Man of La Mancha (1972)

The funny story of mad but kind and chivalrous elderly nobleman Don Quixote who, aided by his squire Sancho Panza, fights windmills that are seen as dragons to save prostitute Dulcinea who is seen as a noblewoman.

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writers:

Dale Wasserman (musical play), Dale Wasserman (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter O'Toole	...	Don Quixote De La Mancha / Miguel de Cervantes / Alonso Quijana
Sophia Loren	...	Dulcinea / Aldonza
James Coco	...	Sancho Panza / Cervantes' Manservant
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

Storyline

This musical version of Don Quixote is framed by an incident allegedly from the life of its author, Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote is the mad, aging nobleman who embarrasses his respectable family by his adventures. Backed by his faithful sidekick Sancho Panza, he duels windmills and defends his perfect lady Dulcinea (who is actually a downtrodden whore named Aldonza).

---

Plot Keywords:

16th century | 1500s | remake | windmill | based on stage musical | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 September 1973 (Italy)

Also Known As:

El hombre de La Mancha

Filming Locations:

Tarquinia, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Produzioni Europee Associate (PEA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All of Aldonza's songs were either slightly altered or cut. "It's All The Same" was presented complete but had a few of its lyrics rewritten by Joe Darion. The song "Aldonza" had two of its verses cut, so that the version heard in the film begins with the verse "For a lady has modest and maidenly airs . . . " The second verse of the deathbed reprise of "Dulcinea" was left out of the film, and the song "What Does He Want of Me", which Aldonza sings (in the stage version) after receiving Quixote's "missive", was completely omitted.

---

Goofs

Miguel (pronounced Mee-GELL) is mispronounced by various characters as "Mee-GWELL", including Peter O'Toole when introducing himself to the other prisoners.

---

Quotes

Don Quixote: Dear God, it is she. Sweet lady, fair virgin. I dare not gaze fully upon thy countenance as I'd be blinded by beauty.
Aldonza: I'll get you the wine.
Don Quixote: My lady, you must not wait upon my needs, I implore you. Speak once, your name
Aldonza: Aldonza.
Don Quixote: My lady jest!
Aldonza: Aldonza!

---

Crazy Credits

Practically all of the actors in the film, with the exception of those who play the Captain of the Guard and the soldiers of the Spanish Inquisition respectively, play dual or triple roles, but only five of them are actually listed in the credits as having done so. All of the other actors are listed as if they only played one role in the film, as the prisoners generally aren't given names.

---

Alternate Versions

The DVD features the MGM logo in the credits, but not the United Artists one, although the film is a United Artists release. The VHS release featured both logos, and the original theatrical release only the United Artists one, along with the Transamerica logo (Transamerica once owned UA).

---

Connections

Version of The Painting of a Miraculous Spider (1908)

---

Soundtracks

Aldonza
Music by Mitch Leigh
Lyrics by Joe Darion
Sung by Sophia Loren

User Reviews

maligned and misunderstood

Bringing big Broadway musicals to the screen has always posed tremendous problems for film makers. The results have by and large been unsatisfactory, with few exceptions. The late 60's brought us "Camelot", (67),"Hello Dolly" (69) and "Fiddler on the Roof" (71), all films adhering to the unquestioned rule that bigger is better, be it casts, sets and orchestrations. All three were overblown bores. Arthur Hiller's concept for "Man of La Mancha" is clearly the antithesis of what had become expected of the musical on film. He decided to use the film media not as a device for augmentation in a broad sense, but rather to focus in on the characters and bring them as close to the audience as possible using naturally many close-ups. They are the crux of the film; not massive sets, huge choruses or dazzling choreography. "Man of la Mancha" boasts two fine songs; the rest are pretty mediocre, which justifies Hiller's keeping the music as a device to serve the characters and not the other way around. From the very start with the credits appearing, the audience is geared up for one of those massively orchestrated rousing overtures. Yet, what we are offered is an underscored, almost chamber music style overture setting the tone for the entire film. The message as with chamber music is clear; the focus is on the content, not the trappings.

The critics by and large hated the film. Maltin in particular is uncharacteristically savage in his criticism. They simply were not prepared to accept an unorthodox approach to a huge Broadway success. While "Dolly", "Camelot" and "Fiddler" tend to be almost impossible viewing today, "Man of La Mancha" remains astonishingly fresh, very much vindicating Hiller's concept of this much maligned and misunderstood movie.

Being so focused on character, the films success would lie with its principal players. O'Toole gives a bravura performance, one of his finest, while Loren too, is perfect in her role. Sure the soundtrack is not one to listen to in the way one would a Broadway musical. But both O'Toole's and Loren's shaky vocals are in perfect sync with the fragility of their characters and hence very human and very moving. If more Broadway musicals had been brought to the screen with such a clear concept as was "La Mancha", the movie musical may have enjoyed far greater success.