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).

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

A Musical Adventure!

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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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

The film (and play) is actually only inspired by a tiny section of Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra' "Don Quixote".

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Goofs

Both the film and stage performances of the play on which it's based depict the elderly Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra as able to use both hands. The real Cervantes had a paralyzed left hand from his wound in the Battle of Lepanto (1571) when he was a 20-something.

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Quotes

Don Quixote de La Mancha: [singing] To right the unrightable wrong / To love, pure and chaste from afar / To try, when your arms are too weary / To reach the unreachable star.

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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.

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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

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

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!