Customer Reviews

Zorro's Fighting Legion, Chapter 1 - The Golden God

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Read the horrid reviews (as usual) for the Madacy product, then grab this Hal Roach Studios/Image version of this classic Republic Serial, perhaps second in fame only to THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL. This version is meticulously mastered from the original camera negative with fine grain shots substituted wherever necessary. Where Madacy "simply" eliminates(!) the beginnings and ends of each of their twelve 16mm chapters, making it more into a herky-jerky feature film that runs 3-1/2 hours (then making you buy TWO separate discs in order to obtain the whole story), this Hal Roach Studios version is absolutely complete--four hours on one disc (double-coated, no turning over!) and boasts trailers for six other top serials to boot. All from 35mm, with the visual power and dynamic soundtrack range the use of those elements brings to the table. This is the one you've been waiting for, so get the best possible version. (Same for ROBINSON CRUSOE OF CLIPPER ISLAND, ZORRO RIDES AGAIN and ZORRO'S BLACK WHIP, also mastered from the original 35mm nitrate camera negatives and fine grains. They're all being released by Image in the coming months.) As the reviewer from the Knight-Ridder Newspaper chain recently published "Do yourself a favor--wait for the Hal Roach Studios version from Image--it's the real deal". I concur. It's worth the little bit extra you have to pay to be able to see the picture and hear the sound the way it was all meant to be presented. ZORRO'S FIGHTING LEGION is worth the money for the twelfth chapter alone, with it's great unmasking scene (but, no peeking till you've built up to it by watching the first eleven!). You'll love it.

"Zorro's Fighting Legion" (1939) remains one of the great serials with its impressive cast, energetic direction and first-rate action sequences. Reed Hadley is terrific as Don Diego/Zorro, while Don Del Oro emerges as a classic villain. When it came to serials, Republic Pictures was second to none in terms of quality - and "Zorro's Fighting Legion" is Saturday matinee escapism of the highest calibre.

While Madacy may not have digitally remastered their version of Zorro's Fighting Legion, this disc does have decent picture and sound quality. The print is at times a little dark, but overall it is not bad to look at. The biggest problem with Madacy's version is that they not only have cut out the title's beginning and endings, they also removed the chapter recaps as well. This seems an odd choice on their part, considernig all chapter recaps were left in on their Painted Stallion, and New Adventures of Tarzan DVD's. Without the chapter recaps the serial loses some of its flare. I would reccomend waiting for the Image version of the serial. I understand that theirs comes from the original negative.

There have been four serials made that use the actual "ZORRO" name and two or three that use a character similar to Zorro, but this 1938 chapterplay is the only one with the one and ONLY Zorro! With Zorro played by Reed Hadley, Republic's original story takes Zorro to Mexico after Juarez's successful revolution aainst Spain to stop the reincarnated Yaqui god Don Del Oro from stealing much needed gold and fomenting a Yaqui uprising. The twelve chapters of this serial keep Zorro and his Fighting Legion in continual peril from Don Del Oro and his Yaqui followers, and trying to deduce which one of four evil councillors is Don del Oro will keep everyone guessing until the final chapter! One of Republic's best serials ever and a worthy addition to the Zorro legend. END

There's more swordplay and whipplay than gunplay, and it's set in 1840 Mexico, not in the American west, but there are lots of typical western action scenes to satisfy western fans. There are several classic chapter endings which will remind you of scenes in such diverse movies as Star Wars and the Indiana Jones movies. One superb ending which, though foreshadowed by the chapter title, might surprise you...you are deliberately led to expecting a different chapter ending. I've seen Republic use this ploy before. There's a lot more imagination shown in this serial than there is in the typical western serial...It is the imaginative elements and the number of superb chapter endings which prompts me to give this five stars as compared to the four stars I gave to another great western serial, "The Adventures of Red Ryder."

One of the first of the Zorro serials and the only one that puts him in the proper time period (1824)and that uses Don Diego y Vega as the hero. The best of the Zorro cliffhangers.

This serial is one of the ten best serials of all time, and the best Zorro in any form. The serial has everything. Stunts by Yakima Canutt,the dean of stuntmen. Great music by Cy Feuer. Great story about an armored villian "Don Del Oro" (God of the gold) and his attempt to take over california. The man to stop him is Zorro (excellent portrayal by Reed Hadley) and his Fighting Legion. The serial was made in 1939, the year when hollywood did their greatest work, from Gone With The Wind to The Wizard Of Oz. This serial stands alone as the best western serial of them all.

