Search - Zorro's Fighting Legion on DVD

Zorro at His Cliffhanging Best

Scott T. Rivers | Los Angeles, CA USA | 10/05/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

""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."

ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE VERSION!!

Scott T. Rivers | 07/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

GOOD FOR MADACY, BUT STILL DISAPPOINTING!

michaeljmoore2 | Syracuse, NY United States | 05/22/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Zorro ride again in superior Republic Chapterplay!

Anthony Scheinman | Forest Hills, NY USA | 07/22/1998

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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"