Zorro, from then to now.

Zorro is my favourite swushbuckler of all time, he may be old school. but he is just such great fun and I plainly love him.

I love how he totally steal "the Scarlet Pimpernel's" act and mocks his enemies by playing fobbish as his alter ego Diego De La Vega, I love how Zorro whoops but and have a fun time while doing so, I love the old school romance and that this is all about sword fighting and fun fun fun.

Once again this was first a book, this was written by an author Johnston McCulley in 1919.
I read the book, and its fine. not mind blowing but not disappointing either, its what I would actually expect from the original book, they its bothers the hell out of me that this to is build up as a mystery novel where you don't learn Zorro's identity before the very end.
Though in this novel, even though if you don't know from the beginning, its plainly obvious as we spend all our time either with Zorro or Diego Vega and they never ever are in the same room.
Apparently McCulley have written several Zorro books, and I haven't been able to find more than the first one D,:

Zorro, classic hero rich boy pretending to be a zap called "Diego De La vega" dresses up at nigh as Zorro to spread justice for the people in a black cape and with a mask on.
Guess which character Batman was originally based on? though, unlike Batman Zorro isn't emo.
As Always, I will not cover every Zorro related movie that is out there, only the important stuff, and only very superficially





Only on year after the book release was the first movie made. the silent 1920 "The Mark of Zorro"was the first big movie made by Douglas Fairbanks with himself in the main character, the worlds first action star remember.
This movie is fun! I love it. its really a fell good movie, and its a joy to know this is the first ever swashbuckler movie and went to set the standard for the future. The sword fights are kind of pitifull and silly, but the stunts and acrobatic is top notch plus its just so funny with loads of humour and a classic plot alfa omega. its really surprising how cloesely it follows the book, extremely closely in fact, I don't think I have ever seen a more faithful book interpretation that works.





The remake "Mark of Zorro" from 1940 with Tyrone powers is so overlooked.
This is my favourite Zorro movie, my favourite old swashbuckler movie, and all in all its just one of my favourite movies. Again its a romantic feel good movie with not much human depth going on, but its just so funny! The way that Diego acts like a total sap is hilarious, and Zorro himself is just so awesome. True, sometimes its a bit camped and weird, but its 1940, what can you expect, and Basil Rathbone does of cause plays the villain, for does who don't know. Basil Rathbone was the dude who played all the villains in all swashbuckling movies of the 30's, 40's and 50's, not shit. And the sword duel at the finale of the movie between Tyrone Powers and Basil Rathbone is just such a joy to watch, it just looks amazing.





In 1957, the Disney series of Zorro with "Guy Williams" in the title character started running.
Well, its Disney. its innocent, cutesy and bright, its for people with a childish soul.. though at the same time.. its actually still Zorro, and a quite good Zorro to. he have the sword fighting, the sappy persona, his clever ways of dealing with the oppressing government. so, if you can deal with that this is Disney, its a quite enjoyable series, though some of the humour is a bit to much Disney sometimes, all though other kinds of humour is just right.




"Zorro the gay blade" from 1981 is kind of a weird movie. well its a spoof, so of cause its weird.
And this time Zorro really are two persons, meaning Diego gets hurt and to the rescue comes his downright gay twin brother to take over the Zorro persona. only this time he doesn't pretend to be a zap and gay, he really is.
Well, it does pay tribute to Zorro and it have some really fun clever scenes, I especially like when they set a trap for the villain as the villain throws a masked ball to lure Zorro in. Then Diego spoils the invitation so everybody who enters is dressed as Zorro, and his twin brother who really is Zorro at the moment is dressed as a Lady, and do what they were supposed to do. really odd, but also kind of funny. And that would be this movie.




