By Barbara Burkowsky
 
 

Could you imagine the movies without a larger-than-life hero who has extraordinary physical prowess, is fearless in the face of adversity and danger, has undying loyalty to a just cause and an unwavering love for his lady?   Where would the entertainment industry be without such heroes for us to cheer on and marvel at, and role models to admire and emulate? And where would we, the viewing public, be without an exciting adventurer to fight our battles, act out our fantasies and tickle our imagination in a carefree escape from reality?

From traditional heroes of the past such as Robin Hood and Zorro, to modern day comic book super heroes such as Batman and Superman, we today have just one man to thank for the abundance of ever-popular action and adventure heroes around us:  Douglas Fairbanks.

Douglas Fairbanks was far more than merely the first action star of the cinema - the adventure films he produced and created set the stage for all other action heroes to come.  He was also a story and scenario writer, and the first to adapt popular heroic characters of the past to the screen, playing each role with ease, grace and elegance.  He was the first true action hero who could execute physical feats unmatched by any peers or successors, performing his own stunts and action sequences.   He was also a producer who created the finest, grandest film sets, and employed the most talented and skilled staff for every film of the 1920s, and although never credited, he also co-directed and supervised every aspect of their production.

These blockbusters were among the most popular and highest grossing films of that decade, and they set the standards for all other film producers to follow.  Yes, Douglas Fairbanks made the mould for adventurous screen heroes for the rest of his century and beyond, even reaching far a field to inspire the creators of comic book heroes such as Batman and Superman!

But how could just one man change the face of the burgeoning Hollywood film industry and influence writers and film makers many decades after his death?   How did he become such a trailblazing pioneer in the film industry, and what does it take to maintain such high and successful standards for nearly two decades?  The following essay, which delves into a closer examination of each tremendously popular Fairbanks production of the 1920s will reveal some of the answers.
 
 

Douglas Fairbanks already had impressive credentials when he embarked on his new career course as a heroic adventurer in historic period films.   He grew up with Shakespearian literature and drama, and had over a decade of experience on Broadway when he entered the fast-developing film industry in 1915, bringing his talents and vibrant personality to the screen.

These early films were mostly light comedies with popular themes of the day in which he portrayed the quintessential young American in contemporary dress, and all of them showcased his wide-ranging acting and athletic abilities as well as his own story and screenwriting skills.

Early in his film career, and unaware of its far-reaching, long-term effects, Douglas introduced his own ideas of expressing the exuberant, carefree mentality of his young characters by effortlessly bounding up walls, jumping across rooftops and many other physical feats most sane people would never even consider doing.  Yet with genuine ease and agility, Fairbanks astonished and enthralled his audiences with more stunts, jumps and gymnastics in every picture, thereby firmly laying the foundation for his future action-packed adventure dramas of the 1920s.

His interests and talents reached far beyond films, however.  His first short story had been published back in 1912, and his prolific writing ranged from several inspirational self-help books to various articles for popular periodicals of the day.  Many of these works bear testimony to Fairbanks’ formula for success and happiness, namely self-awareness, independent thinking and a genuine zeal to continually learn and build on his knowledge and skills.  This, in turn, builds confidence, self-reliance and drive to forge ahead:  all the necessary qualities of a self-motivated pioneer in the film industry.

By the time he had become a founding partner in the United Artists production company in 1919, he was all set to combine his talents, ambitions and acquired skills to create some of the most captivating, thrilling and visually stunning motion pictures the world had ever seen at that time.

At 36 years of age, Fairbanks was perfectly equipped to create his own new screen persona in which he could more fully express his talents for story writing, for film production and not in the least, for portraying more serious and complex characters in dramatic and exciting historical settings.

In these immensely popular and successful films of the 1920s, Douglas Fairbanks achieved the perfect balance of adventure, romance, excitement, thrills and comedy:  the winning formula that has kept his original action-adventure hero persona alive and well right into the present day.  In order to maintain success and popularity in the Twenties, however, careful planning and meticulous execution of each production was necessary, as we shall see in the following breakdown of each film.
 
 

Zorro is indisputably one of the screen’s most popular heroes with literally dozens of films made over the decades, most notably with stars like Tyrone Power, George Hamilton in a comical rendition (Zorro - The Gay Blade), and more recently Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro).  Many of us still recall enjoying the 1950s Disney television series starring the dashing Guy Williams as Don Diego and Zorro, but it all started with Douglas Fairbanks back in 1920.

Taking a short story from a weekly readers’ magazine entitled The Curse of Capistrano written by Johnston McCulley, Douglas Fairbanks adapted it for a screenplay and took on the dual roles of Don Diego Vega and Zorro, firmly establishing not only the famous Zorro character but also charting his own new course into Hollywood history.

