clanciai I never liked the 400 year old world famous novel, as I felt its character a painful embarrassment doing nothing but making a fool of himself in a kind of madness I could never stand as completely out of all detachment. But this play and film actually makes something serious out of this dismal story, which I could never find funny in any way. What's so funny in presenting the weakness and madness of an old demented man making a painful spectacle of himself? Instead of being only about the old painful failure and loser, it's about Miguel de Cervantes himself, who gets into trouble with the inquisition and is put in jail together with thiefs, murderers and wicked ladies. They are managed by an old ruffian nicknamed the Governor (Harry Andrews), who according to tradition puts the newcomer to trial to be prosecuted by these gangsters and murderers. For his defense Cervantes presents his character Don Quixote and stages his story. Thus the scene changes into the poor old man's adventures with the windmill, at an inn and with his fearful relatives. The trollop at the inn Sophia Loren is eventually discovered by him as his Dulcinea, while he has a fearful rival in Brian Blessed, who is a villain indeed and makes the best of it, while they couldn't have found any better Sancho Panza than James Coco. There is also a young Ian Richardson as the priest. To all this comes the marvel of a great musical. Mitch Leigh actually finds his way into the very element of Spanish music, there are some great dance nu,bers as well,.and the lyrics of Dale Wassermann add to make this film as paramount a filmed musical as "Fiddler on the Roof". This is a joy to behold again and again, for you cannot see this film without wanting to see it sometime again.To this comes also the metaphysical or psychological aspect. When Don Quixote finally wakes up in his bed he has forgotten all his adventures, they are lost to him as forgotten dreams, while realíty appears as a lie. The madness of the knight of the woeful countenance was actually the truth, and Peter O'Toole manages eloquently to present this paradox in his acting, that he was true and sane as mad, while brought to reality he has lost everything that had any meaning.This is also the greatness of the novel, and this film and play manages marvellously to bring this out.

rm-hess Many decry the dubbing of voices but this is not Oklahoma or the Sound of Music. This is Don Quixote. The presentation has been changed and though shortened, the story is the same. An aged man of some means, who believes in honor, courage and love. He has lived this way in the hope others would emulate him. Near the end of his time his studies show him he will only find the life he desires in fiction. He determines to become part of that fiction, so much does reality depress him. Astride a magnificent stallion, resplendent in armor; he seeks the monsters that inhabit the universe. He must do something to make a change. To find the core of evil and destroy it, so life will be more humane for all. This is his quest. I don't think anybody can do desperate better than Peter O'Toole. I don't think I've seen Sophia Loren earthier. Their lack of singing skills should have no matter. This is a story punctuated with the emotion of song; not reliant on it. Check it out.

readerguy There isn't much I can add to the many excellent reviews on this site. I thought the acting was superb across the whole cast. The singing by O'Toole and Loren obviously wasn't what you would expect from professional singing voices, but it was much better than I would have expected, and I thought it was wonderful that these fine actors were allowed to use their own voices in the film. O'Toole was beyond excellent as both a younger and older man as was Sophia Loren who fit the part perfectly, and she was breathtaking to look at in her every scene. I read that many people believe this is greatest novel ever written. The movie gives many who wouldn't begin to tackle the huge 1000+ page volume access to this wonderful story. While several of the songs are less than memorable, each performance of "Impossible Dream" in this film is very moving and alone are worth seeing the movie. The wonderful message here about a positive, idealistic outlook to life and the power of dreams makes "Man of La Mancha" a remarkable story - and, in my humble opinion, a truly great movie.

bkoganbing Back when I was a teen I was fortunate enough to see one of the 2328 productions of Man Of La Mancha in the original Broadway run. It ran from 1965 to 1971 which explains why it took so long to make it to the screen. Richard Kiley as Cervantes(Don Quixote) and Joan Diener as Dulcinea were magnificent, they could sing as well as act.Sad that Kiley and Diener were never movie names because it would have been worth seeing them preserve their performances for future generations on film. In the acting department no one could complain about Peter O'Toole or Sophia Loren. It is unfortunate that they couldn't bring equally good singing voices to the songs that Mitchell Leigh and Joe Darion wrote.Don Quixote is the story of a man who chooses to retreat from reality and go into a world that he thinks is better in the past. That's not a unique situation to a problem, some of us who don't like the world as we see it develop all kinds of mechanisms to cope. Wasn't that what Harvey was all about?Jimmy Stewart had his giant rabbit and Peter O'Toole tilts at windmills, but the principle is the same. You can even see people not as they are, but their better natures like Sophia Loren as the tavern serving wench and friend for the night if the price is right. But to O'Toole she's the lady Dulcinea.In real life Cervantes never faced the Inquisition which was a religious court. He did spend some time in jail for irregularities in his accounts when he was a purchasing agent for the Armada. It certainly did give him a perspective on prison and the people inside.From the Broadway cast Gino Conforti repeated his role as the traveling barber who has a shiny shaving basin that O'Toole thinks is a golden helmet of invincibility. It's a funny and very cute role that Conforti seems to have made his own.Man Of La Mancha also had the misfortune to be up against another long running Broadway musical which made it to the big screen in 1972. That also required a singing/acting lead and Cabaret got it with Liza Minnelli. Cabaret which won several Oscars that The Godfather didn't win that year sadly made Man Of La Mancha pale in comparison.Allan Jones who had eschewed Hollywood years ago did summer stock productions of Man Of La Mancha for years. He would have been a perfect lead here, but he was way out of the Hollywood scene for too long.In fact this version of Man Of La Mancha is a good film, but won't ever qualify as one of the great film adaptions of a Broadway musical.