Everyone should know the classic tale of the masked man dress all in black by the name of Zorro (Spanish for fox) who fight for the people against injustices. The character was originally created by a pulp writer back in 1919 and has been played by several actors through the years in many films.
In the TV series, the story centers around the corrupted Spanish colonial era of California. Don Diego de la Vega (Guy Williams) returns home from University in Madrid only to find his town is being run by the evil Captain Monasterio (Britt Lomond). As the saying goes – “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” and Diego decides the best way to take action is to create an alter ego by the name of Zorro. By day he is Don Diego de la Vega, an academic that would much rather have his hands on a book then a sword, by night he is the masked Zorro.
The series followed several story arches, each lasting about thirteen episodes. In season one the stories follow Diego/Zorro’s quest to rid the town of the evil Captain Monasterio and Diego/Zorro’s search to uncover Magistrado Galindo’s (Vinton Hayworth) plans to name just a few. All a lot of fun with some great action sequences and fun comical bits sprinkled in as well.
Walt Disney didn’t go in half-ass when they created the Zorro TV show back in the late fifties. Even though it only lasted two seasons, it created an amount of episodes that add up to roughly three or four by today’s standards. They have done a wonderful job of cleaning these episodes up and bringing back the rich glorious look in these black and white episodes. If you are a fan of Zorro then do yourself a favor and pick up these two seasons while they are still available.
Extras
All the bonus material appears on the 6th disc in both editions. In Season One we have two bonus episodes Zorro: El Bandido and Zorro: Adios El Cuchillo both hosted by Walt Disney himself and originally aired on the Walt Disney Presents anthology TV show back in 1960. There is an excerpt from the Mickey Mouse Club where Walt Disney made an appearance and surrounded by all the Mouseketeers and introduces them to the new series and even Zorro (Guy Williams) himself makes a surprised appearance. Finally there is a short documentary that gives us an over-view of the creation of Zorro from the original pulp character, the portrayals on screen by Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Power and finally the Disney TV show. It’s interesting to note the documentary does not mention the later portrayals of Zorro like the two films staring Antonio Banderas.
Season two’s bonus features also include two bonus episodes Zorro: The Postponed Wedding and Zorro: Auld Acquaintance again hosted by Walt Disney and originally aired on the Walt Disney Presents anthology TV show in 1961. The Postponed Wedding even includes an appearance by Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. The other features include Behind The Mask, an almost eight minute documentary on Guy Williams the actor who portrayed the masked man in the Disney series. Last but not least is A Trip in the Archives hosted by Leonard Maltin and Williams’ son, Guy Williams Jr. The two reminiscence with the help of some of the original wardrobes from the series and some of the merchandise that was created based on the show.
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