Young Rebel (1967)
"Cervantes" (original title)

A highly fictionalized filming of the early life of Miguel de Cervantes, author of "Don Quixote".

Director:

Vincent Sherman

Writers:

Enrico Bomba, Bruno Frank (novel),

Stars:

Horst Buchholz, Gina Lollobrigida, José Ferrer

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Horst Buchholz	...	Miguel de Cervantes
Gina Lollobrigida	...	Giulia
José Ferrer	...	Hassan Bey
Louis Jourdan	...	Cardinal Acquaviva
Francisco Rabal	...	Rodrigo Cervantes
Fernando Rey	...	Philip II
Soledad Miranda	...	Nessa
Antonio Casas
Ángel del Pozo
Uzzieno Cortini
Ricardo Palacios
José Jaspe
José Nieto
André Spengler
Maurice de Canonge

Storyline

In this romanticized biography of Spain's most celebrated novelist, young Miguel Cervantes, son of a country doctor, cockily pushes better-bred, court-connected peacock chicks aside for the post of private secretary to monsignor (soon cardinal) Acquaviva, papal envoy to king Philip II of Spain. Realizing his friendship with the Ottoman general-envoy was abused to win time while an avoidable 'crusade' was mounted, Miguel resigns but joins the Holy League's fleet. He and his brother become marked heroes, but get no serious reward and are captured by Algiers pirates for the slave market, yet set aside to bring ransom. Instead, they mount a brave slave revolt.

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Plot Keywords:

cervantes | turk | fall | torture chamber | jail | 

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Taglines:

From lovemaking to high adventure! He could be delightful, devious, or deadly!

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

M

Details

Country:

Spain France Italy

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

January 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Young Rebel

Filming Locations:

Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Prisma de Cinematografía, Procinex, Protor Film S.r.l.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vincent Sherman's last film. Blacklisted by Hollywood, he would direct for television until his death in 2006.

User Reviews

A colorful look at a neglected era

The writing, direction, and acting in "Cervantes" are no more than serviceable, making it yet another in that long line of "costumers" which came out of the European film industry in the '50s and '60s. However, "Cervantes" has the advantage of being set in the 16th-century, when Christian and Islamic forces fought for control of the Mediterranean, and it's this rich background -- not often explored by the movies -- which gives "Cervantes" its points of interest. The casting here is also a notch better than usual, with acting honors going to Jose Ferrer as a Turkish Bey. And those viewers who dislike leading man Horst Buchholz will be pleased to learn that he's both flogged and racked in this movie and, at one point, almost beheaded.