Zorro

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Title page of The Curse of Capistrano (1919), in which Zorro first appeared

Zorro ( Spanish for fox ) is an American fictional character. The story of the “Avenger of the Poor” with a black mask and cape, first published in 1919, has been filmed several times since the 1920s.

history

The character of Zorro was invented by Johnston McCulley in the dime novel The Curse of Capistrano (German: "The Curse of Capistrano"), which appeared in 1919 over five issues in the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly . After the successful first film adaptation in 1920 by United Artists as The Sign of Zorro , McCulley wrote more than 60 other Zorro stories and some novels from 1922, including 1931 Zorro rides again (German "Zorro rides again"). The last Zorro short story from McCulley's pen - The Mask of Zorro (Eng. "The Mask of Zorro") - was published in 1959 after his death. The original magazine series The Curse of Capistrano was reissued as a novel in 1924 to match the 1920 movie under the title The Mark of Zorro . The corresponding first German translation by Carsten Mayer appeared in 1997 under the title Zorro. The original novel in Nymphenburg Verlag in Munich.

McCulley's Zorro is a folk hero in the sense of Robin Hood or Rinaldo Rinaldini . The story takes place in California at the beginning of the 19th century, at the time of Spanish colonial rule . Zorro leads a double life: Officially he is a rich idler, the country gentleman Don Diego de la Vega, who leads a peaceful life without political ambitions. When injustice has to be combated, he turns into the avenger of the people in a black cloak, with a sword and mask. His fencing skills benefit him; as a “trademark” he leaves a scratched “Z” for Zorro on his opponents. The model for the Zorro figure was probably South American independence fighters from the time of the war against Spanish colonial rule, e.g. B. Jesús Malverde , Simón Bolívar or Benito Juárez . The adventure story is enriched by the love story of Zorro and Lolita Pulido, who wants to save Zorro from the hands of the enemies. His opponent is Don Rafael Moncada, who is also called Rafael Montero in the films.

Adaptations

Several films were made from the Zorro material. The character became famous for the silent film The Sign of Zorro, directed by Fred Niblo in 1920, with Douglas Fairbanks sen. In the main role. The film made Zorro an internationally known figure with whom the mask, coat and sword are associated. The whip was added later as a further attribute, with which Zorro disarms opponents or which he uses as a climbing aid. The classic Zorro of the sound film era was Tyrone Power in the 1940 film by Rouben Mamoulian with the title In the Sign of Zorro .

Subsequently, among other things, television series with Guy Williams (1957–1961, in black and white ) and Duncan Regehr (1990–1993) as Zorro as well as a comic series called The New Adventures of Zorro (1981) from Filmation , a 1995 Japanese anime series called Kaiketsu Zorro ( Z for Zorro ); and a 1997 animated series called The New Adventures of Zorro ( Zorro ) by Warner Bros. Television .

The character of Zorro was parodied in 1981 in the film Zorro with a Hot Blade ( The Gay Blade ), in which Don Diego's son follows in his father's footsteps and is represented by his gay twin brother, Bunny Wigglesworth, with George Hamilton after an injury in both leading roles. Otto Waalkes often played a clumsy masked hero who was called "Orro" in Otto - The Series (1995).

In 2005, a novel adaptation by Isabel Allende was published , which mainly explains the youth of Zorro and the origin of his name and his disguise (original title: El Zorro. Comienza la leyenda , German published by Suhrkamp-Verlag under Zorro ).

Film adaptations (selection)

Movie poster for The Mark of Zorro , 1920

as well as many other films that use the character as a protagonist for their story.

musical

In 1998 the material made its debut in musical form under the title Z - The Masked Musical Of Zorro by Robert W. Cabell . The world premiere with Ruben Gomez (Zorro) and Deborah Gibson (Carlotta) has also been released on CD.

Another adaptation followed in 2008 under the title Zorro , which was first seen in Eastbourne and then in London's West End . Some of the music for the show is from the Gipsy Kings . Since November 2009 this production can be seen in Paris in the Folies Bergère . In Germany, the musical was first performed on the stage of the Freilichtspiele Tecklenburg in June 2015 .

Computer games

So far, four computer games with the Zorro theme have been released:

Trademark law

Under the US Copyright Act , the rights to McCulley's story and the character of Zorro expired in 1975. The trademark rights to the name and figure of Zorro are therefore controversial.

A company called Zorro Productions, Inc. claims to own the worldwide rights to the name, appearance and character of Zorro. The company tried to collect royalties from users of the character's name or character. She was subsequently involved in several legal disputes, but has so far not been able to enforce her claims in any of the proceedings. She is currently on trial for fraudulent trademark registration based on a lawsuit brought by Robert W. Cabell .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ About Zorro Productions Inc. Website of Zorro Productions Inc.
  2. ^ Zorro Production Inc. v. Mars Inc
  3. ↑ ZPI & SPE v. Fireworks Inc.
  4. ↑ Robert Cabell v. Zorro Productions, Inc.

Web links

Commons : Zorro  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: zorro  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations