Zorro
es:El Zorro de:Zorro
Zorro, Spanish for fox, is the name used by a fictional character, a Mexican-era California masked hero and master swordsman of the Old West, whose real name is Don Diego de la Vega. He fights for the people against the corrupt tyranny of the Spanish governor, proving himself to be much too foxlike and cunning for the bumbling authorities to catch.
Zorro first made his appearance in a novel, The Curse of Capistrano, by pulp writer Johnston McCulley, serialized in the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly in 1919. After the success of the silent film The Mark of Zorro (1920) starring Douglas Fairbanks, the novel was re-released by the publisher Grosset and Dunlap under the new title The Mark of Zorro. (Fairbanks also starred in a 1925 sequel titled Don Q, Son of Zorro, playing Don Diego's grown-up son, Don Cesar, as well as reprising his role as Don Diego.)
McCulley had no idea how successful Zorro would become, so at the denouement, Zorro's true identity is revealed to all. Zorro soon became a regular character in numerous pulp fiction magazines. He has been also adapted for numerous movies. Aside from the initial The Mark of Zorro, they include:
- The Mark of Zorro (1940), starring Tyrone Power
- The Mask of Zorro (1998), an anti-Zorro playing against the tradition, starring Anthony Hopkins as Don Diego De La Vega and Antonio Banderas as Alejandro Murrieta, a misfit outlaw who is groomed to become the next Zorro.
- Legend of Zorro (2005), also staring Banderas
There has also been a parody for the premise called Zorro: The Gay Blade (1981), which starred George Hamilton
There were also numerous television programs with the best-known being that shown in the 1950s staring Guy Williams as part of the Walt Disney's live-action anthology series.
This character is one of the earliest precursors of the superhero of American comic books, being an independently wealthy person who has a secret identity which he defends by wearing a mask, and which he accomplishes good for the people with his superior fighting abilities. He even has an animal symbol, though English-speaking peoples would not recognize it, in his name being Spanish for "fox," though it is never depicted as an emblem. In fact, Zorro has also been adapted for comic books and comic strips. The most notable character whose creation was highly influenced by Zorro is Batman, created by Bob Kane in the 1930s.
External links
- A chronology of the character's activities (http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Zorro.htm)
Categories: Fictional characters | Series of books