08-06-19 Man of La Mancha (1972)

Seen: June 15th, 2008 (ish)
Format: Broadcast (HDNMV - HDNet Movies)
Rating: 7

As a kid I saw Man of La Mancha in summer stock. Gabe Kaplan played the lead, and despite the seeming mis-casting, did an admirable job.

O'Toole does a better one.

I was impressed as a child by Quixote's quest and moved by his sheer dogged determination. I was impressed by how fully he embraced his quest and how completely he committed himself to it. O'Toole does that and more here. His complete and utter sincerity in the role is compelling. He becomes Cervantes, Cervantes as Quixote, and beyond to Quixote himself, as appropriate and does so with immersive abandon.

It's a bit of a shame he couldn't sing his own parts, but you have to admire him as an artists for trying, failing, admitting his failure and helping to find a suitable voice double.

The other players do admirably as well. Loren is excellently cast and does a remarkable job given the fact she's not a singer either. James Coco as well, does admirably, though he seems less fully engaged than most of the rest of the cast to me. The bit players are also well-cast and come through, Harry Andrews being a stand out.

My only true reservation about this film is it's seeming indecision about itself.

The "play" parts of the film feel very much like a play, both from their staging, the way they are shot and production design employed. This bothered me a bit. I'd like to have seen a more filmic representation here. Instead, we get more what the live performance offered. This is a shame, because these are the parts of the story, the "fantastic" parts that could have been greatly enhanced by creative use of camera, staging and lighting that would have been limited in a live performance.

In effect, the film is an effective recreation of the play, with an excellent performance by O'Toole. I'd have preferred something that took more of a chance with the medium, but hey, I'm a film fan.

The Good: O'Toole's incredible sincerity
The Bad: Limited use of the media
The Ugly: The righteous preference of delirium