The Mark of Zorro (1920) - Fred Niblo

Well this film answers two questions. The first is what did Fred Niblo ever do besides Ben-Hur? The second is when did Douglas Fairbanks become an action hero? Fairbanks, who was already an independent producer with his own studio was best known for making comedies. Not the being chased by cops/pie in the face kind, but more of a situational kind. The wildly energetic Fairbanks wanted to try revamping his image, and it paid off to an enormous extent. So much so that for the remainder of his career, and his legacy thereafter he was a swashbuckling action star, and arguably the first great action hero in film. The Mark of Zorro was the first adaptation of the series of articles from Johnston McCulley called The Curse of Capistrano. Somehow The Mark of Zorro has a better ring to it, makes it sound less like a horror film.

Fairbanks realizing that having his own production company and top billing he downplayed his auteurish tendencies. In the cast of characters Fairbanks is the last name in the credits. Fairbanks also wrote the screenplay under his oft used alias Elton Thomas. Fairbanks would pen nearly all of his classic adventure films including Robin Hood and Thief of Baghdad. As if that weren't enough Fairbanks gives himself something of a dual role playing the rather namby pamby Don Diego as well as the ultra confident and self assured Zorro. Always doing his own stunts Fairbanks would participate in numerous sword fights throughout the film, but as was typical of the era (then and now) films were set up to be topped at a later date, so the death defying antics of Thief of Baghdad weren't present here. It seems fitting that Fairbanks would make The Three Musketeers and Robin Hood his next two projects considering they too deal with vigilante justice in the best sense of the word. These three films can serve as a bit of a trilogy for vigilante period pictures, but this is the one that can lay claim to starting the trend. Although not much good has ever come from the Zorro franchise Fairbanks makes a strong case for himself as the first true action hero here.