Out of the night a hero must rise with courage that even a mask can t disguise! So begins the adventures of Zorro swordsman, scientist and relentless defender of the oppressed.
In early 19th century Spanish California, a corrupt Alcalde (mayor) grows rich by terrorizing the good people of Los Angeles. Young and dashing Don Diego de la Vega (Duncan_Regehr), pretending to care only for science and study, secretly creates a bold alter-ego: Zorro the Fox. Aided by his mute servant Felipe, inspired by the faith of the beautiful tavern-keeper Victoria, and carried into battle by the mighty steed Toronado, Zorro thwarts the Alcalde s plots at every turn.
Filmed entirely in Madrid, Spain, Zorro aired on The Family Channel for four seasons, from 1990-1993. Still a tremendous fan favorite, Zorro is renowned for its swashbuckling family-friendly adventure as well as its top-notch cast of featured characters and guests, including Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Don Alejandro de la Vega, Daniel Craig, Andre the Giant, Philip Michael Thomas, Jesse Ventura and Adam West.
For the first time ever, all 88 episodes have been collected in one DVD set, including a bonus disk with classic Zorro films, an alternate series pilot and much more.
BONUS DISC:
The legend of Zorro truly begins in 1919, with the publication of Johnston McCulley s story, The Curse of Capistrano. A year later, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford produced The Mark of Zorro with Fairbanks as the title character as the inaugural film for their new studio, United Artists. Since then, the character has inspired more than 40 films and nearly a dozen TV series. The Zorro Archives includes some of the masked defender s most influential appearances as well as rare behind-the-scenes material from the 1990 series.
Zorro arrives on DVD with a 480i transfer in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. A consistently soft image is presented here. There were noticeable signs of aliasing. Black levels though were very good. Color was the best aspect of this transfer with decent saturation in primaries. Detail was okay considering this was shot for television in the early 90's. 6.5/10
Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track. Dialogue was clean and intelligible throughout. There isn't much in the way of dynamics or effects. The music is mixed low as well. This presentation gets the job done but not much else. 6/10
* The Mark of Zorro starring Douglas Fairbanks - This is the original full-length silent film that defined the swashbuckler genre and it is a a real hoot. Fairbanks was a joy to watch in the role. Well worth your time.
* Chapter 1 of the 1939 theatrical serial Zorro s Fighting Legion - Another fun archival treat that is full action.
* Trailers - For the serials 'Zorro s Fighting Legion', 'Zorro s Black Whip' and 'Zorro Rides Again'
* The original, never-before-released pilot for the New World Zorro - A quick 20 minutes or so look at the original episode that was made before the show was greenlit for a full series.
* Photo gallery from the New World Zorro
