# Man of La Mancha (1972)

### reviewed by
Albert Sanchez Moreno

Man of la Mancha -Review by Albert Moreno (retrospective) When the film version of Man of La Mancha was released in 1972,it was greeted by howls of disapproval from pretentious critics who claimed it was a distortion of Cervantes' "Don Quixote",which was supposedly a satire on knight-errantry. Never mind the fact that literary critics have found much more profound meanings in the book and that Broadway critics praised the musical for being faithful to the spirit of Cervantes'novel. Perhaps the critics were prejudiced by this,and by the fact that United Artists had hired the original creative team of the show and then fired them because they were unhappy with the screen tests. Mostly non-singing actors were used in the film (Peter O'Toole was dubbed),and only one member of the original cast, Gino Conforti,as the barber,repeats his stage role. In spite of the singing limitations,the film is quite good-splendidly acted and photographed (by Fellini cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno). Peter O' Toole, Sophia Loren,James Coco ,as well as Shakespearean actors Harry Andrews, John Castle and Ian Richardson bring real sensitivity to the spoken dialogue,and some of the singing voices,such as Richardson's, Julie Gregg's, James Coco's and the muleteer's chorus are actually quite passable. The sets are picturesquely shabby, as the original stage set and costume designers wished. Those who fault the movie for not being glamorous enough should read Don Quixote and check out the locales of the story for themselves. I wonder if any of them actually read the book. Man of La Mancha begins with a burst of bright color in the middle of the town square in Seville,as a festival is taking place(an opening completely different from the play.) Cervantes,playwright,poet,and part-time tax collector, is arrested by the Spanish Inquisition for putting on a satirical entertainment supposedly offensive to them. He and his manservant are taken to a prison and thrown into an underground dungeon (it is here that the original play begins).In prison,they are attacked by their fellow inmates ,who stage a mock trial with the purpose of confiscating Cervants'belongings. One of these belongings is a manuscript,and in order to save it, Cervantes pleads his defense-he ,the manservant,and their fellow prisoners will improvise the story of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. The remainder of the film alternates between the Don Quixote scenes and the prison scenes. Cervantes transforms himself into his fictional counterpart with makeup and costume, and we see the effect his fantastic but moving story has upon his fellow prisoners.The transitions between the prison and the locales of "Don Quixote" are very smoothly done,although this was one of the sore points of the film.On stage,one set was used for the entire play, and the audience filled in the rest with their imagination. In the film,the real locales are quite literally shown. Still,none of this detracts from the enjoyment of the film,and those who like a good cry should love this film. "Man of La Mancha" is of course, far more sentimental than "Don Quixote",but one is surprised at how much of the original style of Cervantes' dialogue is retained,despite the fact that most of the plot is not found in the novel,but wholly original to the play. Don't miss "Man of La Mancha".

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