Travis Simpkins

The Mark of Zorro (1920): Douglas Fairbanks as the Iconic Swashbuckling Masked Hero

Douglas Fairbanks truly deserves a lot of the credit for popularizing the Iconic character of "Zorro." Adapted from the 1919 story, "The Curse of Capistrano" by Johnston McCulley, The Mark of Zorro (1920) was the first of many film versions of the tale. Not only did Douglas Fairbanks produce and star in the film, he also co-wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym "Elton Thomas." The now-iconic look of the black-clad masked figure was not in the original story, but rather was conceived by Fairbanks for the film. His daring, agile stunts made The Mark of Zorro become the first defining film in the "Swashbuckler" genre of action movies. Produced by Fairbanks' own Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Corporation, The Mark of Zorro was the first film released by United Artists, the innovative company Fairbanks had co-founded the previous year with friends Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffith.

Don Diego Vega (Douglas Fairbanks), the wealthy son of a ranchero in early 19th Century Spanish Colonial California, is boring and naive by all outward appearances...

Douglas Fairbanks as Zorro: The Mark of Zorro. 1920

But Don Diego has a secret. He moonlights as Zorro...

Douglas Fairbanks as Zorro: The Mark of Zorro. 1920

a masked hero that stands up for the disenfranchised poor...

Douglas Fairbanks as Zorro: The Mark of Zorro. 1920

and protects them from the greedy landowners and corrupt politicians...

Douglas Fairbanks as Zorro: The Mark of Zorro. 1920

and wins the heart of a lady in the process...

Douglas Fairbanks as Zorro: The Mark of Zorro. 1920

"The Mark of Zorro" (1920)- full feature film

Flesh and the Devil (1926): Greta Garbo and John Gilbert

Based on Hermann Sudermann's play "The Undying Past", Flesh and the Devil (1926) was one of Greta Garbo's most successful Silent Films, and it served to position her as one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood at the time. Director Clarence Brown's job was made easier during the filming of Flesh and the Devil, because Garbo and her co-star John Gilbert did not have to fake their romantic chemistry on screen. The two stars had already begun a real-life whirlwind relationship, that briefly became an engagement, before Garbo broke it off. Garbo and Gilbert's rapport was so good, however, that the pair continued acting in films together into the Sound Era.

Leo (John Gilbert) and Ulrich (Lars Hanson) are the best of friends...