A sensational cast led by Frank Langella and Ricardo Montalban seems to be having a fabulous time in this 1800's California action adventure where Langella is quite the gentleman without the mask yet once he puts it on shows himself to be a true swordsman even though without it, he claims to hate it. That's just part of his act, playing a rather effeminate returnee from Spain reunited with his parents, Gilbert Roland and Yvonne De Carlo, and romancing Anne Archer while in disguuse in order to get the corrupt Montalban out of power. "So inside the peacock, we find a hawk", Montalban declares, and indeed, Langella is very amusing, at one point complaining about a tepid bath while everybody is worried about Zorro's next move.
The great Louise Sorel of daytime's "Santa Barbara" and "Days of Our Lives" has a showy role as a flamorous local matron, flirting with Langella and amused by his droll witticisms, yet having earlier been robbed by Zorro not even recognizing him even though the voices are very similar. Veteran stage actor Robert Middleton is the pompous puppet governor dominated by the evil Montalban. It's great to see one of the Latin lovers of the 1930's (Roland) with one of the great Latin lovers of the 1950's (Montalban). This focuses more on the comic elements of the double life of Langella's character rather than the epic scope of previous and later versions. The handsome Langella and the suave Montalban are terrific foes. Never a dull moment in this TV adaption.
The great Louise Sorel of daytime's "Santa Barbara" and "Days of Our Lives" has a showy role as a flamorous local matron, flirting with Langella and amused by his droll witticisms, yet having earlier been robbed by Zorro not even recognizing him even though the voices are very similar. Veteran stage actor Robert Middleton is the pompous puppet governor dominated by the evil Montalban. It's great to see one of the Latin lovers of the 1930's (Roland) with one of the great Latin lovers of the 1950's (Montalban). This focuses more on the comic elements of the double life of Langella's character rather than the epic scope of previous and later versions. The handsome Langella and the suave Montalban are terrific foes. Never a dull moment in this TV adaption.