A Slice of Local History : Sword-fighting ‘Zorro’ takes filmgoers back to the Valley in 1920.

Are you a fourth-grader who is tired of required reading about California history and more interested in watching a masked, sword-wielding hero knocking over bad guys--lots of bad guys--and saving our state from evil?

Well, get your parents to take you to the Autry Museum of Western Heritage this weekend to see “The Mark of Zorro.”

Tell them it’s a movie about California history--which it is, sort of--and you have to know this stuff for school.

But don’t let on that you’re going to be seeing swordplay and some leaping on and off of horses, cliffs and fortress walls that’s a match for the best video game action. But in “The Mark of Zorro,” it’s real people rather than computer-generated actors, the movie is in black and white and, except for a booming musical score, it’s silent.

While your parents sit in the Autry Museum theater fighting images of you attempting Zorro-like stunts at home, distract them by whispering that they should pay special attention during the movie’s exterior scenes.

They may be interested to know that they’re seeing the San Fernando Valley as it was in 1920. According to historian Lawrence B. De Graaf, who will introduce the film, “Zorro” was filmed here.

The Zorro character, while fictional, may have been the original Valley secessionist--trying to get grasping government officials out of the way.

In his presentation, which sorts out the cinematic fantasy from historical facts, De Graaf, a professor of history at Cal State Fullerton, will bring up information that lots of kids may already know from school.

Such as: The real-life Gov. Alvarado was a good guy. In the movie he’s an oppressor. Real world California back then had a population as ethnically diverse as it is today. But in the movie all the people are of Spanish descent.

At least the scenery in the movie is authentic, except for some fanciful palacios built for the filming, De Graaf said. So viewers get to travel back in time to see what California was like in the rancho era.

This weekend’s screenings are part of a monthly series at the museum entitled “California Chronicle: Through the Lens of Hollywood,” and can provide kids a fun way to learn about California history.

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BE THERE

“The Mark of Zorro,” Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Wells Fargo Theater, Autry Museum of Western Heritage, 4700 Heritage Way. Free on Saturday, $3 Sunday. (213) 667-2000.