Zorro

With ZORRO, Delon made the transition from European auteur cinema to adventure and genre film. As Don Diego de la Vega, he assumed the identity of the legendary, masked Zorro to take on the tyrannical governor and protect the people. The film combines classic adventure motifs with popular Italo-French 1970s genre cinema. Delon used his image as an elegant and charismatic star for a role that combined action, humor and romantic elements. ZORRO shows a different side of the actor's Italian filmography, as well as the international reach of popular cinema in the 1970s. It was a huge box-office success, and not only in Europe. In 1978, it was among the first Western films to be shown in China after the Cultural Revolution; it is said to have been seen by some 70 million people. (mm)