Simply A Masterpiece

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I FOUND IT! I remember seeing this movie as a kid and I thank God for IMDb for helping me find it again. And it's still just as fun and exiting to watch as it was all those years ago. I remember wanting more when the end came and Zorro rode off into the distance after killing the bad guy.I must say that the previous comments were not helpful in the least so it's not surprising that I highly disagree.First of all it's important to note that this film doesn't take itself seriously. This is just a fun action/comedy/adventure film. It's escapism at it's best.Alain Delon is marvelous in the duel roles as the highly effeminate governor, Miguel de la Serna, which he takes on to avenge the death of his friend and that of Zorro. And boy does he do a great job of putting as much distance between two persona's so as not to cause suspicion! Who would ever think that the dashing Zorro and the clumsy timid governor are one in the same? This Zorro is smart and earns the title effectively "The spirit of the black masked fox". His role as a weak governor wins him the confidence of the evil Colonel Huerta (who doesn't feel that this governor is worth assassinating) and thus he is able to take his revenge by not only thwarting the Colonel's every move by being privy to Huerta's plans but also inspiring the people of Nuova Aragon to finally stand up and fight against the oppression that is imposed upon them by his cunning defiance of those in power - both of which leads to a final duel between Huerta and Zorro.This role was made for Alain Delon. Handsome, dashing, graceful, funny, and fierce. Stanley Baker's arrogance and perpetual smirk of superiority makes him deliciously mean and nasty. He's the perfect villain.There are other minor characters of interest such as Zorro's side-kick, the mute, Joaquin, played by Enzo Cerusico, who adds the right balance without being annoying with his animations and Moustache is adorable as the bumbling Sgt. Garcia, with a healthy appetite.I would like to express that the final dual between Zorro and Huerta, which is approximately 10 minutes long is the best choreographed sword fight that I've ever seen and it's still thrilling to watch. It's very simplistic without all the fancy footwork and fake overly-done stunts you see in today's action films. This final dual shows two men (very human men) who are equally matched, battle it out with every ounce of breath within them. You feel their tiredness as the fight continues on, you see them sweat, you see them stumble from being tired but they are each determined to beat the other. This is how fight scenes should be.Also for those of you in the States, if you are interested in seeing this movie, I highly recommend you get a copy of the 120 minute version because the 90 minute version which is available in the states doesn't do this film justice. It's so heavily edited that it doesn't make sense. The 120 minute versions are available in Europe, unfortunately they are rare copies but it's not worth watching any other way.Let's not forget the title of the song "Zorro is Back". Some people hate it, some people love it...for me, it was Great fun hearing it again.

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'.

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!

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.