Another television series. "The new Zorro." Ran on the family channel from 1990 with Duncan Regerh in the title character.
This is kind of a camp experience for me, but it has its charm. Duncan Regerh is a good casting choice for Zorro, but and odd casting choice for Diego De La Vega, and it doesn't help is a head higher than everyone else in the series, so it should kind of obvious that he is Zorro. the writing mixes between just fine, to downright odd to really great, though it have its charm and is also a kind of fell good little low budget series. It would not be the first Zorro related thing I would recommend to check out, but if you are already familiar with the character, it is kind of worth checking out anyhow.





in 1997, prior to the 1998 Antonio Banderas movie a short lived Cartoon series called. "The new Adventures of Zorro" came out.
This was the first interpretation of Zorro I ever saw. I clearly remember watching it as a kid and plainly loving every moment of it, I just didn't miss and episode. but, I haven't been able to find it, not as much as one single episode so I have no idea if its as good as I remember, it is starting to become a long time ago I saw it. it kind of hurts me, and I would just die to give this a revisit.



then of cause in 1998 with had the Antonio Banderas movie "Mask of Zorro."
This.. is actually a sequel, the story is a clear sequel to the 1940 above mentioned Tyrone Powers movie. why its written as a sequel, I really don't know.
Antonio Banderas is perfect as Zorro, I mean he really is Zorro. he looks like Zorro, he talks like Zorro, he moves as Zorro, he fights as Zorro. he is just bloody perfect for the part, which makes it such a shame that he is never allowed to even attempt being "De La Vega" the fobbish side, I mean there are two small scenes with it, but its way underplayed. and that makes this a very medi ocre Zorro movie.
How ever, as a plain adventure and Swush buckler, its a really nice revisit to the old days and using kind of the same camera techniques, fighting styles and story telling as the classic swashbucklers. its great fun, and though it isn't precisely epic, its well worth checking out.





And in 2005, 7 full years after the first Banderas movie came out, the sequel came. "The Legend of Zorro"
Well, with a title with the word "Legend" in it, and after seven years old waiting with Banderas back in the part, you should think it would finally be the epic revisit to the "1940" movie... it isn't. this movie is so bland, boring and medi ocre, even though they try and make the fights bigger and more elaborate, the fights are just not nearly as fun as in the first Banderas movie, the class and the old fell mood seems to be kind of lacking as well, and it is just an disappointing movie, hell. Banderas even suddenly don't look that sexy any more in it, he constantly looks tired and like he really don't wanna be there. Of cause it doesn't help this movie is written by the same freaking people who would move on the write both Transformers films and the Star Trek movie, stop screwing up things I like!

Thankfully I got the Banderas as always wanted him "Shrek 2" where he is totally parodying his own Zorro character while vouching the "Puss in boots" and I freaking love that Cat, he is the perfect little swashbuckler hero and call back to the olden days, I want an entire movie with Puss... which I am actually gonna get... from Dreamworks... I want to pull that statement back....





And finally in 2007, an actually spanish produced television series. "Zorro: La Espada y la Rosa" saw the light of day.
I have not actually seen an episode all the way through, because it did not have subtitles I kind a gave up (yeah, I am ashamed, I'm sorry) But I would really love to watch this with subtitles, it quite frankly looks amazing. It looks all mysterious and mystical and dark and stuff, and of cause have the swashbuckling to. what do I know, haven't really seen it.. sadly.


I said if I could pick a movie Hollywood should produce big box office style, it should be "the Scarlet Pimpernel" and I stand by that statement, however, if I could pick a trilogy, I want bloody Zorro. three movies shoot at the same time story arch, and I don't want stupid sequels, I want a genuine re-boot/Remake.. never thought I should say something like that.. but that is height on my wish list, and it shouldn't even try and be all serious and stuff, but just have a good time with loads of fun.
Hell, I want to write that trilogy.. actually I already started on that back when I was 15... so if I ever make it to Hollywood, that is the big trilogy I wanna make, I just hope no one spoils it before I can do it, though if I am never going to make it to Hollywood, I hope somebody will do it for me and keep the character alive.

The Phantom of the Opera, from then to now.

Hi's there the phantom of the opera!

Beware the Phantom of the opera!

We'll. kind off seems I wont have access to a computer tomorrow, so two articles today.

I love Phantom of the opera, but boy, what a girly thing to review. but at least it isn't quite as stupid as stuff like "Twilight" and other teen flicks. and it both have a sense of drench full horror and class above it. awesome!

