Zorro Rides Again: 12 Chapter Serial
by Jon English
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Edmund Cobb, Helen Christian, John Carroll, Jr. Noah Beery, Richard AlexanderDirector: Jon English
Cinematographer: William Nobles
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 210 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-06-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Marengo Films
Movie Reviews of Zorro Rides Again: 12 Chapter Serial
Movie Review: In A Time When There Were No Shades Of Gray ...
Summary: 5 Stars
As a child of the 1950's, I spent many a Saturday at the local movie house where, for a quarter, we were out of our mothers' hair for a big chunk of the day being entertained, generally, by a program that included some previews, a couple of cartoons, two features and an old serial chapter, often from the 1930's. These were often my favorite parts! It was how I discovered things like Gene Autry and his horseback good-guys battling underground aliens from the planet of Moravia, etc. Long before Disney's version of Zorro (starring Guy Madison) hit TV, I learned about Zorro and his Robin Hood-esque exploits in the old Republic serials shown then. This DVD, packaged and sold by Marengo Films (www.marengofilms.com), covers one of the many 12-chapter Zorro serials produced by Republic Studios -this one back in 1939.
Starring Duncan Reynaldo as the double sided hero (only unrecognizable behind his mask by the same folks who couldn't see that Clark Kent was Superman in a suit and tie), John Carrol and Reid Howes - and delightfully flourished by one of the black and white screens truly great bad guys, Noah Beery, Jr., the plot revolves around control of a railroad. The plot is less important, I think, than the ways in which this serial masterfully represents an entire, and now obsolete, genre of what were called cliffhangers. As each chapter ends, Zorro (or his love interest played by Helen Christian) is in some imminent jeopardy - literally about to fall off a cliff, be run over by a train, be hung by the nasty Commandante or about to be skewered by the maladept Sgt. Garcia - Yet, each new chapter begins similarly to the way the one before it ended - but just differently enough to allow for a quick but definitive escape from the likely demise suggested by the previous ending.
Thus the formula for the serials.
Also characteristic of this type of matinee entertainment - whether shown when first produced in the 1930's or when I saw them as a kid in the 1950s or as a DVD here in the 21st Century- is that in these black and whites there is no gray. The Commandante is not just bad, he is ALL bad . Zorro and his sidekick are not just good, they are ALL good. As kids, I suppose what we learned was that no one wore gray hats - they were black or white - that the world was populated with really good people and really bad ones. Today, as naive as that compartmentalization appears, it is informative historically. Even Hollywood has relegated most of such clearly dichotomous narratives to the world of animation - and even there, crossover can sometimes be found between the good and the bad. But, in Zorro Rides Again there is no question about it.
Nothing can be viewed clearly or understood separate from it's context. Thus it is with this serial. By today's standards, the stagings are primitive, the dialogue unsophisticated and the plot development entirely predictable. While these characteristics would, if applied to any contemporary film effort, result in truckloads or earned criticism, in this 1939 serial - produced as Europe was deeply immersed in the evil that was Nazi Germany and as the United States struggled to eschew military involvement- the simplifications make sense and are reflective of the mores, beliefs and entertainment needs of the public at the time.
Directed for Republic by William Whitney and John English, the 12 chapters run back-to-back for a total of 210 minutes.
Keep in mind though, that this is NOT how they were intended to be seen. As first offered to the public, the intent was for people to leave the theater and go back to living a full week of their real lives between each and every episode. I haven't taken the time to watch it that way - but, now that I think about it, it might be fun!
Summary of Zorro Rides Again: 12 Chapter Serial
Zorro cracks the whip in this nail-biting 12 Episode Republic Serial. Hang on to your saddles as Zorro fights one of Cinemas greatest bad men (Noah Beery Sr.) for control of a railroad. Load your six-shooter, mount Old Paint, take a deep breath and screAction & Adventure DVD Video
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