Zorro's Fighting Legion

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Serial
Review: "Zorro's Fighting Legion" 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. "Zorro's Fighting Legion" is Saturday matinee escapism of the highest calibre.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best from Republic
Review: First, Amazon must be congratulated for stocking vintage serials available on Video. "Zorro's Fighting Legion" has always been one of my favourites from my child hood days. To be able to add this to my video collection is a dream come true. As this is one of John English and William Witney's best efforts. No other Zorro serial portrayed such an accurate version of this famous character. In this one, Don Diego alias Zorro is a sword-wielding swashbuckling hero and not a six-gun-toting cowboy as it were in the later Zorro serials. The star, Reed Hadley is perfect for the title role, and it is unfortunate that there were no sequels to this grand serial, as it would have been fabulous seeing Hadley ride again as Zorro. Each episode is jam-packed with action and ends with a spectacular cliff-hanger. It also features brilliant stunt work and great atmospheric music. Definitely deserves a space in any collector's library. One gripe though, why are the Republic serials not available on DVD? They should follow the footsteps of Universal who made the Flash Gordon Trilogy available in this format.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best from Republic
Review: First, Amazon must be congratulated for stocking vintage serials available on Video. "Zorro's Fighting Legion" has always been one of my favourites from my child hood days. To be able to add this to my video collection is a dream come true. As this is one of John English and William Witney's best efforts. No other Zorro serial portrayed such an accurate version of this famous character. In this one, Don Diego alias Zorro is a sword-wielding swashbuckling hero and not a six-gun-toting cowboy as it were in the later Zorro serials. The star, Reed Hadley is perfect for the title role, and it is unfortunate that there were no sequels to this grand serial, as it would have been fabulous seeing Hadley ride again as Zorro. Each episode is jam-packed with action and ends with a spectacular cliff-hanger. It also features brilliant stunt work and great atmospheric music. Definitely deserves a space in any collector's library. One gripe though, why are the Republic serials not available on DVD? They should follow the footsteps of Universal who made the Flash Gordon Trilogy available in this format.

Rating:
Summary: Republic's Best Serial
Review: I first saw ZFL on tv in 1953 when the networks were looking to fill time slots. Yakima Canutt's one of a kind stunt in chapter 7- falling under the moving stagecoach convinced me that I wanted to be a stuntman when I grew up. The climax- Don Diego and Don Del Oro in hand-to-hand combat- rolling around the floor of the ceremonial cave until Zorro pulls off the Golden God's helmut revealing ? as the villian. I've seen all of Republic's serials & none show the hero & villian fighting it out during the conclusion. The very best serial ever. ZFL ranks as my favorite movie of the century. Look how often scenes for modern movies have been taken from ZFL. I highly recommend it. 5 stars- the very best rating.

Rating:
Summary: ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE VERSION!!
Review: I was going to write my own review but michaeljmoore2 beat me to the punch. My old VHS version of this serial beats this DVD hands down. I still can't understand why the DVD version did not include the synopsis from the previous chapter. For me, this was one of the fun parts of the serial. It can't be because they ran out of space on the DVD since there are two DVDs with this set. Go figure.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed my 10 year old tape better
Review: I was going to write my own review but michaeljmoore2 beat me to the punch. My old VHS version of this serial beats this DVD hands down. I still can't understand why the DVD version did not include the synopsis from the previous chapter. For me, this was one of the fun parts of the serial. It can't be because they ran out of space on the DVD since there are two DVDs with this set. Go figure.

Rating:
Summary: Fun stuff!
Review: If you were brought up on the Disney Zorro TV series, this might not be your cup of tea, but if you enjoy the old-time cliff-hangers, you'll love this one. Reed Hadley (real name Reed Herring) is great as Zorro. One episode includes the famous stunt by Yakima Canutt where (as Zorro) he climbs from the team of galloping horses under the stagecoach and back up to save the day. The stunt occupies only about 2 seconds on the screen, but it's a classic. It's been recreated countless times since then, mostly with trick photography. Watch for Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger in the TV series) in a bit part as "Fernando".

Rating:
Summary: I'M GLAD TO KNOW THIS IS ALSO ON DVD
Review: IN THIS ONE, ZORRO MUST EXPOSE A MYSTERIOUS FIGURE WHOM THE YACQUI PEOPLE WORSHIP BEFORE HE STEALS ALL THE GOLD FROM ITS MEXICAN NEIGHBORS. A VERY GOOD SERIAL. ALL 12 OF THE CHAPTERS ARE ACTION PACKED AND EXCITING. GO FIND A COPY OF THIS AND BUY IT NOW. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THIS SERIAL.

Rating:
Summary: ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE VERSION!!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Great Serial
Review: The famous under the Coach leap seen in Indian Jones was born here and much used in those days. A good Zorro well written and enjoyed. One of the better Zorro Serials. Take it for what it is, black and white and don't compare......enjoy!