Acceptable Paella/Spaghetti Zorro Western co-produced by Spain/Italy , being decently directed by expert filmmaker Joaquin Romero Marchent , in fact , if you like traditional westerns this one remains watchable . One of the first Tortilla or Chorizo Western - pre Sergio Leone boom- filmed in Spain with spectacular outdoors from Manzanares Del Real and Colmenar Viejo (Madrid), locations where were filmed a lot of Westerns , pre-Almeria outbursting . It's a decent western with spectacular landscapes and breathtaking confrontation among protagonists . This exciting western titled ¨Zorro the Avenger¨ (United States) or ¨Zorro il Vindicatore¨ (Italy) or ¨La Venganza del Zorro¨ (Spain) or ¨Zorro le vengeur¨ (France) had a follow-up titled ¨Cabalgando Hacia Muerte¨ (Spanish title) , or ¨L'ombra di Zorro" - Italy (original title), or "The Shadow of Zorro" - UK, USA title or "Shades of Zorro¨. It deals with Don José de la Torre (Frank Latimore posing as Zorro) , a foppish and wealthy owner who disguises himself as Zorro, the masked freedom fighter , who attempts to save his people from the wrath of an evil military officer : Colonel Clarence (Howard Vernon) who is using his position to his own advantage supported by his henchmen .Then a new and honest governor (José Marco Davo) comes to California to rule , he is accompanied by his beautiful daghter (Maria Silva) , and Don José/Zorro falls in love for her . Along the way , three villain US soldiers (Paul Piaget , Emilio Rodriguez, Antonio Molino Rojo) execute a set-up in which they murder a priest incriminating a Zorro's friend , Juan Aguilar (Rafael Romero Marchent's director's brother) . Later on , Zorro seeks revenge , as he is relentless in their vendetta , deadly in their violence . The conflict is simple , one between three merciless killers against the masked revenger Zorro . While they commiting rampage as well as killings , and population blames the real Zorro . At the end takes place the classy confrontation by fencing between the good guy and the bad guy.
Passable Iberian Western professionally realized by the best Tortilla Western director , Joaquin Romero Marchent . This moving Zorro Western contains thrills , gun-play , shimmer locations and being proceeded in American style more than Spaghetti . This Iberian western contains a story full of action , vengeance , good dramatic pace and slick direction . This is a classical western before Leone's style , it is an ordinary example of American western style , though it is partly Spanish and partly Italian . The Spanish westerns of this era were far more likely to try and emulate their American source material than cultivate a distinctive style of their own the way the Italians ; as Spaniards were doing too their own product in peculiar manners . Interesting screenplay and story by the famous Jesús Franco , ¨Uncle Jess¨ , along with director Joaquin Romero Marchent himself . It results to be a trilling as well as a western vengeance with lots of shots , fights and emotion . Stars Frank Latimore gives a likeable acting as Don José disguising as ¨The Zorro¨ . It has breathtaking showdown between the protagonist Frank Latimore and the enemies as the military official performed by Howard Vernon , Jesús Franco's regular , and other hoodlums as Paul Piaget , Molino Rojo or Red Mills and Emilio Rodriguez . Charismatic performance for whole casting , as there appears usual Italian/Spanish Western support actors , a largely secondary cast filled with familiar faces , all of them ordinary in Chorizo/Spaghetti western , such as : Maria Silva , José Marco Davo , Lorenzo Robledo , José Riesgo, Antonio Molino , Guillermo Méndez , Iran Eory , Jesús Tordesillas , Ángel Álvarez , Alfonso de la Vega , Manuel Alexandre , Emilio Rodríguez , Carlos Romero Marchent : director's brother , and many others . The musician Manuel Parada composes an atmospheric soundtrack and well conducted . Regular cinematography , though being necessary a perfect remastering , holding a horrible copy , filmed by cameraman Rafael Pacheco on locations in Manzanares Del Real and Colmenar Viejo , as usual ; including good sets by Jaime Perez Cubero and Jose Luis Galicia , creating a nice scenario with luminous outdoors , rocky landscapes under a glimmer sun and fine sets by these expert set designers who carried out the most Production Design on Westerns shot in Spain . They made a little town called ¨Golden City¨ where filmed several Westerns as ¨Welcome Padre Murray¨ , ¨Brandy¨ , various ¨Zorros¨ , other Marchent films and the prestigious ¨Fistful of dollars¨ trilogy also produced by Alberto Grimaldi .
The sequel was well produced by Copercines/Eduardo Manzanos Brochero who financed various films for Marchent brothers as Joaquin Romero Marchent : ¨El Coyote¨ , ¨Venganza Del Coyote¨, and this ¨Cabalgando Hacia Muerte¨; and for Rafael Romero Marchent : ¨Quien Grita Venganza¨, ¨Two crosses in Danger Pass¨ and being also financed by PEA/Alberto Grimaldi , previously to produce his successful trilogy of dollars/Sergio Leone . This film containing action , thrills , shootouts , drama , high body-count and entertainment was compellingly directed and in traditional style by Joaquin Marchent (1921-2012) . He was an expert writer and director of good Western . His first film was ¨El Coyote¨ and the sequel titled ¨Revenge of Coyote¨ shot in Mexico . After that , he filmed ¨The shadow of Zorro¨ and ¨Revenge of Zorro¨. He went go directing Western as ¨ Riding to death ¨ , ¨Adventures in the West¨ , ¨Three good men¨, ¨Sabor Venganza ¨ and the most popular and violent ¨Condenados a Vivir¨ . Plus , he wrote for his brother Rafael Romero the following Westerns : ¨Manos Torpes¨, ¨Ocaso un Pistolero¨ and ¨Garringo¨ . Rating : Acceptable ,it has its entertaining moments here and there .
Zorros's producer , ¨Eduardo Manzanos Brochero¨, ordered to build a Western town in Hoyo De Manzanares (Madrid) , today disappeared , called ¨Golden City¨ where filmed several Westerns and various Zorros . Other Zorros filmed by that time are as follows : ¨Zorro all Corte di Spaña¨ (1963) by Luigi Capuano , ¨Zorro versus Maciste¨ by Umberto Lenzi with Pierre Brice , Alan Steel , Moira Orfei ; ¨El Jiuramento Di Zorro¨ by Ricardo Blasco with Guy Stockwell , Antonio Prieto , Gloria Milland and Mikaela ; its sequel titled ¨Oath of Zorro¨ by Ricardo Blasco with Tony Russel , Maria Jose Alfonso , Sancho Gracia and Agustin Gonzalez ; ¨Zorro Il Ribelle¨ by Piero Pirotti with Howard Ross ; ¨Il Figlio Di Zorro¨ (1973) by Gianfranco Baldanello and two directed by Jose Luis Merino with Charles Quiney and Maria Pia Conte as ¨Zorro the rider of vendetta¨ and ¨Zorro of Monterrey¨ . This ¨La venganza de Zorro¨ (1962) was followed by ¨Cabalgando hacia la muerte¨ , a so-so sequel concerning two brothers , the slimy , menacing outlaw Billy (Claudio Undari as Robert Hundar) and Dan (Paul Piaget who however in the first part was killed by Zorro) who swear to carry out a bloody revenge against Zorro (Frank Latimore again) when in previous film titled ¨Zorro the avenger¨ at a confrontation resulted in brother's murder .
