Man of La Mancha (1972)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

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:

Librettist Dale Wasserman omitted from the screenplay what was apparently one of his most favorite lines from the play, uttered by Don Quixote, "Facts are the enemy of truth."

Goofs:

Continuity: At the start of the brawl with the Muleteers, the position of Aldonza keeps changing from standing right next to Pedro to farther behind him. She also appears to be moving towards him in two separate shots.

Quotes:

Miguel de Cervantes: I have never had the courage to believe in nothing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Atomic Brain (#6.18)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Aldonza

A great movie

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It saddens me that there are those out there who think this movie was horrible. How can you watch O'Toole give his speech: "Maddest of all: to see life as it is and not as it should be!" and not be brought to emotion? This movie is not exactly like the theater version. However, if you note who made the screenplay changes, the song changes, etc., it's the same men who worked on the play. There are some good songs cut out. And Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren are not the world's best singers. But this movie is brilliant. Coco is a wonderful Sancho, I love his voice and his expression. O'Toole is a fabulous actor and I felt like the prisoners in the end singing "The Impossible Dream." I own this movie. I encourage anyone who hasn't seen it to go get it and watch it. It has inspired me to try to do better in everything I do, and I often watch it and sing the songs to remind me to "see life as it should be." And if this movie needs a defender, I sign up for the job.