One of the first Paella or Tortlla Western filmed in Spain with spectacular outdoors from Manzanares Del Real and Colmenar Viejo (Madrid), locations where were filmed a lot of Westerns , pre-Almeria boom . Acceptable Iberian Western professionally realized by the best Tortilla Western director , Joaquin Romero Marchent . It packs crossfire , thrills , action , go riding , lots of shots and gun-play . This exciting western titled ¨Cabalgangando Hacia Muerte¨ (Spanish title) , or ¨L'ombra di Zorro" - Italy (original title), or "The Shadow of Zorro" - UK, USA title or "Shades of Zorro¨ has a breathtaking showdown between the protagonist Frank Latimore and the enemies as Robert Hundar , Raf Baldassarre and other hoodlums . It deals with two brothers , the slimy , menacing outlaw Billy (Claudio Undari as Robert Hundar) and Dan (Paul Piaget) who swear to carry out a bloody revenge against Zorro when in previous film titled ¨Zorro the avenger¨ at a confrontation resulted in brother's murder . As the nasty brothers disguising as ¨The Zorro¨ and execute hold-ups , killings and stagecoach assaults incriminating the real Zorro (Frank Latimore posing as Don Jose De La Torre). As Billy and Dan are relentless in their vendetta , deadly in their violence . The conflict is simple , one between two merciless revenger killers against the masked Zorro .
This moving Zorro Western contains thrills , gun-play , shimmer locations and being proceeded in American style more tan Spaghetti . This Iberian western contains a story full of 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 well as Spaniards were doing but their product, if you like traditional westerns remains watchable . Interesting screenplay and story by Jose Mallorqui , a notorious writer who wrote the successful ¨El Coyote¨ series . It results to be a trilling as well as a western vengeance with lots of shots , fights and emotion . The film packs action , thrills , shootouts , drama , high body-count and entertainment . It's a decent western with spectacular outdoors and breathtaking confrontation among protagonists , as Frank Latimore who repeats his role against two implacable brothers : Paul Piaget and Robert Hundar , -pseudonym of Claudio Undari- a Sicilian actor specialized in western films , as he is magnificent as a violent gunfighter dressed in black ; he steals the show as a merciless bandit similarly to Jack Palance's Shane . 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 , Diana Lorys , José Marco Davo , Lorenzo Robledo , Rufino Ingles , Xan Das Bolas , Carlos Romero Marchent : director's brother , and many others . Although this time doesn't appear the regular Fernando Sancho . The musician Manuel Parada composes an atmospheric soundtrack and well conducted . Regular cinematography , though being necessary a perfect remastering , 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¨ directed by Marchent and this one .
The sequel was well produced by Copercines/Eduardo Manzanos Brochero who produced 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 vengeance¨, ¨Two crosses in Danger Pass¨ and being also financed by PEA/Alberto Grimaldi , previously to produce his successful trilogy of dollars/Sergio Leone . The motion picture was compellingly directed and in traditional style by recently deceased 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 built 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 : ¨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¨.
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