Man of La Mancha

Pros: Sophia Loren, James Coco, Peter O'Toole and other great performers
Cons: The performances given by these great performers

I'm a fan of classical literature. I remember having bits and pieces of the story of Don Quixote read to me long before I ever saw Man of La Mancha on stage. Fortunately for me, I saw it on stage and fell in love with it there long before I...

Pros: Sophia at her earthy best
Cons: O'Toole not the best singer

This musical happens to be one of my favorites, as it concerns one of my favorite characters, Don Quixote. I read Cervantes story and was enchanted by the knight and his misadventures across medieval Spain.

Peter O'Toole plays the dual role...

Pros: The brilliance of Cervantes in an unusual setting. Genuinely profound.
Cons: Musical quality severely attenuated by simply bad singing, even though this may serve a purpose.

In keeping with my apparently uncontrollable urge to review movies (and books) long after they are released, I am surrendering to my urge to review this movie, which I have just seen again. My only excuses are that I have a few observations that differ ...

Pros: Gutsy darkness, great performers, excellent visual style, compelling ideas and premise
Cons: Mediocre music, limping rhythm, rushed dialogue

The beginning of Man of La Mancha is so compelling that I spent the rest of the movie hoping that it would regain its initial power. At the beginning of the movie, we see Miguel de Cervantes escorted off the stage in the middle of a play in which he ...

Pros: Peter O'Toole's acting
Cons: The singing and Sophia Loren

Don Quixote is one of the best stories ever written. All of the adventure and suspenseful moments make it very entertaining. The movie version on the other hand managed to be very unentertaining.
The first criticism I have to point out is the...

Pros: it eventually ends
Cons: desecrates a fine Broadway musical

Some wonderful people got cast in this godawful film, one of the worst screen adaptations of a stage musical ever made.

Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren are hopelessly miscast as Don Quixote and the kitchen wench he sees as a great lady. If...

Pros: Inspired casting, good song renditions
Cons: The dreary sets, filmed in drab colors

Is there a problem when a man who is deemed mad has virtues and noble qualities that others do not have?
Man of La Mancha, the film of the Broadway musical, has been much maligned. Its biggest drawback is the drab landscape which was unfortunately...