Man of La Mancha

In Arthur Hiller's 1972 screen adaptation of the 1965 Broadway musical based on Cervantes's classic novel Don Quixote, Peter O'Toole is splendid in a dual role as both the young Cervantes jailed by the Inquisition and as his elderly, befuddled creation, Don Quixote, whose story the author relates to his fellow prisoners. Sophia Loren is equally effective as the woman Cervantes persuades to play Aldonza, the kitchen maid whom Quixote imagines to be his fair lady Dulcinea. But the score demands strong vocalism, and here the film stumbles. Loren does her own singing, and barely manages, while O'Toole was dubbed by Simon Gilbert, whose thin, frail voice is hardly suited to a song like “The Impossible Dream.” James Coco as Sancho, Harry Andrews as an innkeeper, Ian Richardson as a priest, and Gino Conforti as a barber fare better, but their contributions are minimal. Man of La Mancha is also hobbled by erratic cinematography (with many unflattering close-ups), and by the jarring visual contrast between occasional sequences shot outdoors and those obviously made on soundstage sets, where the effort at realism fails miserably. Extras include a vintage “making-of” featurette, and the roadshow overture accompanied by a photo montage. Despite its flaws, this should still be considered a strong optional purchase for the fine star performances. (F. Swietek)