The man with the whip
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The man with the whip |
| Original title | Don Q, Son of Zorro |
 | |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1925 |
| length | 111 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Donald Crisp |
| script |
Lotta Woods Jack Cunningham based on a novel by Kate and Hesketh Pritchard |
| production | Douglas Fairbanks |
| music | Mortimer Wilson |
| camera | Henry Sharp |
| cut | William Nolan |
| occupation | |
| |
| chronology | |
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← Predecessor |
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The Man with the Whip is a 1925 American silent film with Douglas Fairbanks in the title role.
action
The film is a sequel to the Fairbanks film, The Mark of Zorro, which premiered five years earlier with overwhelming success .
In ancient Spain at the beginning of the 19th century. The country gentleman Don Cesar de Vega knows very well how to swing his sword as well as whip. While he was finishing his upbringing in Spain, he fell in love with the beautiful Dolores, who was also an officer of the Queen, Don Sebastian. The two men come early because of a trifle together his rival accidentally than the rapier wielding Cesar a spring from its Shako wegsäbelt. Sebastian is angry despite an apology from Cesar and challenges him to a duel. In this duel, the two fighters are disturbed by a free roaming bull who has targeted Sebastian. Since Sebastian got tangled up with his saber belt, Cesar of all people jumps to the side and saves him from the wild rushing animal. Don Sebastian is even more angry about that. This scene is observed by Queen Isabella of Spain and her guest, the Austrian Archduke Paul. Don Cesar is then invited to court.
A little later, Cesar meets the daughter of General de Muro, an old friend of his father's. Her name is Dolores and Don Cesar falls in love with her instantly. He comes into conflict again with Sebastian, who also has an eye on the pretty Señorita and even more on the money of her family. Don Cesar has thus become an annoying competitor in every respect. When, in the presence of Archduke Paul, Sebastian and Cesar, an argument with scoundrels and ruffians occurs in a tavern because the Archduke is flirting with a dancer, Sebastian seizes the opportunity and flees with the noblewoman, not without Cesar beforehand in the bar to leave locked behind. Sebastian is almost bursting with rage when a little later Cesar, who of course easily freed himself, stands in front of Dolores with a guitar and serenades her. Everyone can see: the two are in love with each other.
Meanwhile, Don Fabrique tries, financially as blank as Sebastian, to advance his rise in Spanish society. He comes uninvited to a celebration at which Cesar and Sebastian - both initially unsuccessfully - courted for Dolores' favor. The Archduke asks Dolores to come and Cesar understands this wrongly and believes that the Austrian wants to relax “his” girl for him. But that's not the case. Archduke Paul makes it clear to Cesar that he is entirely on his side and hopes that Cesar will conquer Dolores. In order to clear Sebastian out of the field, the nobleman invites Cesar's competitor to a card game in the next room. Now Cesar and Dolores have free rein. You dance and you bunch together, and Don Fabrique can see Dolores' father approach the two and obviously give them his blessing. When Don Sebastian found out about it, he was beside himself. The Archduke tells him, not without a mocking undertone, that he is as unlucky in love as he is in playing cards. It is too much for the jealous nobleman. Sebastian draws his sword and stabs Archduke Paul.
Cesar, who rushes into the room because he thought he heard something loud, is then knocked down by Sebastian. He rushes out of the room and shouts that Cesar has murdered the Archduke. But the latter wrote down on one of the playing cards with the last of his strength that Don Sebastian had killed him. Don Fabrique, who is the first to enter the card room, immediately recognizes the card as evidence and puts it in his pocket, as he instinctively suspects that it could still be of use to him. Don Cesar is arrested and he is to be executed immediately. But General de Muro wants to enable Cesar a departure worthy of a Cabaellero of reputation. And so he thrusts a dagger into his hand and advises Cesar to judge himself to keep the name of his family pure. Don Cesar pretends to thrust the dagger into his body and let himself fall into the moat. With the help of his servants, Don Cesar was able to hide in the ruins of his family castle.
Months have passed since then, and the supposedly dead Don Cesar now calls himself Don Q. Don Fabrique, meanwhile, did not take much time with his social advancement; he is now a civil governor and regularly blackmailed Sebastian with the playing card that is still in his hands. The real murderer of the Archduke has to pay him a decent sum month after month for this. Don Cesar has learned that Dolores' father is planning to marry off his daughter to the creep Sebastian. One day the maid Lola appears at his house, who tells Cesar that Sebastian always seems strangely frightened to her in the presence of Don Fabrique. Cesar suspects that Fabrique must have something in hand against Sebastian. Cesar appears at the window just in time when Dolores is about to sign the marriage contract. Dolores then, beaming with joy, refuses to sign. The queen immediately orders Cesar's arrest, but he escapes again. The one-eyed Colonel Matsado is set on his trail, but it is easy for Don Q alias Cesar to put this sedate clumsy out of action. Cesar slips into his role and uniform and henceforth plays Matsado. In this masquerade he can outsmart Fabrique and lure Fabrique into his hiding place in the family ruins.
Colonel Matsado has meanwhile freed himself and teamed up with Sebastian to finally arrest the alleged murderer of the Archduke in Cesar's hiding place. Both ride there with large reinforcements. Cesar can initially repel the attack with one of his servants. But then he receives reinforcement in the form of his father, the legendary Zorro, and his loyal companion Bernardo. Upon learning of Cesar's plight, both rode to the nearest ship and sailed from California to Spain to assist the junior. On the way to Cesar's hiding place, old Zorro meets Dolores and her mother and tells the two women that his son, Don Cesar de Vega, is innocent. Dolores looks more than relieved. In the hiding place there is a final battle between the good guys and the villains. Don Sebastian and Don Fabrique are both arrested, and Don Cesar can finally sink into Dolores' arms.
Production notes
The Man with the Whip , originally Don Q Son of Zorro , premiered in the United States on June 15, 1925. In Germany the film opened in August or September 1926, in Austria the premiere was scheduled for October 8, 1927.
The actress Lola, Lottie Pickford , was Fairbanks' sister-in-law. Director Donald Crisp , who also played a major supporting role here, also appeared in front of the camera with him in Fairbanks' next film, The Pirate .
The man with the whip was a carefully chosen German distribution title, because this accessory plays an omnipresent role in this film. Zorro not only regularly turns off his villainous opponents, in one scene Fairbanks Don Cesar even lights his cigarette with a lash of the whip.
The film was released on DVD in 2015.
Reviews
In the New York Times' June 16, 1925 issue , Mordaunt Hall wrote : “ 'Don Q. Son of Zorro' is just as full of ideas as any Fairbanks venture. (...) It's a fast film with lots of pleasant surprises and action. Mr. Fairbanks seems to have trained an extremely slim figure for this role. He jumps on the saddle with amazing ease and never makes a wrong move. It is an ideal role for Mr. Fairbanks, who, as usual, never stops wielding the big whip masterfully, just as he shows that he is still as agile as he was a few years ago when he amazed the audience with remarkable leaps had shifted. (…) This film, which at no point in time fades away, remains of interest until the end. It will probably even turn out to be a bigger box office hit than ' The Thief of Baghdad ' . "
Paimann's Filmlisten calls the film an "adventure drama" and judged: "The subject is exciting, brings a lot of variety and creates good documents for Fairbanks' sensational achievements, which again offers samples of his artistic skills and especially arouses admiration through the incredibly skillful use of a long whip . The direction ensured the usual pace, as well as the presentation and presentation are quite satisfactory ”.
Web links
- The man with the whip in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Don Q. Son of Zorro in The New York Times
- ↑ The man with the whip ( Memento of the original from May 1, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Paimann's film lists
