Product Details

• Actors: Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco, Harry Andrews, John Castle
• Directors: Arthur Hiller
• Writers: Dale Wasserman, Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra
• Producers: Arthur Hiller, Alberto Grimaldi, Saul Chaplin
• Format: Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: September 14, 1999
• Run Time: 132 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302048818
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,726 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's hard to imagine a finer Don Quixote than Peter O'Toole, who's spent most of his career with a slightly mad, dreaming look in his marvelous eyes. O'Toole's suitability for the role is tested by the Broadway treatment of Man of La Mancha, the film version of the hit stage musical. Everybody knows "The Impossible Dream," that indomitable hymn to, well, quixotic questing, and it is indeed the best of the Spanish-inflected songs. Despite the location shooting in Italy, Love Story director Arthur Hiller can't elude the stagey concept (in which Cervantes, imprisoned by the Inquisition, acts out the tale of Don Quixote for his fellow prisoners). James Coco, as Sancho Panza, is overshadowed by the film's irresistible Dulcinea: Sophia Loren, at her mature peak. (Her singing, alas, is not as ripe as her beautiful self.) If you love Cervantes for his earthy ironies, this movie will seem a curious slice of inspirational shtick. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest madness of all is to see the world as it is, March 3, 2000

By 

"conflans" (Charlottenlund 2920 Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man of La Mancha [VHS] (VHS Tape)

While I understand the spanish gentleman who wrote the first reviews comment about the film not being accurate I must say I find this musical one of the best I have ever watched. The essence of the film is best expressed in the words "The greatest madness of all is to see the world as it is and not as it should be". Thus the film illustrates that Don Quixote is the only sane man in a mad world. He alone sees the beautiful, noble, and serene qualities in everything. He is the last chivalrous and truly good man in a world that no longer has any place for nobility and chivalrous ideals. In this sense it is not important if the film is entirely accurate as Peter O'Toole is brilliant in portraying the haunted blue eyes of a man who will always be a knight in his soul. One has to be a romantic to appreciate this perhaps, but it is a great film. The reason for the story about Don Cervantes being arrested by the inqusition is in my opinion that the Author of the musical who must himself have felt kinship with Don Quixote would like to illustrate that Don Cervantes must have felt that kinship himself and probably possesed many of the same qualities. Regardless if one still wants to fight for what is true, good, and beautiful, this is a superb film about a man, whom if he had existed, I would have been hounoured to call my friend.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Musical, December 17, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Man of La Mancha [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Man of la Mancha" contains as much of the Don Quixote legend as could be expected in a reasonable-length movie. And it is wonderfully acted. Having taught Theatre Arts for twenty years, I do not understand why people complain that every non-operatic voice isn't looped by Carreras or Brightman. "Man of la Mancha"s actors are just that -- actors. Actors who happen to sing with the appropriate emotion. I'd much rather listen to Peter O'Toole sing "Impossible Dream" with all his passion, than to hear an unemotional operatic version. "Man of la Mancha" is the best possible musical that could have been made from Cervantes' classic.

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Favorite Musical, November 14, 2004

By 

Confederate (Bethesda, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man of La Mancha (DVD)

Generally many people regard musicals as silly, combining the worst elements of drama and song. OKLAHOMA's singing and dancing cowboys, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and other ridiculous productions; even so, there are notable exceptions. JOSEPH AND HIS AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT and MAN OF LA MANCHA are just two of my favorites. The latter was a success because it never lost track of the story and the music was nothing short of inspirational.

The production, rendered only so-so in conversion to DVD, is worth the price of admission, however, because of its excellent acting, subtle humor, wonderful characters and, most importantly, its lofty moral values. The music doen't require great voices to be effective (in fact, it helps if they're a bit earthy). I've read a number of unfavorable professional reviews by writers who were disappointed that the singing wasn't up to par when compared to singing gang members in New York; but it only shows they missed the point.

The production here is fabulous. I only wish greater care had been given in cleaning up the muddy colors and sound track. Still, this is well worth the price until someone wakes up and releases it with dazzling saturation and crisp sound.