The Mark of Zorro (1940 film)
The Mark of Zorro is a 1940 feature motion picture directed by Rouben Mamoulian and produced by 20th Century Fox. It starred Tyrone Power as Don Diego de la Vega (Zorro), Linda Darnell as his love interest, Lolita Quintero, Gale Sondergaard as the haughty Inez Quintero, Eugene Palette as Fra. Felipe, and Basil Rathbone as the villainous Captain Pasquale. J. Edward Bromberg was the corrupt governor. The movie was directed by Rouben Mammoulian and produced by Raymond Griffith and Darryl F. Zanuck.
Based on the Johnston McCulley story The Curse of Capistrano, originally published in 1919, which introduced the masked hero Zorro, the movie's story is set in Southern California during the early 19th century. It deals with the foppish son of a wealthy ranchero who returns to California after a sojourn at school in Spain, only to be horrified at the way the common people are being mistreated by Governor Quintero. Don Diego adopts the guise of Zorro ("the Fox"), a Robin Hood-like outlaw who becomes a defender of the people. In the meanwhile, he romances the governor's beautiful niece, Lolita, and fends off the governor's ablest henchman, the malevolent Captain Pasquale.
This film is essentially a remake of the 1920 United Artists silent version, The Mark of Zorro, which starred Douglas Fairbanks.