Manzanos , built a Western town in Hoyo De Manzanares (Madrid) , today disappeared , called ¨Golden City¨ where filmed several Western and various Zorros . Other Zorro filmed by that time are ¨Zorro all Corte di Spaña¨ (1963) by Luigi Capuano , ¨Zorro versus Maciste¨ by Umberto Lenzi with Pierre Brice Alan Steel , Moira Orfei ; ¨El Jiuramento Di Zorro¨ by Ricardo Blasco with Guy Stockwell and Mikaela ; ¨Zorro Il Ribelle¨ by Piero Pirotti with Howard Ross ; ¨Il Figlio Di Zorro¨ (1973) by Gianfranco Baldanello and two directed by Jose Luis Merino with Charles Quiney and Maria Pia Conte as ¨Zorro the rider of vendetta¨ and ¨Zorro of Monterrey ¨ .

The best Zorro are the followings : The mute classic adaptation ¨Mark of Zorro¨ 1920, Fred Niblo, with Douglas Fairbanks, the classic ¨Mark of Zorro¨, 1940, Robert Mamoulian with Tyrone Power, Basil Rathbone and Linda Darnell), and followed by ¨The legend of Zorro¨ 2005, Martin Campbell again with Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones, Tony Amendola,Pedro Armendariz and Rufus Sewell . European version in similar style as ¨Le Tulipe Noie¨ (1964) with Alain Delon and Virna Lisi and ¨Zorro¨(1975, Duccio Tessari with Alain Delon, Octavia Piccolo and Stanley Baker .
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