Don Q, Son of Zorro (1925) with original Mortimer Wilson score (HD)

Released in 1925, Don Q, Son of Zorro is a sequel to Douglas Fairbank’s very successful The Mark of Zorro released in 1920. Fairbanks plays dual roles of Don Diego de Vega (Zorro) and his son, Don César de Vega. Sent by his father to Spain for his education, César falls in love with Dolores and owing to his prowess with the whip and sword, gains favor with the Spanish court and a visiting Austrian archduke. When the archduke is assassinated by one of the queen's guards Don César is accused and the only witness to the murder refuses to clear him. To gain time to unmask the real criminals César feigns suicide, and with the help of his father (Zorro), who arrives in Spain from California, succeeds proving his innocence and capturing the real murderer.

Silent movies were never really silent....they were almost always shown with live music which helped set the mood for the various scenes. Most movies never had an "official" score and for those that did the scores were usually just compilations of existing music - extracts from operas, classical standards or generic photoplay music written for film accompaniment. Don Q, Son of Zorro was the rare exception, Douglas Fairbanks once again commissioned Mortimer Wilson to compose a score of entirely original music for the New York premier in 1925 (he had previously commissioned Wilson to compose the score for The Thief of Bagdad in 1924 – that movie, with the Mortimer Wilson score, is available here:

   • The Thief of Bagdad (1924) with original M...  

This is the complete film with the original published score composed by Mortimer Wilson in 1925. Instrument parts include Flute, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, Bassoon, 2 French Horns, 2 Trumpets, 2 Trombones, Tympani & Percussion, Harp, and Strings. This score was used by orchestras in large theatres throughout the country during its release.

Public domain note: All motion pictures made and exhibited in the United States before 1926 are indisputably in the public domain. This date will move forward one year, every year, meaning that films released in 1926 will enter the public domain on New Year's Day 2022, films from 1927 on New Year's Day 2023, and so on. This public domain status also applies to the music composed by Mortimer Wilson in 1925 for this feature. My performance of this music, however, is copyright and may not be used without my permission.