Zorro *** (1975, Alain Delon, Stanley Baker, Ottavia Piccolo) – Classic Movie Review 7970

The 1975 swashbuckling adventure Zorro stars Alain Delon, who cuts a dash as Don Diego and the masked avenger El Zorro in director Duccio Tessari’s bubbly, efficiently handled tale of derring-do, set in South America, though made in Spain as a kind of spaghetti Western.

Zorro is an Italian-French co-production, realised with zesty performances in a handsome production, with expensive-looking visuals. It is attractively shot in Spain at the spaghetti Western location of Almería, Andalucía, as well as at Aranjuez, Madrid, and at Museo Cerralbo, Madrid (for the Governor’s residence). Everything is bright and lively, and it is a good version of the famous, often told tale.

Also in the cast are Stanley Baker as the corrupt Colonel Huerta, Ottavia Piccolo as Contessina Ortensia Pulido, Moustache as Sergeant Garcia, Enzo Cerusico as Don Diego’s servant Joaquín, Giacomo Rossi Stuart as Fritz von Merkel, Giampiero Albertini as Brother Francisco, Marino Masé as Miguel de la Serna, Raika Juri as Senoria de la Serna and Adriana Asti as Aunt Carmen.

The story and screenplay are by Giorgio Arlorio.

Zorro originally ran 124 minutes, though a DVD version runs only 87 minutes. It was released by 101 Films in 2017 in the UK on DVD.

Zorro is directed by Duccio Tessari, runs 124 minutes, is made by Mondial Televisione Film (Rome) and Les Productions Artistes Associés (Paris), and is distributed by Titanus in 1975 in Italy, is shot in Eastmancolor by Giulio Albonico, is written by Giorgio Arlorio (story and screenplay), is produced by Luciano Martino and scored by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7970

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