Man of La Mancha (film)

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Man of La Mancha
DVD cover for Man of La Mancha
Directed by	Arthur Hiller
Produced by	Arthur Hiller
Written by	Miguel de Cervantes (novel) Dale Wasserman (musical/screenplay)
Starring	Peter O'Toole Sophia Loren James Coco Harry Andrews John Castle
Music by	Mitch Leigh (musical) Laurence Rosenthal (incidental music)
Cinematography	Giuseppe Rotunno
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	December 11, 1972
Running time	132 min.
Country	Italy / US
Language	English
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Man of La Mancha is a 1972 film based on the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion. The musical was suggested by the classic satire Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes, but more directly based on Dale Wasserman's 1959 non-musical television play, I, Don Quixote, which combines a semi-fictional episode from the life of Cervantes with scenes from his novel.

The film was financed by an Italian production company, Produzioni Europee Associates, and shot in Rome. However, it is entirely in English. It was released by United Artists.The film is known in Italy as L'Uomo della Mancha.

The film was produced and directed by Arthur Hiller, and stars Peter O'Toole as both Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote, James Coco as both Cervantes' Manservant and Sancho Panza (Don Quixote's "squire"), and Sophia Loren as scullery maid and prostitute Aldonza, whom the deranged Don Quixote idolises as Dulcinea.

Gino Conforti, as the barber, is the only member of the original Broadway musical cast to repeat his role for the film, though James Coco also played that role, briefly, on Broadway.

1 Synopsis
2 Music
3 Cast
4 Awards and nominations
- 4.1 Nominated
- 4.2 Won
5 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Main article: Man of La Mancha

Cervantes and his manservant have been imprisoned by the Spanish Inquisition, and Cervantes's papers are seized by his fellow inmates, who subject him to a mock trial in order to determine whether the papers should be returned.

Cervantes' defense is in the form of a play, in which Cervantes takes the role of Alonso Quijana, an old gentleman who has lost his mind and now believes that he should go forth as a knight-errant. Quijana renames himself Don Quixote de La Mancha, and sets out to find adventures with his "squire", Sancho Panza.

Two changes are made to the storyline: one of them is the reason for Cervantes' imprisonment. The play begins with Cervantes and his manservant entering the dungeon, after which we learn that Cervantes incurred the wrath of the Inquisition by issuing a lien on a monastery that would not pay their taxes. In the film's opening scene, we see a festival in the town square, during which Cervantes stages a play that openly lampoons the Inquisition, thereby leading to his arrest. Another change in the film occurs when the Padre and Dr. Carrasco are sent to bring Don Quixote back home. In the play, they arrive at the inn and simply try to reason with him, but he pays no attention. In the film, in a scene directly inspired by Cervantes's original novel, an elaborate ruse is set up by Don Quixote's family. A man is brought in on a bier, apparently "turned to stone" through some enchantment. Don Quixote is told by the man's "relatives" that only he can break the spell, by fighting the dreaded Enchanter, Quixote's mortal enemy. This prepares us for the Enchanter's later appearance as the Knight of the Mirrors.

[edit] Music

Mitch Leigh's Tony Award winning score is augmented in the film adaptation by discreet string orchestration by conductor Laurence Rosenthal, whose work was nominated for the Academy Award for Original Song Score and Adaptation.

Two songs from the musical, "What Does He Want of Me" and "To Each His Dulcinea", were omitted from the film, as were two verses of "Aldonza" and the second verse of the reprise of "Dulcinea". The lyric of "It's All The Same" was partially rewritten by Joe Darion. The last few lines of "I Really Like Him" were also rewritten, but, as in the play, Aldonza tosses Sancho a dishrag to take to Quixote as a "token". When Sancho does so, Quixote immediately believes it to be a silken scarf. Peter O'Toole's vocal performance was deemed to be inadequate, and was re-recorded by Simon Gilbert. All the other actors did their own singing.