Man of La Mancha (1972)

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writers:

Dale Wasserman (musical play) and
Dale Wasserman (screenplay)

Release Date:

February 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren and James Coco dream 'The Impossible Dream' in...

Plot:

This musical version of Don Quixote is framed by an incident allegedly from the life of its author, Miguel de Cervantes...

Plot Keywords:

Poet | Mock Trial | Windmill | Playwright | Spanish Inquisition

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Peter O'Toole	...	Don Quixote de La Mancha / Miguel de Cervantes / Alonso Quijana
Sophia Loren	...	Dulcinea / Aldonza
James Coco	...	Sancho Panza
Harry Andrews	...	The Innkeeper / The Governor
John Castle	...	Sanson Carrasco / The Duke
Brian Blessed	...	Pedro
Ian Richardson	...	The Padre
Julie Gregg	...	Antonia Quijana
Rosalie Crutchley	...	The Housekeeper
Gino Conforti	...	The Barber
Marne Maitland	...	Captain of the Guard
Dorothy Sinclair	...	The Innkeeper's Wife
Miriam Acevedo	...	Fermina
Dominic Barto	...	Muleteer (as Dominic Bartó)
Poldo Bendandi	...	Muleteer

Also Known As:

L'uomo della Mancha (Italy)

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Germany:6 | Finland:K-16 | USA:PG | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | UK:PG | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA)

Trivia:

The original stage production opened at the ANTA Washington Square theater in New York City on 22 November 1965, moving to Broadway after a short run, and eventually having a total of 2329 performances. The cast featured Richard Kiley in the role of Don Quixote who won the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. "Man of La Mancha" won the 1966 Tony Awards for the Best Musical and Best Score.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Cervantes is shown using both hands, but he wrote Don Quixote years after he lost his left hand in the Battle of Lepanto.

Quotes:

Sancho Panza: Many a man has gone to bed feeling well, only to wake up the next morning and find himself dead.
Don Quixote: That's a proverb.
Sancho Panza: Yes, Your Grace.
Don Quixote: I don't approve of them.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Pinky and the Brain: Ambulatory Abe/The Mouse of La Mancha (#1.12)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Man of La Mancha

Greatest Movie Ever

I consider myself somewhat of a movie aficionado, having seen several thousand movies over the past forty years; and I can unequivocably say that "Man of La Mancha" is my all-time favorite movie. While some of the familiar criticisms lodged against it are valid, there is still no other movie that can approach its depth or poignancy. I judge a movie by its ability to move me: to make me laugh, to make me cry, to make me think. This movie tackles one of the greatest themes of life: whether to live in a helpful illusion or live in the harshness of reality. Don Quixote's story is the ultimate in human heroism, a tragic man of courage struggling to see and live life, not as it is, but as it should be. His unwavering idealism in the face of all-too-familiar cynicism and skepticism is both foolhardy and inspiring. This movie always leaves me, not with tears trickling, but with great sobbing. I strongly recommend it for both your heart and your head.