I first saw this at 13 now see it at 67. Still holds up for that genre. Lots of well written action scenes. This has the famous stunt under the stagecoach from the team of horses by Canutt. Don Del Oro was a great villan and the music theme was different as well.We enjoyed and still do. My Grandchildren are proof.

This is easily the best of the several Zorro serials, and one of the best serials of any kind. The cliffhangers are superb, and William Witney and John English's direction is superb as usual. Reed Hadley appeared in films for 35 years, often as a Western bad guy--I've noticed him in that kind of role with Hopalong Cassidy. In his career Hadley also did a lot of radio acting, including Red Ryder on the radio. In this film he strikes just the right combination of fop and daredevil as Don Diego and Zorro, respectively.

Sheila Darcy (1914-2004) plays Volita, who is always disgusted with Diego because he's such a wimp. She appeared in just one other serial, "Terry and the Pirates," in which she played the Dragon Lady, and about 30 other films from the mid-1930's to the early 1940's.

One reason for the excellence of this film is the work of the world's best-known stunt man, Yakima Canutt. His most famous stunt was pulled off in this very film, where he (doubling Zorro) falls under the hooves of the racing horses pulling a stagecoach, slides under the coach, pulls himself up on the back of it, and punches out the driver. Canutt also did this in "Stagecoach," and Steven Spielberg stole it for "Raiders of the Lost Ark," using a truck instead of a stagecoach. You'll find it in Chapter Seven; look closely and you'll see that Canutt bounces a little under the coach, and they had to do it twice to complete the scene. It really was death-defying!

The only negative I could find was the silly ending, where the villain is revealed and he almost unaccountably falls into his own firepit. You'll get a little tired of hearing that opening song in every chapter, but in case you want to sing along here are the words:

We ride
With wind over hill, over dale
With a spirit that cannot fail
Men of Zorro are we.
We ride!

VCI Entertainment and Republic Pictures present three outstanding serials with 36 Chapters starting with "Zorro Rides Again" (1937)..."Zorro's Fighting Legion" (1939) and "Zorro's Black Whip" (1944) (Dolby digitally remastered), exciting Chapters of vintage serials loaded with thrilling drama and high adventure sequences....there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there... It has more of everything with lots of action, hard riding chases and plenty of shootouts...Republic Pictures stuntman assistant director Yakima Canutt and his department of stunt people Tom Steele, Dale Van Sickel, Babe DeFreest, Helen Thurston, James Fawcett, Ted Mapes, Ken Terrell make every scene and episode a cliffhanger...each episode gets closer to the climatic ending, watch this and relive those thrilling yesteryears of the Saturday Matinee.

First up with Disc One is "Zorro Rides Again" (1937)...12 Chapters under director's John English and William Witney, producer Sol C. Siegel, with screenplay by Franklin Adreon, Johnston McCulley, Morgan Cox, Barry Shipman...the cast include John Carroll (James Vega/Zorro), Helen Christian (Joyce Andrews), Reed Howes (Phillip Andrews), Duncan Renaldo (Renaldo), Noah Beery (J.A. Marsden), Richard Alexander (Brad 'El Lobo' Dace), Bob Kortman ( Trelliger - Henchman), Jack Ingram (Carter - Henchman), Edmund Cobb (Time-bomb - Henchman), Tom London (O'Shea), Lane Chandler (Malloy)...one of the best serials that Republic Pictures produced during the '30s...loaded with six gun action, railroad explosions and airplanes...a winning combination as this formula worked very well...the musical scores are wonderful and John Carroll is great as the Zorro of today... the rest of the cast gives their all especially Duncan Renaldo (Cisco Kid of the '50s TV series) playing an older servant of the Vega family, when he was the same age of our hero John Carroll...after watching this DVD there is no doubt that Republic Pictures was the King of Serials.

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc One) (Zorro Rides Again)
1. Death from the Sky
2. The Fatal Minute
3. Juggernaut
4. Unmasked
5. Sky Pirate
6. The Fatal Shot
7. Burning Embers
8. Plunge of Peril
9. Tunnel of Terror
10.Trapped
11.Right of Way
12.Retribution

SPECIAL FEATURES: (Disc One)
VCI BIOS:
1. Reed Howes
2. Helen Christian
3. William Witney (Director)
4. John English (Director)
VCI SERIAL TRAILERS: (Disc One)
1. Zorro Rides Again (John Carroll)
2. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)

