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 i... Read allThe 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.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.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 3 nominations total
- Muleteer
- (as Dominic Bartó)
- Director
- Writers
- Dale Wasserman(uncredited)
- Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaKirk Douglas was so keen to play Don Quixote that he offered Paramount $1m for the rights. In 1965, Anthony Quinn negotiated with Dale Wasserman for the film rights. Quinn wanted Mexican comedian Cantinflas for the role of "Sancho Panza" (with Quinn as Quixote).
- GoofsIn the film, Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra uses the story of Don Quixote to defend the hero's chivalric notions. In the final pages of the novel, and only in the final pages, he declares that his intention was to satirize and poke fun at the exaggerated books of chivalry which were then in vogue. Part I of "Don Quixote" published in 1605, is mostly comic; Part II, published in 1615, is more melancholy and psychological. Most critics feel that, despite his satirical intentions, Cervantes mellowed and began to admire Don Quixote between publication of the 2 parts.
- Quotes
Miguel de Cervantes: I'm a poet.
The Duke: They're putting people in prison for that?
Miguel de Cervantes: No, no, no, not for that.
The Duke: Too bad.
- Crazy creditsDuring the opening credits, we see the animated sails of a windmill, which, with each turn, begin to reveal, and finally become, a sketch of the face of Don Quixote. The camera moves in for an extreme closeup of the facial features, which, as the camera gets close, reveal themselves to be a giant prop in an outdoor stage presentation during a festival. As the opening credits end, the sketch of that prop dissolves into the real item.
- Alternate versionsThe 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).
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003)
- SoundtracksMan of La Mancha
(I, Don Quixote)
Music by Mitch Leigh
Lyrics by Joe Darion
Performed by Simon Gilbert, Peter O'Toole (speaking),
and James Coco
Peter O'Toole leads an ensemble of many of the best actors, and actresses of the time. Among them that classical beauty Sophia Loren, who played Aldonza/Dulcenea to perfection.
O'Toole gives what I consider to be one of his best, if not the best performance of his life. His natural style captivates audiences, totally. I have seen few actors who can act so natural, and with such eloquence. His gift of oratory is quite remarkable.
The beautiful Loren with her natural acting style, and wit gives the character of Aldonza/Dulcenea the most justice any actress can give a role.
The rest of the cast, the priest, Quijana's niece, housekeeper, play the part of self centered people fooling themselves into "they're only thinking of his (Quijana/Quixote's) well being , to the infinite degree. Equally talented were the muleteers , Pedro the head muleteer was a real card.
The audience must take into consideration the fact that almost all the actors, and actresses were playing dual roles. This in an of itself is an credit to their acting abilities.
No commentary would be complete without mentioning the music. It ranks as one of my top ten soundtracks. I listen to some of the songs on an almost daily basis.
This film is superb.
- leftyguns2
- Feb 24, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Der Mann von La Mancha
- Filming locations
- Tarquinia, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy(outdoor sequences near Etruscan ruins)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $12,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 12 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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![Sophia Loren, Peter O'Toole, and James Coco in Man of La Mancha (1972)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzYyOTExNWEtODg3YS00NGYzLTg2ZmEtZWIwZDNlZTE1YzY2L2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,2,90,133_.jpg)