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Don
Quixote/Cervantes |
Aldonza/Dulcinea |
Sancho |
Innkeeper...
Harry Andrews |
Director |
Producers |
Music |
Lyrics |
Screenplay ... Dale Wasserman |
Choreography ... Gillian Lynne |
THE SONGS
MAN OF LA MANCHA
After a surreal opening and a detailed
to a fault entrance into an underground prison, Cervantes begins to tell a story to his
inmates to prove his innocence. Like the stageplay, he prepares other inmates for 'roles'
they will play and indeed they appear in those roles throughout the film. O'Toole is
accomplished as an actor even here, but his vocal 'stylings' are nothing short of weak. (Or should we say his uncredited voice "Simon Gilbert" is weak.)
The segue from the performance in the prison to the 'reality' of Don Quixote's world
is jarring. I wonder if this would be a more elegant transition if done today. But, while
we are speaking of Quixote's reality, O'Toole's make-up still borders on stage make-up
making for some awkward close-ups. James Coco as Sancho is very fun throughout the film
although underused comedically. Director Hiller attempts to utilize the stage versions
'dancing horses' during this number but the effect is lost.
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ITīS ALL THE SAME
| Everything I said about Peter O'Toole's singing... I take it all back. He is Pavoratti compared with the 7th grade school girl singing voice of Aldonza. Sophia Loren was born to look the part and overfills her costumes nicely, but, vocally, she...ummm shouldn't sing. With that said, the muleteers onscreen are nothing short of frightening (but, they can sing). They are potential rape and murder personified. So, beware, anytime they are on-screen you KNOW something is going to go wrong. |
DULCINEA
| O'Toole sings what is in my opinion, one of the most beautiful melodies in recent years. And somehow, he pulls it off. Part of the genius of the composition is that the muleteers can mockingly sing the same melody and yet come across as dangerous and evil. This is well captured in this song. |
I'M ONLY THINKING OF HIM
| Well, this is sort of off-topic, but here goes. The pan & scan version of the film (formatted to fit your screen) is so embarrassing in this number that it totally distracted me from the story. The number has 2 woman singing from opposite sides of a church confessional while a padre is in the middle. Of course, this could be appreciated in a widescreen or letterbox piece but cannot be shown here. We see one person at a time. As a matter of fact, when the second lady sings we don't even see her face, we only see the back of her head! So, it is difficult to judge the presntation and composition of the scene. Vocally, the piece excels from the extremely peculiar vocal stylings of the padre. |
I REALLY LIKE HIM
| Here James Coco shows that he can be unfunny in a comic number if you need him to be. |
BARBERīS SONG
| Once again hindered by pan and scan, this group number has been turned intimate by chopping out performers. The barber himself is quite funny, in fact quite inappropriate with the rest of the film. |
LITTLE BIRD, LITTLE BIRD
| This sweet song is in sharp contrast with the context it is performed. The muleteers are agressively pursuing Aldonza while seranading her. They are indeed awful to watch in that there are no redeeming qualities often attributed to pirates and thieves. |
THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM
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See FFWD button. One of the most popular theatrical songs in history is dimished to a
static and ugly shot with second rate vocals and obvious lip synchronizational problems.
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THE DUBBING
| After a 'humourous' battle with the muleteers, the innkeeper, in a great musical theatre performance (One sorely lacking in other roles) dubs Quixote "The Knight of the Woeful Countenance." But don't worry, Sophia Loren has one line to sing at the end of the number that makes you forget the innkeeper. |
ALDONZA
| Sophia Loren sings. |
A LITTLE GOSSIP
| If you have gotten this far, James Coco has a cute little number here. Still not humorous, just cute. But, I think the audience never feels sorry for O'Tooles character. They are instead annoyed by his cockeyed vision. A problem that never plagues the stage productions. |
On His Deathbed
| On his death bed, we get small snippets of the songs that moved us through the story (Or moved us out to blockbuster to get an old Jerry Lewis movie...) |
THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM, FINALE
| Back in the 'reality' of prison, Cervantes is acquitted by the other prisoners just as he is sent to face the inquistion. The entire group sings Quixotes Impossible Dream. This would be more effective in a widescreen format. Don't forget to rewind the tape. |
FROM STAGE TO SCREEN
| It was destined to be made into a film. But why was it done on such a small, independent film mentality? In fact there are way too many whys to mention. The stage production has the ability of telling the story using limited props (After all, the story is being 'staged.') But, the film plays in an awkward reality where O'Tooles make-up looks like a first year make-up artists attempt at age. Lets see. Some positives. The set of the hotel/castle is very serviceable if not for a confusing. Ah. Here. The musical score and orchestrations (by Laurence Rosenthal)are stellar across the board here. Laurence Rosenthal, the padre and the innkeeper get my applause. |
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