#TBT: The Mark of Zorro

On this date in 1920, Douglas Fairbanks’ The Mark of Zorro hit the theaters.

Zorro, masked champion of the people, who appears out of nowhere with flashing sword and an athletic sense of humor, scars the faces of evildoers with his trademark “Z”. Meanwhile, beautiful Lolita is courted by villainous Captain Ramon, rich but effete Don Diego… and dashing Zorro, who is never seen at the same time as Don Diego. As Zorro continues to evade pursuit, Ramon puts the damsel in distress.

Zorro solidified the “swashbuckler” rep that Fairbanks would be known for the rest of his career blazing an open trail for others to follow in his footsteps like Antonio Banderas and Sir Anthony Hopkins in a 1998 reboot for the silver screen. This was also the first time we were introduced to Catherine Zeta-Jones, who would go on to win an Academy Award for Velma Kelly in the screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Chicago.

A full length version of the 1920’s film is available online and here it is courtesy of YouTube.com and Cinema Libre