DON Q SON OF ZORRO (1925)

Wisely, Douglas Fairbanks dialed back on production values after the gargantuan levels seen in THE THIEF OF BAGDAD/’24.  Now, merely deluxe.  Unwisely, he twisted an unrelated Spanish romancer into a sequel of sorts to his own THE MARK OF ZORRO/’20.  And while it’s charming, exciting, fun (with loads of the signature Fairbanks bounce), it also pegged Doug as something of nostalgia act to sophisticated Roaring ‘Twenties Youth; a slide from avant to devant garde that only escalated over his last three (superb) silent features.  Fairbanks, lithe as ever at 42 (check out the torso in those tight, high-waisted Spanish pants!), gets away playing twenty-something heir to Zorro’s California estate.  (Fairbanks as son and repeating as Papa Zorro.)  In Spain as a sort of family tradition finishing school, he falls for 19-yr-old Mary Astor, aristo daughter of Papa Zorro’s old BFF, but finds romance blocked by rival Donald Crisp (he also directs*), and by lower-class striver Jean Hersholt, blackmailing his way up in politics.  A foreign diplomat’s murder, a frame-up for the killing, a faked suicide leap, an innocent man returned to prove he’s not guilty, Papa traveling back to Spain from Cali to fight alongside his son.  Not much is missing here, but not much particularly memorable, either.  And now, it’s a little too smooth, with all the bumps ironed out of every story beat.  The film’s running gag (and gimmick) has Doug, that wild American kid, using a long bull whip as his weapon of choice.  Entertaining as far as it goes, but better/fresher things await just ahead.

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK:  Standard Fairbanks recommendation is THE THIEF OF BAGDAD/’24, though our top two picks remain WHEN THE CLOUDS ROLL BY/’19 (Victor Fleming’s superb/very Buster Keatonesque directing debut); and THE IRON MASK/’29, Doug’s farewell to silent cinema, both touching & exhilarating.  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/06/thief-of-bagdad-1924.html

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  *Best known as a great supporting actor, right up thru the ‘60s (Oscar’d for HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY/’41), Donald Crisp was a busy silent film director with over 70 credits, including Buster Keaton’s THE NAVIGATOR/’24.  Presumably, with more input on this one.  Keaton said he mostly hung out with the writers in the gag room.