Man of La Mancha (1972)

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Siskoid
I like the Don Quixote story, and I love the songs in its musical version, Man of La Mancha, so I was essentially hard-wired to like the 1972 film version, no matter its weaknesses. Mostly, these can be summed up as a lack of directorial facility with musical choreography - too many cuts make a mess of the action, or else characters just stand there like dead marionettes - and very stiff make-up on Peter O'Toole's Don Quixote make-up. Even so, O'Toole is touching as the old knight, and his Dulcinea is fiercely played by Sophia Loren. The production has fun going from the frame tale, with Cervantes putting on a show in prison, to his fantastical story, even if it takes a while to get going (did we need his arrest?). The dialog is filled with poetry. And that heartbreaking climax... It can't help but draw all the tears out of me. Had 45 minutes to kill before going to bed, so I sort of relived it by putting the Quantum Leap episode where Sam has to perform the musical into the DVD player. Like I said, I'm a complete sucker for Man of La Mancha. 5 years 7 months ago