Phantom of the opera was originally a book written in 1909 by Author Gaston Leroux.
The book is really not the best book in the world, I read it and completely expected a devastating tragic love story with a flinch of creepy stalker ghost story. as that Is what I get from the many adaptations.
What I did get was another detective mystery book where we see everything from the perspective of the character "Raul" the most hated character in the phantom adoptions, and he is equally hated in every single adoption despite being the good guy, I will explain exactly why in a moment when we get to the summary.
Button line is, the book just isn't very good, it's now downright bad, but it's a very bland and long read and not nearly as interesting as it's own legacy.

What the story is about is the opera house in the middle of Paris. Christine Daae is a singer in that opera house and have for a long time taken lessons by the mysterious phantom who is madly in love with her, he is fine with just giving her singing lessons until Christines old childhood sweet heart Raul appears and starts dating her, where after the phantom gets insanely jealous and all hell breaks loose.
you see as it turns out the phantom is a horrible disfigured man living in the dungeons of the opera and hiding behind mask, is a genius in almost everything but is also completely mad and a murder. he sports the cape and mysteriously disappearing acts, he plays the organ and the hypnotic voice, the insanity and is bloody dangerous, he is the stereotype of the kick ass bad guy, awesome!
But he is just so interesting and human that every girl phantom fan have a crush on him, dude he even got a cape, a romantic giving side and can play the organ, he is just sexy and we kind of fell sorry for him that his so lonely. Raul is always mr perfect, young, beautiful, charming and giving and really really boring. which is why every phantom fan girl in the world hate him for taking Christine away. Anyway, adaptations!




funny how the early adaptations always seems to be the definite version in the fan base's collected concious. that does in any case very much apply here where the silent 1925 Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney in the title role is regarded the definite thing.
Who can blame the people who thinks that? this movie is awesome and differently worth for anyone to check out. Though I must say right now, I own three different copies of this film and they are all different. when you go and watch it, if you watch it, make sure to watch a copy with a good soundtrack, the soundtrack on the free version in the internet is pure crap, and the good sound track make all the difference in the world.
Though it do kind of bother me, that one copy I do have with good soundtrack doesn't have the coloured versions of the two scenes that are some of the first techni colour film scenes ever made.
One of the big masquerade scene that is all colourful and looks awesome as the guests are dancing around in all these imaginative animal costumes, and of cause the phantom in his red death costume. It just looks awesome in colour.
Anyway, movie! this is one beautiful and moody film. it's a ghost story and a romance. it is creepy and it's tragic. the atmosphere in the room is that of a fairy tale, not to mention Lon Chaney's make up is really good, and makes him look really scary, his face looks sort of like a skull or something.
amazing film, if your a fan of the silent era and like stuff like "Nosferatu" or the silent "Jekyll and Hyde" you simply mustn't cheat yourself of this.





in 1943 another Phantom of the opera film was made, this time with Claude Rains, mostly known from the invisible man (1934) and Casablanca, in the title character.
For some reason this movie actually won an Oscar for best movie, I have a hard time seeing where that Oscar came from. this is not that good a movie and it's differently not that good a phantom movie. Claude Rains is a really odd casting choice for the Phantom, especially his small height makes it seem weird, all though his voice is awesome and fits the phantom well. The film is not really that creepy, it's not really that suspenseful and the romance almost non presence. all though the movie have it's really tragic elements. in this the phantom is more a victim than anything else as we actually in the beginning of the movie witness his fall from grace, and this is also where the origin of him being burned by acid instead of just being born disfigured started.





in 1962 it was the Hammer companies turn to bite into Phantom of the opera.
Now, Hammer is a late British horror film company, who adapted all the classic horror tales. Dracula, Frankenstein, Doctor Jekyll and mr Hyde. They did them all, and they did them in a very delightfully horrifying and gore filled way. really putting the horror back into the genre.
Why on earth does their version of the Phantom of the opera then seem like such a tame affair.
There are few traces of the good nasty Hammer gore feast and creepiness. and again the romance is non present. in fact it's written completely out of the story, there isn't as much as a hint towards it.
Not to say the movie haven't got it's cool factors, like the inserted villain, though despite of evil and slick he is. The phantom is the villain, so you shouldn't have to put another one in. well, in this movie the phantom is even more a victim than the Claude Rain version, and this Phantom couldn't even hurt a fly, what a bore.