Set in Spanish California of the 1820s, The Mark of Zorro was a costumed period adventure unlike the many modern dress, light comedies Fairbanks had acted in and produced, and which had catapulted him to stardom several years earlier.  Tiring of these similar and superficial comedy roles, he was eager to venture into unexplored territory with this new genre, but knowing the risks of changing styles once the public had become accustomed to a certain persona, he planned one more comedy in the usual style, namely The Nut (1921), just in case The Mark of Zorro proved unsuccessful with the viewing public.  Fortunately, the bold and heroic character of Zorro made an indelible mark on audiences, allowing Fairbanks to forge full-steam ahead with his ambitions for more such self-styled period adventures.

Douglas Fairbanks had always done his own stunts and action sequences in his earlier films, many of which were made to suit his naturally athletic and energetic nature.  Always keen to learn and try new things, Fairbanks took up the blade to play the role of Zorro, and as the producer, he employed the best experts in every field in order to attain his high standards and expectations of the film.   For instance, simply learning to fence was not enough; it had to look convincing on screen, which meant special training by an expert to achieve well-choreographed sword fighting scenes which are dramatic and exciting as Fairbanks leaps over furniture and - oozing confidence all the way - playfully frustrates and subdues his opponents.

Not only is the audience thrilled by breathtaking sword fights and a scintillating chase as Zorro evades his bumbling pursuers, Fairbanks also reveals other aspects of his personality and talents in the alter-ego of Don Diego.  Returning home from several years in Spain, Don Diego is able to fool everyone into believing that he has become weak, lazy and dull as he slouches around, continually yawning from fatigue and boredom:  the last person anyone would suspect of being the masked Zorro who bravely fights the cruel oppression of the greedy governor in the province of Capistrano!

To complete the image, Don Diego’s only apparent skill - to everyone’s dismay - is doing childish magic tricks with a handkerchief.  Most dismayed is Lolita, who had been chosen to be Don Diego’s bride, and while Lolita thinks Don Diego is a fish, she is thrilled when she is wooed by the dare-devilish Zorro who is equally adept at reciting love prose as he is fighting with the blade.

A keen reader and ardent student of Shakespeare and other classic literature, Douglas Fairbanks had acquired a firm grasp and thorough understanding of the art of story writing.  He knew that any successful film must have a good story with a point or morale to which the audience can relate, a thrilling climax and a satisfying conclusion.  In The Mark of Zorro, we are reminded of our lessons from history that "oppression creates the power to crush it by causing a champion of the oppressed to arise".

That champion is Zorro, who embodies all the qualities of the great screen hero in the winning combination of unrivalled physical dexterity, passion for a righteous cause, cleverness, charm, wit and an irresistible sense of romance.

The plot thickens when one of the governor’s cruel officers also woos Lolita, and when she refuses him, he imprisons her entire family.  The exciting plot leads to the grand climax: a chase scene with such thrilling athletics and humorous antics that it has been counted as one of the greatest chase scenes of the silent era, being included in a 1962 documentary entitled The Great Chase.  Without the use of modern special effects, tricks or diverse camera angles, the chase scene from The Mark of Zorro is still as captivating and entertaining today as it was back in 1920.

Marguerite De La Motte plays the lovely Lolita, who continued to play the love interest in several subsequent Fairbanks films, namely in the excellent romantic comedy, The Nut, which was released after The Mark of Zorro, and as Constance in The Three Musketeers (1921) and its sequel, The Iron Mask (1929).  A popular silent screen actress, she appeared in many films, most notably with Lon Chaney in Shadows (1922), and found work well into the sound era.  Her first screen appearance was with Douglas Fairbanks in Arizona (1918), a film now sadly presumed lost.

The Mark of Zorro has been made available on DVD by Image Entertainment and features a traditional organ accompaniment by renowned theatre organist, Gaylord Carter.

Kino Video has packaged The Mark of Zorro together with its sequel, Don Q, Son of Zorro, on one DVD which also includes several bonus features such as rare home movies of and by Fairbanks, a short Pathe newsreel of Fairbanks boxing with Jack Dempsey, a lengthy excerpt from Douglas’ second book, Making Life Worth While published in 1918, and a segment from television’s The Silent Years presented by Orson Wells discussing and introducing Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro.   Both films on this Kino DVD have a traditional piano score.

The two Zorro movies are also included on the Douglas Fairbanks Collection, a boxed set of his classic 1920s action adventure films, now available from Kino Video.
 
 

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