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 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
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).

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Plot Keywords:

based on stage musical | 16th century | 1500s | remake | don quixote | 

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Taglines:

Years and years from now you'll still remember the first time you saw it.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter O'Toole recorded his vocal tracks for the film, but after realizing his own voice was not sufficient enough for the requirements of the music, assisted in the search for a singing voice double. The man O'Toole initially picked sounded nothing like him, so a new search was begun, and eventually Simon Gilbert was selected as the singing voice of Don Quixote, as his singing voice sounded the most like O'Toole's speaking voice.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Miguel de Cervantes: Life as it is. I've lived for over 40 years and I've seen life as it is. Pain. Misery. Cruelty beyond belief. I've heard all the voices of God's noblest creature. Moans from bundles of filth in the street. I've been a soldier and a slave. I've seen my comrades fall in battle or die more slowly under the lash in Africa. I've held them in my arms at the final moment. These were men who saw life as it is, yet they died despairing. No glory, no brave last words, only their eyes, filled with ...

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Crazy Credits

During the opening credits, we see the animated sails of a windmill, which, with each turn, begin to reveal, and finally become, a sketch of the face of Don Quixote. The camera moves in for an extreme closeup of the facial features, which, as the camera gets close, reveal themselves to be a giant prop in an outdoor stage presentation during a festival. As the opening credits end, the sketch of that prop dissolves into the real item.

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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).

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Connections

Referenced in Switched at Birth: The Past (Forgotten-Swallowed) (2014)

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Soundtracks

Dulcinea
Music by Mitch Leigh
Lyrics by Joe Darion
Performed by Simon Gilbert and Men's Chorus

User Reviews

A Rather Solid Musical!

The users on this board seemed to concur that this was somehow a bad musical but I disagree. I'm really particular when it comes to people just bursting out into song for no apparent reason and this was one of those few times where I actually liked it. I've always enjoyed the Don Quixote story and this was a fantastic turnaround. I can see why some viewers say that the singing wasn't nearly as extraordinary as it was on Broadway but few film adaptations are. Besides the acting was stellar and it drew out extreme emotions of happiness, sorrow, or laughter out of me at times. Though dirty and ragged I found Sophia Lauren to still be beautiful and her body is absolutely perfect in every way I can fathom. Peter O'Toole was great as a crazy old man set forth on an unattainable quest for glory and at the end someone who had to once again face the harsh life of reality. For those of us who haven't seen it on the stage I feel it is a wonderful performance that was thoroughly enjoyable for persons of all ages that are looking to be whisked away by a tiny bit of magic! I'm positive that I'll have some of the songs stuck in my head for at least several days now.

Final Blaze:

Movies: I don't usually see musicals on the big screen.

DVD Purchase: If my budget ever increases to a more desirable level.

Rental: An awesome choice!

Details

Country:

USA Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 September 1973 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Man of 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