BY TIM MCGLYNN
“I
am I, Don Quioxte, the man of La Mancha!â€
Shout!
Factory has released the 1973 film version of Broadway’s hit musical Man of La
Mancha. Directed by Arthur Hiller and
starring Peter O’ Toole, Sophia Loren and James Coco, this was United Artists’
follow-up to their hugely successful film version of Fiddler on the Roof. It was also one of the last of the roadshow
attractions to play across the country. In the Chicago area, where I grew up, this meant a reserved seat
engagement at the famed McClurg Court Theater.
Based
on author Dale Wasserman’s stage hit, Man of La Mancha, and featuring music by
Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion, itt starred the great Richard Kiley in
the role of Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. Well-received by audiences at the time, the show won the 1965 Tony Award
for Best Musical.
Mitch
Leigh wrote the music for several stage musicals such as Cry for Us All and
Home Sweet Homer with Yul Brynner. Both
of these productions closed after only a handful of performances. While these shows did not produce any hit
songs, it was Leigh’s efforts in the area of television advertising that
provided his greatest fame. Jingles such
as Nobody Doesn’t Like Sara Lee and music for the ABC network’s programming
introductions paid the bills. He also
wrote the trippy instrumental number The Dis-Advantages of You, which was made
famous by a series of commercials for Benson & Hedges cigarettes during the
late 60s.
The
score for Man of La Mancha features a boisterous title song along with the
inspirational anthem The Impossible Dream. Gillian Lynne provided the staging for the dances and fight
sequences. While you may not recognize
her name, Lynne went on to create the amazing movements and dances for the
Andrew Lloyd Webber megahit Cats.
In
the film, O’ Toole plays Miguel de Cervantes, an aging and utter failure of a Spanish
playwright, poet and tax collector. Cervantes has been incarcerated in a Seville dungeon awaiting trial by
the Inquisition for an offense against the Church. There he is dragged before a kangaroo court of
his fellow prisoners, who plan to confiscate his few possessions including the
uncompleted manuscript of a novel, Don Quixote. Cervantes, seeking to save the manuscript, proposes his defense in the
form of a play. The court agrees, and Cervantes and his manservant utilize make-up
and costumes transforming themselves into Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. They
then play out the story with the prisoners taking the roles of other
characters.
In
this play within a film, Quixote and Sancho take to the road in a quest to
restore the age of chivalry, battle evil, and right all wrongs. The famous
battle with the windmill follows, with Quixote blaming his defeat on his enemy,
the Great Enchanter.
In
a roadside inn, which Quixote insists is really a castle, Aldonza, the inn's
serving girl and part-time prostitute is being harassed by a gang of muleteers.
Quixote sees her as the dream-ideal whom he will serve forever and insists her
name is Dulcinea. Aldonza is confused
and angered by Quixote's refusal to see her as she really is.
Later
Aldonza encounters Quixote in the courtyard where he is holding vigil, in
preparation for being knighted by the innkeeper. She questions him on his seemingly
irrational ways, and Quixote answers her with a statement of his credo, The
Impossible Dream.
Peter
O’Toole is charming as the confused Don Quixote and is effectively able to
separate himself from that role to play the clever Cervantes. He is not, however, a singer and his songs
were dubbed even though he reportedly recorded the score before this decision
was reached. His emotions shine through
the layers of make-up and masks required for both of these characters. Sophia Loren is simply gorgeous even though
she is understandably sullen through most of the film. Her songs are also dubbed, but she has a
commanding presence during the dance sequences. She suffers a cruel fate late in the story, however, as she is ravaged
by the muleteers. The assault is more
suggestive in this PG-rated movie supposedly geared for family audiences. James Coco, a stage veteran, is a comic
genius in the roles of Cervantes’ servant and the squire, Sancho Pancho. He can convey more emotion with a single
glance or raised eyebrows in his complete devotion to his master. British stalwart Harry Andrews must be given
credit for his wonderful portrayals of the Innkeeper and the leader of the
prisoners.
At
first Richard Kiley and Joan Diener, Broadway’s Aldonza, were going to repeat
their stage roles. Albert Marre, the
original director, was to helm the movie but creative differences with the
producers caused him to depart the production taking Kiley and Diener with him. British director Peter Glenville was then
hired and quickly fired when he planned to eliminate the tunes from the
production. A musical without songs was
apparently not a good idea. Glenville
was the one who hired O’ Toole for the lead role. Finally, Arthur Hiller came
aboard and the production was filmed in Rome.
Under
Arthur Hiller’s direction the film took on a dark and colorless quality. It seemed that Hiller could not decide if it
was a drama with many close-ups or a musical with more open scenes and
production numbers.
On stage the entire story took place in the prison common
room, but Hiller kept switching from the jail to the inn and the prairies of
Spain. This juxtaposition of the settings was somewhat confusing to audiences
and even Roger Ebert in his review admitted he didn’t know what was going on
for the first 15 minutes.
The cinematography, set designer and customer all worked to
create the depressing brown, tan and grey colors that dominate the film. It is
also one of the few big budget musicals to be shot in 1.85 and not scope like
most stage-to-screen adaptations. However, for the 70mm roadshow
prints the picture was cropped to the 2:20 aspect ratio.
Shout! Factory has given us their usual excellent quality
for this Blu-ray preserving the 1.85 ratio and 5.1 surround sound. Extras
include a 1973 featurette, the theatrical trailer and a photo montage shown
over the overture music.
Man of La Mancha, which was a critical and boxoffice
failure, may disappoint some fans of the stage show, but it is an interesting
study of a man who lives in his dreams and sees only the best in his fellow
man.
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