They have commentary by a film critic, and a biography on Tyrone Power that was on A&E. Big deal.
If you're a real fan of this film (the duel between Power and Basil Rathbone is worth having if nothing else), certainly buy this.
Just don't expect anything special.Love the movie, dissapointed with the lack of restoration I just bought the DVD thinking it would have been digitally restored or duped from a good print or negative. Sadly, no. There are too many scratches for a state of the art digital DVD. Shame on the producers for not taking the effort to find a better print to work from, or to use computer technology to clean it up. I may miss my guess, but I believe that I have a VHS version that is cleaner than the DVD. That said, this is a classic to have. It moves at a fast pace with no wasted dialogue. Power gives a fine performance as do all the characters, such as Bromberg and Rathbone, with a twinkle of humor. The Darryl Zanuck joke on the extras is fun to see. Shickel commentary is kind of humdrum, and when he introduces Darnell, at her loveliest, as the "daughter" I felt hmm Richard you lost me already (she is the niece). I still await a better technical quality version on DVD. For now this will do.Zorro theme was actually done by Hugo Friedhofer,not Alfred Newman.
And along the way, what else has El Zorro accomplished besides being enormously popular? Well, for one thing he became known as the FIRST "super-hero" with a SECRET IDENTITY. Whatever you call yourself now : Matt Murdock, Peter Parker, Clark Kent,Diana Prince...WHATEVER...you owe your secret identity and crime fighter personas to Don Diego and Zorro, so many years ago. The late Bob Kane always freely admitted that Batman (and Bruce Wayne) derived DIRECTLY from "The Mark of Zorro" with Tyrone Power.
So does someone else, though his own "secret identity"(John Reid) got dropped...or rather, buried...early on. The Lone Ranger. The mysterious masked man was lifted from Zorro. Even more interestingly, when George Trendle was casting his Lone Ranger t.v. show in 1949 he got most interested in..and eventually hired for the part...Clayton Moore, whom he was impressed with when seen in the title role of a Republic serial.The name of the serial? "The Ghost of Zorro".
So, friends, this Z-Man is an ENORMOUS cultural icon. If you have seen him in the person of Antonio Banderas you have seen a good, VERY acceptable version of him. But friend, neither Banderas...nor Guy Williams...nor Douglas Fairbanks...can TOUCH Tyrone Power in this, the greatest of all Zorro screen incarnations. This is "IT". The picture quality isn't perfect, and the "extras" on the DVD are pretty lame, but THIS Zorro movie is THE Zorro movie. Here you get Basil Rathbone Vs. Power with blades. Power was a good fencer, but Rathbone was Hollywood's greatest.When you wanted a super swordfight in classic Hollywood you got Rathbone. He dueled Flynn in Captain Blood and Robin Hood, and Power in Zorro. Lost EVERY TIME but made it look good.Made it look GREAT! You also see things here that mark changes in the appearance of the character. The mask is used either as an eye mask or a bandanna. Also the cape/cloak is NOT used with the black outfit, ever (impedes sword fighting maneuverability). The cloak is worn only OVER "civilian" clothes when a quick-change is necessary.The cape/cloak worn WITH the black clothing appears for the first time in the Walt Disney t.v. series and is used solely for visual effect. This wardrobe combination, however, has seemingly become standard now and is used again in the newer Banderas "Mask" product as well.
You have no mute (and pretending to be deaf) servant "Bernardo" here...another Disney late addition..and no secret cavern hideaway. This is bare-bones Zorro, free from elaborate trappings. But this movie moves with verve and panache and humour and cinematic savvy, and doesn't need the elaborate trappings layered on later by others.
So saddle up your own stallion, test your foil with a whipping swish through the air, and ride out into the night (...when the full moon is bright) with the horseman known as Zorro. Cut some Zees. You'll be glad you did.
The only thing that I can say that is detrimental about the DVD is the commentary by Richard Schickel. He is a very respected film historian, but his commentary is slow and boring. What's worse is that he will explain a part of the plot as we are seeing it. For example, during one scene, he will talk about how Power's character of Don Diego suddenly realizes that when they are talking about the Alcalde being a tyrant, they are talking about his father's corrupt replacement, not his father. Well, duh, Richard, hello, I can see that without any additional coaching. Play the movie without the commentary and you will thrill to one of the best swashbucklers ever. Listen to the commentary and you will probably be asleep long before the movie is over, as I was.