in 1986 Andrews Lloyd webbers musical stage version of the phantom of the opera opened for the first time, this is probably the version most people is familiar with as it still lives and have become truly a classic. and it is awesome!
everything that is good about the phantom is in this musical and is used. The danger, the ghost story, the romance, the tragedy, the mystery and element of magic. not the mention the extremely grand music score. I saw this show twice in west end and once in a Danish production, and it's still just as awesome. cause it's just such a ride to watch, you just fell with this thing.
And people who says Andrew Lloyd Webber's music is bland clearly haven't seen this musical... all though with Stuff as "Cats" and "Star Light Express" behind him... I don't blame them.







The 1989 Phantom of the opera movie.
Freaking Robert Englund Freddy Kruger as the Phantom! need I say more.
well yeah, I do. two lines of description is hardly enough, I gotta make it at least ten.
This movie is really cool, it's kind of weird. sometimes in a good way sometimes in a bad, but really cool. It does not have the romance in it, but the dark edge and horror element is totally present plus it's such a good looking movie. whit great mystery elements in it, it's differently worth checking out for any horror fans.
plus, Freaking Freddy Kruger as the Phantom!




"Il Fantasma dell'opera", or just plain English Phantom of the opera 1998.
It's stuff like this that makes me sympathise with the nostalgia critic. THIS MOVIE SUCKS!
it's made by Dario Argento which is known for his gritty horror films, and so this should be a good edgy film. though, the horror is dump and disgusting more than anything else, the romance likewise so, the phantom isn't even disfigured, though as disgusting as ever. dude, there's a scene where he shows sexual pleasure by stuffing a rat into his pants, Christine who is by the way played by Argento's daughter is totally sexualiesed in the most disgusting non senses way, her feelings towards the phantom as he is suddenly totally in love with him makes absolutely no sense, he treats her horrible and then claims hi loves her, and she wants to stay with him.
I mentioned twilight before in this article, well this movie is way worse than twilight for kind of the same reasons. it just sucks, don't bother with it.



most recently in 2004 Joel Schumacher made the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webbers stage play. this movie is... really not living up to it's potential. it's so boring and plane, it looks way to clean and not edgy at all, the Phantom is really miss cast. (girls I know Gerard Butler is hot, but doesn't changes the fact that he was miss cast) You should think it would be easy as Joel Schumacher already had the script and incredible score in his hands, and just needed putting pictures on it. but all the cool stuff in the franchise and stage play, which is kind of edgy, he toned down and made way to clean. Like the Phantoms red dead costume at the masked ball, it's the most boring and clean cut Phantom/red dead costume I have ever seen.
The movie have its moments, and especially for girls the plain romantic music can get to you. but for an adaptation of one of the greatest stage musicals ever produced, it's just not good enough.





and then this yeas Andrew Lloyd Webber had all the fans of his original phantom of the opera musical enraged as the sequel "love never dies" had its opening at west end.
Have anyone ever done a stage sequel to a stage show? I have never seen it done before, and Ive had my eyes on stage shows for a long time.
Anyhow, I haven't seen it, just thought I would mention it. I listened to the soundtrack, it both have really good numbers in it and numbers that fall short.
Plus the most hardcore awesome musical number Andrew Lloyd Webber have ever composed, it's just so extraordinary awesome, and I would so kill to see it being used in a phantom movie. The song is called "Beauty underneath" it's on youtube. I implore everyone to just check it out, you will never think of Andrew Lloyd Webber the same way again.


And so on this ending note, this is another thing that I don't think will ever die. it's just a matter of time before another adaptation will see the light of day. I actually haven't covered all the versions I know of the Phantom of the opera in this article, there are books, other stage plays, television movie and cinematic spoof kind of movies I haven't even mentioned, the material is awesomely big, and fortunately is keeping on growing.
The next time I have access to the computer we will talk about "Darkman" which is a movie that in many ways reminds me both of Phantom of the opera, and the classic secret identity disguising hero, which is why I wanted to cover does two aspects this quickly. see yah around, hopefully.