Disc Two and second the this triple bill is "Zorro's Fighting Legion" (1939), 12 episodes of the best of Zorro chapterplays with the great directing team of John English and William Witney, producer Hiram S. Brown Jr, screenplay by Franklin Adreon, Ronald Davidson, Morgan Cox, Barney A. Sarecky, Sol Shor...the cast include Reed Hadley (Don Diego Vega/Zorro), Sheila Darcy (Volita), William Corson (Ramon), Leander De Cordova (Gov. Felipe), Carleton Young (Benito Juarez), James Pierce (Moreno - Henchman), Guy D'Ennery (Don Francisco), John Merton (Commandante Manuel ), Charles King (Valdez - Henchman), Bud Geary (Dungeon thug), Reed Howes (Trooper), Clayton Moore (Fernando), Yakima Canutt (Trooper, also the ace stuntman coordinator of Republic)...the story line has our favorite legendary masked swordsman Zorro escaping a variety of deathtraps, including exploding barns, runaway elevators and avalanches...will Zorro thwart the evil leader Don Del Oro from taking over and ruling Mexico...who is this mystery villain that will keep us guessing until Chapter 12...awesome stuntwork, veteran villians and character actors abound...exciting screenplay with a catchy musical score that stays with you for days...don't pass this one up.

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc Two) (Zorro's Fighting Legion)
1. The Golden God
2. The Flaming "Z"
3. Descending Doom
4. The Bridge of Peril
5. The Decoy
6. Zorro to the Rescue
7. The Fugitive
8. Flowing Death
9. The Golden Arrow
10.Mystery Wagon
11.Face to Face
12.Unmasked

BIOS: (Disc Two)
1. Reed Hadley
2. Sheila Darcy
3. John English (Director)
4. William Witney (Director)

VCI Promos: (Disc Two)
1. Stories of the Century (featuring Jim Davis - based on official newspaper files & records)
2. I Married Joan (Joan Davis & Jim Backus)
3. Terry & the Pirates (TV Series)
4. My Little Margie (Gale Storm as Margie & Charles Farrell as Vern)

Disc Three and the final feature of this triple bill is "Zorro's Black Whip" (1940), another great directorial team of Spencer Gordon Bennet and Wallace Grissell, producer Ronald Davidson, screenplay by Basil Dickey, Jesse Duffy, Johnston McCulley, Grant Nelson, Joseph F. Poland... the cast include Linda Stirling (Barbara Meredith - The Black Whip), George J. Lewis (Vic Gordon), Francis McDonald (Dan Hammond), Lucien Littlefield (Tenpoint Jackson), Wally Wales (aka Hal Taliaferro - is Baxter), John Merton (Ed Harris - Henchman), Tom London (Commissioner James Bradley), Jack Kirk (Marshal Wetherby), Jay Kirby (Randolph Meredith), Tom Steele (Ed - Henchman, also double for Wally Wales stuntman), Dale Van Sickel (Rock, also double for George J. Lewis), Helen Thurston (stunt double) and Babe DeFreest (double for Linda Stirling stunt woman)...the plot goes something like this will Idaho become a state of the union or can Hammond stop this with violence and bloodshed...after Randolph Meredith is killed will his sister Barbara take up "The Black Whip"...can government agent Vic Gordon shut down the efforts of Hammond and be of service to "The Black Whip"... a few behind the scenes info with leading the call for justice is serial queen Linda Stirling (Tiger Woman 1944), Mexican born George J. Lewis was picked for the male lead (who mainly play villians throughout his film and television career) and Francis MacDonald who appeared in numerous Hopalong Cassidy, Red Ryder and Rocky Lane films as an outlaw, sheriff, banker and Indian...in any Republic Serial it's always nice to have second unit direction by stunt-man extraordinaireYakima Canutt...this is the type of Saturday Matinee serials I ran to the local theater to see everyweek and came home with the neighborhood kids and played out "Zorro's Black Whip" the rest of the week...gotta love it!

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc Three) (Zorro's Black Whip)
1. The Masked Avenger
2. Tomb of Terror
3. Mob Murder
4. Detour to Death
5. Take Off That Mask!
6. Fatal Gold
7. Wolf Pack
8. The Invisible Victim
9. Avalanche
10.Fangs of Doom
11.Flaming Juggernaut
12.Trail of Tyranny

BIOS: (Disc Three)
1. Linda Stirling
2. George J. Lewis
3. Spencer Gordon Bennet (Director)
4. Wallace Grissell (Director)

VCI CliffHanger Promo: (Disc Three)
1. Zorro's Black Whip (Linda Stirling & George J. Lewis) (Previews & Coming Attractions)
2. S.O.S. Coast Guard (Ralph Byrd as Lieut. Terry Kent, Bela Lugosi as Boroff and Richard Alexander as Thorg)

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '40s vintage serial days...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch serial from VCI...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 603 mins on 3 DVD's ~ VCI Entertainment 8342 ~ (12/16/2003)