Man of La Mancha
by Arthur Hiller
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Harry Andrews, James Coco, John Castle (II), Peter O'Toole, Sophia LorenDirector: Arthur Hiller
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 129 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-05-11
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Man of La Mancha
Movie Review: Proves The Point Cervantes Was Trying To Make
Summary: 2 Stars
This movie is a contradiction of what Cervantes intended. The very ideals to which the musicial aspires are exactly that which the author of Don Quixote was making fun of.
The plot is taken out of context. The fine acting, direction, et cetera with the music and songs not withstanding, it is an inane presentation of the story. Don Miguel was never in trouble with Church authorities who treasured his writings - which were actually two books. He was imprisoned for alleged misappropriation of funds when he was something of a courier for the Spanish treasury. In prison he wrote some but not all of Don Quixote. The author was a slave and a prisoner as Peter O'Toole says in the movie, captured by the infidels and held for ransom. He was a soldier maimed in the battle of Lepanto near Cornith.
As noted by another reviewer, Aldonza-Dulcinea is not a real character in the book, but exist only in the mind of Don Quixote who is so humored by Sancho. In the book, Sancho is sent by the Don with a message to Dulcinea. He returns, alleging that he delivered the message, knowing full well Dulcinea does not exist. Later in their travels Don Quixote is eager for Sancho to take him to Dulcinea. In a pickle, Sancho riding with the Don sees two women, one of whom is Aldonza, who Sancho insist is Dulcinea but bewitched by the Great Enchanter to look like Aldonza. The event is full of humor at Don Quixote's constertation, the two hapless women's confusion, and Sancho secretely laughing to himself at the whole affair.
Also, it was the Knight of the Moon, and not the Knight of the Mirrors who defeated Don Quixote. Both were Sanson Carrasco in disguise, who as the Knight of the Mirrors is caught off guard in a joust and knocked off his horse by the Don. This was clearly shown in the horrible Hallmark hall of shame television movie with John Lithgow as Don Quixote.
If the reader of this review wants the truth of Don Quixote and Don Miguel, as with all great works, ditch the movies and read the books!
Summary of Man of La Mancha
Academy Award?(r) winners* Peter O'toole and Sophia Loren are magnificent in this lavishlyproduced (LA Herald-Examiner) and beautifully acted (The New York Times) epic masterpiece. Featuring an Oscar?(r)-nominated** score with the classic 'the Impossible Dream, this original and daring (Films & Filming) musical is an experience not to be missed! Jailed during the Spanish Inquisition for offending the church, author Miguel de Cervantes (O'toole) is forced to act out one of his manuscripts for the entertainment of fellow inmates. Cervantes delivers a rapturous performance as the legendary Don Quixote, the chivalrous knight whose choice to see lifeas it should be, not as it is, takes him into battles with an imaginary foe and into romance with the beautiful Dulcinea (Loren). *O'toole: Honorary Award (2002); Loren: Actress, Two Women (1961), Honorary Award (1990) **1972It's hard to imagine a finer Don Quixote than Peter O'Toole, who's spent most of his career with a slightly mad, dreaming look in his marvelous eyes. O'Toole's suitability for the role is tested by the Broadway treatment of Man of La Mancha, the film version of the hit stage musical. Everybody knows "The Impossible Dream," that indomitable hymn to, well, quixotic questing, and it is indeed the best of the Spanish-inflected songs. Despite the location shooting in Italy, Love Story director Arthur Hiller can't elude the stagey concept (in which Cervantes, imprisoned by the Inquisition, acts out the tale of Don Quixote for his fellow prisoners). James Coco, as Sancho Panza, is overshadowed by the film's irresistible Dulcinea: Sophia Loren, at her mature peak. (Her singing, alas, is not as ripe as her beautiful self.) If you love Cervantes for his earthy ironies, this movie will seem a curious slice of inspirational shtick. --Robert Horton
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