Man of La Mancha (1972)

Peter O'Toole. Sophia Loren

This musical version of Don Quixote is framed by an incident allegedly from the life of its author, Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote is the mad, aging nobleman who embarrasses his respectable family by his adventures. Backed by his faithful sidekick Sancho Panza, he duels windmills and defends his perfect lady Dulcinea (who is actually a downtrodden whore named Aldonza).

From IMDB:

What fantastic lines: "I made a mistake, I told the truth."

That was the response of one of the Inquisition prisoners to the inquiry, "Why are you here?" "I was selling lies about one country to fools in the other country who believed me when........." The fact that O'toole can't sing for diddly is OK by me. He played the mad wise old man so wonderfully. The subtle idea that they were all imprisoned by the Inquisition manned by beasts who performed torture in the name of Jesus, who was tortured in a similar Inquisition, "Are you the Messiah?", etc. leaves you reverberating.

Just as you also sit and think about the recursive show within a show within a show that you are seeing. We were shown one other aspect of the corrupt Christian church by the priest who plots with the niece and her fiance to bring the old man back to his 'senses' so he can legally will her his property.

There are so many lines in this movie that are momentous. Just the very idea in this jaded time that there are beliefs worth dying for, worth fighting the valiant but unwinnable battle against the implacable foe for, really knocks me out!!! Was anyone EVER so innocent, so pure?

I live in a country where the president, the Supreme Court and the Congress are filled with low life liars, and yet there are Americans here who are as noble as Senor Cervantes. There is another noble character in here that I would love to see analyzed by some of you scholars: that's the innkeeper/head of the prisoners. He has the respect of the mob, is a stable figure full of common sense, but yet is wise enough to respect the noble mad knight.

And then there's the squire, Cervante's neighbor. He reminded me of my feelings toward Bill Clinton, when he answered the question, "Why do you follow this madman?" "I like him. I just LIKE him." He's crazy, he's mad, he is engaged in an unwinnable fight, but "I like him". And Sophia Loren as the Mary Magdelene figure: those mauling scenes were excellently done, because they scared me and made me fear for her safety, as the men all but rape her. Maybe the reason they didn't was similar to the excuse I heard for my great-great-grandfather's 'kindness' toward his slaves in Opp, Al.: "You don't mistreat your horses, cause you want them to be around tomorrow healthy enough to work for you."

I checked this one out from the rental store, but I will now seek to buy it, as it's one that I will re-visit from time to time as I and my country changes. Will we ever have another time in the USA when 'good' people are able to make changes, when our planet is not allowed to be despoiled by our own government? Or is that to be left to another country whose Constitution is based on freedom, yet uncorrupted?

"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary to shake loose the bonds of government..........." I'm afraid it's about time.

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